Conan O'Brien's 'Clueless Gamer' Segment Given Full Episodes By TBS

Late night talk show hosts and gaming don’t usually have a lot to do with each other but Conan O’Brien is the exception. In a recurring segment called “Clueless Gamer,” the popular TV personality often takes the time to play bits and pieces of video game titles with hilarious commentary, and it has proven extremely popular. It’s become such a success, in fact, that TBS has greenlit full episodes of the segment.

Aside from the jokes that Conan directs at the titles, at himself, and even gamers, among the biggest appeal of “Clueless Gamer” are the many stars that appear alongside the host, some of whom displayed a surprising level of familiarity with video games, Inverse reports. However, it’s Conan’s ability to turn a trait that’s often viewed as a negative by gamers into an asset that really makes the segment stand out.

The segment is basically a combination of a usual YouTube Let’s Play and reaction video, only with more sardonic comments and Conan’s characteristic quips. Some of the celebrities he has had onboard include Terry Crews and Elijah Wood, covering such games as “Battlefield 1” and “Final Fantasy XV.”

Driven by its massive popularity online, network executives saw the potential in the segment, much like how Spike now has “Lip Sync Battle,” which started out as a segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In an interview with Deadline, production head at Conaco Jeff Ross explained that making “Clueless Gamer” into a full blown series is just one of many things that their production company is working on.

In any case, “Clueless Gamer” has certainly helped Conan reach a bigger audience that usually only stayed within the confines of entertainment mediums found on the internet. Tapping into millions of viewers that would otherwise never watch a late night talk show was a brilliant move.