The creative success of Conan O'Brien's big Tonight Show debut is still being debated, but in the black/white world of Ratings Land, he appears to have pulled it off. Conan's first show gave the late night program its highest Monday numbers in four years.

O'Brien's 7.1 rating was a full 173& higher than his February Late Night goodbye episode, though in Tonight terms, it still came in lower than old guard Jay Leno's Friday night sign-off. Perhaps people prefer a goodbye to a hello.

The important thing that remains to be seen is whether Conan can hold onto any of the old Leno fans. He's sure to bring his rabid Late Night fan base to the earlier slot, but judging by certain fussy old people's "We miss Leno... :(" reactions, his caustic absurdism may not play well with the watching-in-bed-til-the-Gas-X-kicks-in set.