Late Night Television

[Cold Bishop]

Well, as someone who thinks SNL's historical nadir (And yes, I've seen quite a few of the Doumanian episodes) largely coincided with Seth Meyer's tenure, even I'll stick up for "Second Chance Theater" as a concept. I don't think the problems with SNL have anything to do with the talent of people involved, and everything to do with the absolutely timid way the show is now ran. I'm intrigued.

[Black Hat]

I am shocked Letterman decided to call it quits. He is well aware that his hero, Carson, went to his grave regretting his retirement. Makes me think something has to be going on behind the scenes, most likely in his personal life as I doubt CBS would want him leaving.

Yes he's slowed down a bit, but when he's into it, it's still by far the best thing going on television. Outside of Colbert, the problem with the late night hosts left is that they're all afraid to be smarter than their guests. Stewart's bits are good but his interviews are nothing to write home about. Kimmel is pretty solid but in my view lacks charisma. Ferguson I respect a great deal because he takes a lot of chances, some of the stuff he does is downright out there but his appeal is Conan niche. How is it possible for a guy who has had a major network late night talk show for almost 10 years to be as unknown as he is? In a sense that's an accomplishment in and of itself. Fallon is the perfect guy to replace Leno, plus this monkey can sing and doesn't have a chin that will scare little children sleeping in their parents beds. Seth Meyers is a swell guy and all but ouch. Maybe the Lorne Machine can pull him through but as far as I'm concerned there's one guy on that stage every night who has the chops to host Late Night and it's the band leader.*

To bring this back to Letterman's successor, I'm no fan of CBS programming, but if you go back far enough to remember the shape the network was in when he took over, about as bad as NBC now, it's clear that Moonves is a pretty smart guy. This means Colbert will be taking over. If he wants the job.

Stop the presses! And I bet Moe likes this post because it uses a fresh line like "Stop the presses"

This made me snort.


*Fred Armisen

[Cold Bishop]

Ferguson seems to be the only guy who understands what a 12:35 show should be. His relative anonymity is a testament to how well he does relaxed and offbeat.

[Black Hat]

Ferguson seems to be the only guy who understands what a 12:35 show should be. His relative anonymity is a testament to how well he does "offbeat".

I vehemently disagree with you on this. Carson and Letterman in his prime were as offbeat as you possibly can be. How offbeat they were was exactly what made both so popular. What Carson had over Letterman, in addition to being a genius, was obviously his looks. This gave him far more leeway than Letterman who to many, especially in his CBS years, came off as curmudgeonly.

Ferguson, like Conan, is going for specific brand of humor that doesn't always work.

Oh and remaining anonymous while having your own television show is never how it's supposed to work.

[Cold Bishop]

Well, Letterman in his prime was a 12:35 host. Perhaps the consummate one at that. But there's no doubt he marked a sea-change in comic sensibility from Carson. There's a reason many people look at today's comic world, with its deliberate weirdness, snark and ironic detachment, as post-Letterman. Certainly, there's something to be said about that sensibility being integrated much more into the mainstream, but I still very much think a mandate of late night programming should trying to get away with things you can't do earlier, and that the 12:35 slot especially has an obligation to be somewhat outré.

I won't dispute any innovation Carson must have brought to late night when he first started, as I simply wasn't there to see it. Certainly, when he took over, any late night talk show was still seen as very much a novel, if even edgy concept. And, much like Letterman, there's something to be said for one's sensibility ultimately being integrated into the mainstream. But even as early as 1977, SNL was cracking jokes about how Carson was out-of-touch and overdue for retirement. Carson was the standard-bearer, the everyman (there's a great Billy Wilder quote about his show) and is still seen very much the model of what 11:30 should be.

And whether that's how it's supposed to work is beyond the point: I think Ferguson's fame points very much to the future of the late night audience. The sort of massive audience-share and cultural prominence of old is gone even for 11:30. I think the late late shows would be wise to play up the benefits of their "obscure" timeslots, instead of trying to reposition themselves for mass appeal (something which hurt Conan's show years before making the switch to the Tonight Show, revisionist opinions be damned). It's ironic, if entirely unavoidable, that late shows use to be much more "niche" back when television models ensured them much more mainstream viewership.

[Robert de la Cheyniest]

I am shocked Letterman decided to call it quits. He is well aware that his hero, Carson, went to his grave regretting his retirement. Makes me think something has to be going on behind the scenes, most likely in his personal life as I doubt CBS would want him leaving.

I could be wrong, but I'm not really sure that's the case with Carson (unless you can point me to something specific). For example, this article by Bill Zehme, written in 2002 seems to paint a picture of a guy who was actually pretty happy about being retired. I get the feeling that Carson probably missed being on TV, as anyone who was on TV every night for 30 years would. But I never got the sense from anything I read that Carson really regretted retiring. I think he was upset at the way he felt pushed out by NBC, though that was largely due to a story Jay Leno's agent planted in the NY Post before Carson announced his retirement. But that Zehme article makes it pretty clear that there were a lot of people at NBC who wanted Carson to do something on TV, even just a one off special, and he had no interest in doing so.

[Moe Dickstein]

I think it's pretty obvious how tired and over it Letterman is. He really only has fun when there's something like the Leno/Conan mess to talk about as has been pointed out.

I would pretty much bet that he decided long ago that he was going to hang around until long enough after Leno left so it didn't look like that's what he was doing. Carson never stressed himself over the show the way Dave always has. I think Dave really just wants to go be with his kid and maybe his wife.

I worry about Colbert because is he going to bring the persona to this sort of show? It wouldn't work, and yet it's what people know and presumably want. It's the sort of problem Paul Reubens has - he can do lots of things but in a way he's always Pee Wee.

