I began to watch the last episode of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” like most of the other people I know: waiting to see what parting shots O’Brien had for NBC, the network from which he was walking away based on what he felt was unfair treatment.  When I had heard that NBC wanted to move “The Tonight Show” from 11:35 p.m. to 12:05 a.m., I was frustrated that the network would move the man who I thought was the funniest late night personality for a half-hour of Jay Leno telling jokes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have exactly one hour to steal every item in this studio.” O’Brien really made it seem like the viewers were going to be in for an hour of NBC-bashing.

This vibe continued throughout the night with a special appearance by Steve Carrell as an NBC employee conducting an “exit interview” in which Carrell asked O’Brien to rank O’Brien’s experience on “The Tonight Show” on a scale of positive, very positive, and extremely positive.  Later, when Tom Hanks appeared and made a remark about CBS, O’Brien replied, “Sounds like a great network to me.”

But O’Brien made it clear that bad-mouthing NBC was not the point of his final show.  He thanked the network that had given him a variety of opportunities, saying, “I’m enormously proud of the work we’ve done together and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.”  He then thanked his fans before giving advice to his younger viewers that should be taken to heart by every person in the world: “Please do not be cynical.  I hate cynicism.  For the record, it’s my least favorite quality; it doesn’t lead anywhere.  Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen, I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.”

With these words and a hitch in his voice, O’Brien painted a picture of what the world can be with positive thinking, making me forget about all the drama happening at NBC.

O’Brien’s humor was always offbeat, and he was always willing to make himself the butt of jokes and even participate in sketches that had a physicality to them.  He was the model of having fun, especially in the finale of “The Tonight Show,” when he performed “Free Bird” with Will Ferrell, Beck, Ben Harper, Elvis Costello, Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, and “The Tonight Show” band.  Watching O’Brien soloing to close out his “Tonight Show” career, he indeed looked like a “free bird” removed from all worries.

O’Brien exhibited more than just comedic chops throughout his tenure at NBC.  He made his shows some of the best on late night with his unique brand of humor and sincerity, something that will be sorely missed by NBC.

Daniel Gallen can be reached for comment at [email protected]