NEW YORK — "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" signs off tonight after 16 years and 2,725 episodes, after which its gangly red-haired host will pack up, move west and "reinvent" himself in his dream job: "The Tonight Show."

In NBC's late-night game of musical chairs, Jimmy Fallon steps in for O'Brien on March 2, O'Brien replaces Jay Leno on the storied franchise on June 1, and Leno unexpectedly moves his act to prime time in early September.

But before all that, there's a bit of misty-eyed reminiscing to do. Since last week, the show has been re-airing some treasured remote segments, a mix of staff picks and fan favorites that includes Conan's apple-picking expedition with Mr. T and his quest to sell his 1992 Ford Taurus.

He has booked some favorite guests — Martha Stewart , Jerry Seinfeld and Norm Macdonald — and promises a surprise or two for Friday's finale, when the White Stripes also will appear. And there are the "silly montages that capture what this show is about," O'Brien said last week in his modest 30 Rock office, where boxes were piling up in the hallways.

"We're looking at all the different times I've gotten absurdly physical, or broken into song," he says. Another features all of the many robots, bears and Lincolns that have appeared.

"We're trying to walk the line between these being kind of normal shows" and greatest hits. "You don't want to get too self-indulgent," he says. "I don't want it to be a two-week salute to me. I'm not dying; this isn't Lou Gehrig's final speech. I'm being moved to the Los Angeles branch."

Though he's destined for an earlier time slot and a higher profile, it's easy to forget that when he replaced David Letterman on "Late Night" in 1993, O'Brien was a 29-year-old Harvard grad who had written for "The Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live" but had no on-camera experience. That didn't inspire much confidence from NBC, which gave him a series of very short commitments to prove himself.

As Friday nears, O'Brien is reflective. "I'm a sentimental person who's trying very hard to be a tough cynical person," he says. But the looming change is "a little too big to contemplate. This show has been more than a job for me; I met my wife on a remote, and we have two kids. I got my dog through this show. This has been a huge central part of my life." The "Late Night" bulletin board has taken note: "THIS. IS. WEIRD." is scrawled on note cards that normally list upcoming sketches and guests.

"I'm quite good at denial, so I've been keeping it at bay," he says. "There's not time to dwell. (But) when we're doing the last show, it'll hit me. I'll probably cry like a baby."