“Late Night” television has long been a staple of the television landscape in general. From The Tonight Show to SNL, from The Daily Show to Last Week Tonight. The idea of a show that recaps current events of the day or week, with a comedic spin, has been a major cog in the wheels of the machinery that is pop culture. It’s why each network has taken a swing at different versions of the idea. But the most important contribution to this may in fact be the one that’s about to die this evening, The Late Show.
Read more: Good Night Everybody: The Death of The Late Show
A BRIEF HISTORY
The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert isn’t just sad because of Colbert’s forced semi-retirement. (Colbert already has a follow up gig, writing a Lord of the Rings film.) It’s upsetting because The Late Show was created to be an alternative space. The show premiered in 1993 with host David Letterman, after Letterman was essentially kicked to the curb by NBC.
Letterman had been Johnny Carson’s backup for The Tonight Show for years. NBC literally signed him to a contract to guest host when Johnny took time off, and also agreed to a set amount of appearances as a guest on the show. After seeing success there, NBC and Letterman came together to create Late Night with David Letterman. That show would follow The Tonight Show from 1982 to 1993. The end of Dave’s Late Show came about when Carson retired from The Tonight Show and NBC decided to give the Tonight Show to an up and coming comic named Jay Leno, instead of Letterman.
Letterman would leave NBC and be replaced by a young writer from SNL and the Simpsons named Conan O’Brien. (No word on what happened to him…) Looking for a new gig away from NBC, and with other networks trying desperately to pull ratings away from NBC, Dave started a new show at CBS. The Late Show with David Letterman was born and felt like a beacon of light for counterculture in the early 90’s. The Tonight Show was the show that was safe and followed tradition, The Late Show was an embrace of weird and sarcastic or dry wit. Leno was the host your parents laughed at. Letterman was the host you wanted to get a drink with.
What started off as a way for Dave to get his own show, became a cultural pinpoint for comedy. Nearly every comedian or comedic writer working since 1993 can say they were somehow influenced by Dave. And until the debut of The Late Show, no other show had ever seen ratings success facing off against The Tonight Show. Dave entered the ring and showed that NBC wasn’t the sole owner of Late Night television, and he was going to make something different.
Dave created a show that highlighted things you wouldn’t see on The Tonight Show. He welcomed guests who were less known to some, but would gain notoriety because they appeared on his show. As time went on, he became an important person to be seen with. And at times, his interviews made more news than any other interviews done on press tours. But he also did his best to remain as human, and honest as possible. Often being self deprecating, or admitting his own stupidity, or calling out when something clearly wasn’t working. He was the type of guy you want to see at the end of the night. To make you laugh. To make you forget about your worries. To make you remember that you’re human, and that’s a good thing.
THE COLBERT AGE
Eventually Leno and Letterman would go on to retire. (No word on how that played out for Leno…) When Letterman left, it was announced that Stephen Colbert would take his spot, and The Late Show would live on. Colbert had become famous for a fictional/satirical version of himself that first appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and then given his own show The Colbert Report. While the fictional version was a far right leaning conservative pundit. The real Colbert was a left leaning, husband and father who was born in Washington, DC, raised in North Carolina, and who got his start doing improv at Second City in Chicago.
The job also meant Colbert had to be seen by the nation, and the world, as more of himself. There was some question as to who Colbert truly was, and if he could handle this gig. Colbert would face a rough start to his tenure as host of The Late Show, with lower ratings than expected. But after a rocky start in 2015, Colbert and his team worked past the tumultuous beginning and became the number one show in Late Night Television.
Once they found their footing, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert became the perfect succession to Letterman’s take on the show. Colbert wasn’t Dave, but he held a sarcastic reverence and wit, as well as a dash of hope, that seemed to be what audiences needed during his tenure. Colbert would have to provide levity to the world as it faced the 2016 election cycle, the Covid Pandemic, the 2020 election cycle, and the re-election of Donald Trump as president. He never shied away from criticizing Trump (or Biden for that matter). And was always very vocal about his apparent disdain for the leader of the Republican party.
That vocality however would eventually bring the ire of Trump himself. CBS’ parent company Paramount would be taken over by Republican business leaders. And they began working to acquire other businesses, which would need the Trump administration’s approval. So when Trump put out word that he wanted Colbert fired, they obliged and announced they were canceling The Late Show altogether. Not just replacing Colbert, but retiring the entire staple that was born with Letterman in 1993.
