“Conan” debuted on TBS with much fanfare, but no one must have expected it to top the ratings charts. Conan O’Brien with the Tintin quiff and the antics is set to be the new king of late night TV as he beat off competition from heavyweights Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart of Comedy Central.

Naysayers are betting on how long Conan O’Brien can sustain the initial interest, but a whopping 4.1 million plus people must have tuned in, if one goes by the counts. This shows Conan’s audience connect was strong, with over 3.3 million adults in the 18-49 age demographic and thousands of kids welcomed Conan back on TV after a sabbatical.

TBS for now is laughing all the way to the bank after crushing contenders like “The Daily Show”, Jay Leno on NBC, and Letterman. No one could have predicted this sort of success for Conan O’Brien’s return to TV.

The Associated Press gave Conan the best rating in the youth audience category, with 2.5 million viewerts in the 18-34 age group bracket alone. This was a best ever feat on late night TV shows last night , be it broadcast or cable.

While Jon Stewart who has to take the red head by the horns, pulling in about 1.4 million viewers, and partner Stephen Colbert roping in another million, the battle for eyeballs is well and truly on. If he manages to sustain the momentum throughout the week, Conan O’Brien will be a phenomenon.
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