'Conan' tests fan loyalties with new network, time

LOS ANGELES — Timing is key in comedy and for at least one formerly unemployed talk show host. While Conan O’Brien’s departure from “The Tonight Show” was part of a sorry mess, it was exquisitely in sync with the growing influence of social media.

Team Coco’s adroit use of Twitter and Facebook in the months after O’Brien gave up his network TV platform gave him a direct pipeline to fans and new admirers, keeping him and his comic sensibility in a welcoming, computer-generated spotlight.