Inside Conan O Brien's Forgotten TV Show

In 2025, Conan O' Brien and Robert Smigel are comedy legends, but back in 1991 they were two working TV writers with a dream. A dream to work with their childhood hero, the former Batman Adam West. Together the duo were responsible for Lookwell, a legendarily hilarious pilot for NBC that cast West as an out-of work actor who thinks that because he played a detective, he can become a detective. Even with the support of NBC president Brandon Tartikoff, the network didn't greenlight the show and it aired only once. But that initial airing become a valued commodity among tape traders, as the show has gained infamy as the years have gone on. This is the story of Lookwell, a story of not only the funniest comedy show that never was, but a story of perseverance of not just Conan and Smigel, but of the legend that was Adam West. Chicago Tribune 06-24-1988 Boston Globe 04-08-1984 Newsday Suffolk Edition 05-05-1994 The Daily Herald 11-08-1971 San Francisco Examiner 07-10-1966 Star Phoenix 05-03-1991 Sidney Daily News 07-27-1991 Honolulu Star Bulletin 07-28-1991 The Atlanta Journal 7-31-1991 Pittsburgh Post Gazette 08-01-2003 The Republican 2017 06-11-2017 Other Sources Not Directly Cited but Used for Research Trio Brilliant but Cancelled Documentary https://archive.org/details/Brilliant... Robert Smigel's Television Academy Interview https://interviews.televisionacademy.... Inside The Actors Studio Conan OBrien https://archive.org/details/yt-1s.com... Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend: Robert Smigel (and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) https://teamcoco.com/podcasts/conan-o... Adam West: Behind The Cowl (Documentary)    • Adam West: Behind The Cowl (Documentary)   Starring Adam West (Documentary) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2719448/ Time Stamps 0:00 (Pilot Season) 02:15 (The Rise of Adam West) 03:32 (The Fall of Adam West) 05:40 (The Brilliance of Robert Smigel) 07:00 (Enter Conan O Brien) 08:00 ( The Inspiration Behind Lookwell) 09:00 (NBC Has an Ultimatum) 09:44 (Brandon Tartikoff) 10:20 (The Director Connundrum) 11:30 (Breaking Down The Pilot) 13:00 (The Best Bits) 13:50 (The Demise of Lookwell) 15:00 (The Single Airing) 15:45 (The Trio Go Their Own Ways) 17:00 (Lookwell Becomes a Cult Classic) 18:20 (Adam West's Return to Glory) 19:40 (A Lookwell Sequel?) All Video Clips used are Listed Here https://pastebin.com/NbkFAm0F