[Andre Jurieu]

I doubt that Colbert brings his current TV-persona to a network show. He's actually quite good even without the persona, but it would take some time for his fans to adjust their expectations.

[Polybius]

He could always do a whole show as Phil Ken Sebben.

[mfunk9786]

It's Colbert

[Robert de la Cheyniest]

I still don't know how to feel about this, but I'm at least glad the person taking over for Letterman is a natural successor to the brand of humor he originated.

[Drucker]

Honestly, how bad could it be? Even if he sheds the persona (I could see him being "tired" of it, and it is the character he's probably done the longest), he's still a funny guy (see his non CR videos, like him interviewing Neil Degrasse Tyson, for example. This could be great. To me, Colbert is probably the funniest person on television overall.

[mfunk9786]

Now they should hire someone new and fresh (read: not Chelsea Handler) for the 12:30 job, assuming that they've indeed just bought out Craig Ferguson. Or just go back to the person who was originally head-to-head with Ferguson, Michael Ian Black.

[domino harvey]

Did anyone watch Michael Ian Black's trial week back when they were auditioning replacements for Kilborn? He hosted one show where he gave blood for the entire hour and every guest did the same when being interviewed, with a nurse fidgeting with the bag and everything. It was surreally brilliant

[pzadvance]

Did anyone watch Michael Ian Black's trial week back when they were auditioning replacements for Kilborn? He hosted one show where he gave blood for the entire hour and every guest did the same when being interviewed, with a nurse fidgeting with the bag and everything. It was surreally brilliant

Wow, that sounds great.

If Colbert was given some degree of freedom to do what he wants with the show, I suppose we could get something interesting, but I just can't really see that happening on CBS. It feels like a real shame to lose the Colbert Report, which features a nightly dose of some of the best, spot-on political and cultural satire American TV has to offer, in favor of yet another boring, formula'ed-into-oblivion late night show. I don't really care how charming a host Colbert can be or how funny his monologues are, not if it's keeping him from more interesting work that caters to his specific talents.

[swo17]

I liked Colbert's persona better back when you couldn't quite tell his personal politics behind it. It's a fine line that can only be walked so far, and I think the act has pretty well run its course by now.

Also, he is going to be super rich now, so good for him.

[Andre Jurieu]

I liked Colbert's persona better back when you couldn't quite tell his personal politics behind it.

I honestly don't know when this was. I thought it was obvious after a couple of segments during his first episode. The only issue that his true opinion is kind of blurry on is his Catholicism, which is basically just a question of how strong his personal faith is, rather than his actual stance on religious-freedoms and belief.

[domino harvey]

Doesn't he still teach Sunday School for his church? Seems his Catholicism has never really been in question, at least

[Black Hat]

This is great news. Moonves can't figure out how to program a morning show, which may even be an impossible task for CBS anyway, but the guy sure knows how to run a network. Colbert is a superb talent. His extensive sketch and improv background, quick wit as an interviewer and willingness to show himself as smarter than his guest will serve him well. CBS has hit a homerun.

Andre, I've listened to quite a few interviews with Colbert and I don't think there's much blurriness. He's a practicing Catholic, takes it quite seriously. Also comes from a very interesting family background. Hasn't had an easy life which perhaps has something to do with how he's able to convey a level of genuineness others can't.

Domino, I was a big Kilborn fan and remember those Michael Ian Black shows. Was one of those blind squirrel finds a nut scenarios. He's a moron.

Robert, the article you linked to was nice but it was written by Carson's friend and should be taught in journalism school as an example of a puff piece. Not like Johnny was going to come out and say he retired early you know? It's something I've heard repeatedly in various places over the years, I think even in interviews with Letterman himself.

[Andre Jurieu]

His general belief in Catholicism is strong and it's obvious that he's a religious person that takes his faith seriously. However, it's also quite clear that, while his beliefs still guide him, they don't prevent him from being skeptical of the Catholic church at times. Basically, he seems more Francis than Benedict. So while his satirical "Colbert Report" character is much more strict and fundamental about the concept of religion guiding political discourse, Colbert himself seems far more flexible and comprehends the distinctions of church & state. It's just that it's tough to know for sure his exact position along the spectrum during his satirical debates.

[swo17]

while his beliefs still guide him, they don't prevent him from being skeptical of the Catholic church at times

Just as it's possible to be conservative or moderately conservative and still be skeptical of (or gently ribbing toward) Fox News pundits, which is kind of the point I was trying to get at earlier.

[Andre Jurieu]

I agree that it's possible, but I rarely got that feeling while watching The Colbert Report. Colbert might be more conservative than Stewart, but I never got the sense that he was a Conservative.

[Drucker]

It's pretty clear based on his behind the scenes comments that he is definitely a liberal (didn't he say something around the time Palin got nominated that we really, really need to hope she doesn't get in the WH? I believe in the 2008 Rolling Stone interview with Stewart?)

And he was definitely raised in a Catholic upbringing and can definitely speak knowledgeably about Catholicism. I've always perceived him, I guess, as a skeptical, practicing Catholic.

[knives]

He's said, can't remember where, that his Catholicism is 100% not skeptical, but he's willing to challenge authority in the church is it seems immoral.

[SpiderBaby]

Now they should hire someone new and fresh (read: not Chelsea Handler) for the 12:30 job, assuming that they've indeed just bought out Craig Ferguson. Or just go back to the person who was originally head-to-head with Ferguson, Michael Ian Black.

I must have missed this. Craig Ferguson is the only late show host I even care to tune in for. Hope this isn't true.