'Detroiters' star Sam Richardson goes to Ghana for 'Conan Without Borders' special

Julie Hinds
Detroit Free Press

Back in June, Conan O'Brien asked Sam Richardson on the air to be his translator for "Conan Without Borders: Ghana."

"Conan, the official language of Ghana is called British English," replied Richardson, the comic actor from Detroit whose mother hails from Ghana. "This trip is already a nightmare."

In truth, the "Conan Without Borders" specials — a spin-off of the TBS talk show "Conan" — offer irreverent comedy along with an appreciative window into other cultures.

The Ghana special airing at 10 p.m. Thursday is especially noteworthy as a history lesson — and a moving homecoming for Richardson, who's best known for HBO's "Veep" and Comedy Central's "Detroiters."

Sam Richardson and Conan O'Brien traveled to Ghana for 'Conan Without Borders: Ghana' special airing Nov. 7, 2019 on TBS

As usual, the hour-long episode showcases O'Brien's self-deprecating humor that makes himself the butt of most jokes. At one point, an unimpressed adviser on Ghanaian customs asks the late-night host if his freckles are a sign of illness. 

But it also spends a serious segment on Ghana's 2019 Year of Return campaign to mark the 1619 arrival to the United States — Jamestown, Virginia, specifically — of the first enslaved Africans.

So far, according to "Conan Without Borders," thousands of Americans have made the overseas trip to commemorate the 400-year anniversary and find out more about the brutal diaspora caused by American slavery.

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It's a journey that can evoke strong emotions from those who take it, as it does when Richardson and O'Brien tour a fort that was used as a departure point for kidnapped Africans. 

"Lineage and ancestry ... for a lot of people, it’s just a blank question mark, so coming here has to be such an experience to fill in that blank and complete …," says Richardson during the segment, pausing mid-sentence as the moment hits him.

The Emmy-winning "Conan Without Borders" has taken O'Brien around the globe, from Japan to Australia to Cuba to Armenia and more.

In 2018, O'Brien spontaneously decided to visit Haiti because it was among the places reportedly described in derogatory terms by President Donald Trump. His 2017 special on Mexico City was laced with humorous mockery of Trump's demonizing of undocumented immigrants and featured an all-Mexican crew, guests and audience.

Sam Richardson and Conan O'Brien wear traditional kente cloth apparel of Ghana in 'Conan Without Borders: Ghana' special on TBS.

The Ghana trip was inspired in part by Richardson, a regular "Conan" guest. The Wayne State University alumnus, who started his improv comedy career in Detroit, spent his childhood regularly traveling between the Motor City and Ghana.

“Up to high school, I would go back and forth twice a year,” he told the Free Press in 2016. 

On "Conan Without Borders," Richardson talks about the impact of his dual heritage.

”As a kid in Detroit … I was like, 'Oh, I know a place where you’re not a minority. You are the people," he says. "So that, I think, growing up, has given me a perspective on life.” 

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.

'Conan Without Borders: Ghana'

10 p.m. Thu.

TBS