TBS is making a spinoff series based on the popular Conan sketch “Clueless Gamer,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Clueless Gamer” has been a part of Conan O’Brien’s late-night show on TBS since 2012. O’Brien will be an executive producer on the show but he won’t host it, and a host has yet to be announced.
That decision might seem odd to fans of the long-running sketch, in which O’Brien (who doesn’t know anything about video games) plays video games with celebrities and cracks jokes about his ineptitude. The segment is pretty funny, but it’s weird to imagine someone else hosting it, and even weirder to imagine it running longer than a YouTube video.
In a comment to The Hollywood Reporter, TBS president Kevin Relly explained the decision to adapt “Clueless Gamer,” saying "we've gotten to the point where video game companies are sending us their new product for us to play and make fun of because it's been such a huge success.”
“Clueless Gamer” isn’t the first late-night sketch to be adapted into its own TV show, though. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’s “Lip Sync Battle” was turned into a ratings bonanza for Spike last year, ABC’s Big Fan (premiering Monday) is based on the recurring Jimmy Kimmel bit “Who Knows?,” and a show based on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” skit has been picked up by Apple and set to air exclusively on Apple Music.