THE END OF AN ERA
Tonight, CBS will air the last episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The crew behind the show have kept a tight lip on what the episode will include. Some have guessed that maybe Colbert would be able to have The Pope as a guest. Something he’s been vocal about wanting during his time behind the desk. But no matter what, Colbert is likely to be remembered for going out on his own terms. Because while the show is ending sooner than he would have planned, he’s been able to spend the last ten months preparing for the end.
This final week included guests who have known Stephen for years, like his former Daily Show boss, Jon Stewart. Colbert also spent one of his final shows examining things they never aired. Highlighting the teams that make his show come together, and sharing graphics, field pieces, and other comedic bits that never saw broadcast. The entire episode is available to watch on YouTube and is one of the most interesting “inside baseball” moments in television history.
The landscape of “Late Night” television has changed since Letterman began his own show. NBC still has The Tonight Show and Late Night, with hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers respectively. ABC now has Jimmy Kimmel Live. The growth of cable saw the growth of late night beyond the basic networks. With Comedy Central becoming home to The Daily Show, and HBO adding two shows to their roster. One of which is Last Week Tonight with another former Daily Show correspondent, John Oliver. (That’s the only show on HBO worth noting in terms of “Late Night” programming…)
All of those hosts have come to be vocal about Trump as well, each with their own carrying degrees of criticism. Somewhat based on the network and time slot they’re each given. But each one occasionally leaning into the sort of sarcastic wit that Letterman used to give. Trump has also stated he’d like all of those hosts fired as well, although as of print, no such action has happened. But that’s one of the main worries moving forward.
CBS/Paramount has cited “financial reasons” for canceling The Late Show. Yet the show is extremely popular, the number one show in Late Night television still. And people are constantly talking about what happens on the show each day. Clips are shared across social media platforms. And many of the videos from Colbert’s show have millions of views on YouTube. The show is a success, and the idea that it’s not is clearly bullshit being used to hide behind the leaders of Paramount wanting to bow down the rule of a child-like power hungry madman. (And no I don’t mean Leno.)
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Hopefully this will be a one time thing, and not the first domino to fall under the rule of our current president. However, some recent actions (like a temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel) are worrisome. The most frustrating thing for now about the end of the show is the removal of Colbert from our airwaves. He’s a great example of what America can be. A Catholic son, born in DC, raised in the south, who found his footing in the Midwest, and grew to fame on the coasts. He’s someone who often speaks truth to power, and has challenged those who are doing wrong in this country.
Colbert has spent the past quarter of a century on our television screens, pointing out the ridiculousness of Right Wing media, and ideology. He has been the perfect jester in a court that is filled with xenophobic misogynists. Always punching up, and doing so with brilliant intelligence, and often immaculate whimsicality. He’s also been happy to dive into humor that has nothing to do with politics and is just ridiculous absurdity.
One of my favorite moments from all of Colbert’s time on The Late Show is a single line of dialogue from a sketch with director Robert Zemeckis. Colbert, (acting as if he was left alone for an extended period of time in a green room) states he married a volleyball, had two kids with said volleyball, and in a ridiculous outfit, fake beard, and wig stated, “I raw dogged a volleyball Bob.” (See below.) It lasts just a moment, but is the kind of insane, absurdist comedy that you normally don’t get on basic networks.
Colbert has always been able to straddle that line perfectly. Being able to intelligently interview world leaders, and in the next moment make a ridiculously absurd comedic sketch with the biggest stars. He is an incredible talent to behold, and has given us so much to love over the years. He’s often felt like America’s dad, there to help us find light in the darkness of our current state. Seeing him leave this space is heartbreaking, but in some ways it is a little exciting. Because we don’t know what he’ll do next. (Aside from writing his Lord of the Rings film.) But wherever he shows up on screen, I have no doubt that he will be welcomed with open arms.
I’m going to leave you with this. A few videos that I have come back to before. Videos that show how great this man has been. I look forward to whatever he gives us tonight, because I know he’s going to land this plane gracefully.
(Written by Alex Lancaster. Alex is a single dad living in Central Indiana, who has been obsessed with film and TV since he was 3 years old. You can follow him on Threads for more of his thoughts, and if you’d like to help support him right now you can click here.)
Poor Man’s Spoiler 
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