TV: Late Show - Letterman retiring May 20; Colbert debuting Sept 8 (post: 248)

[Ben Grimm]

...And Kimmel will probably be in contention to lead the pack now.

I agree with my distinguished colleague.

 

[Jumptheshark]

interesting move-- curious why fergie was not given the job?

 

[Teemu]

Certainly an interesting choice. It'll be interesting to see how much of his writing staff will be able to make the jump.

 

[TootooTrain]

interesting move-- curious why fergie was not given the job?

Ferguson? Him and Conan are loose cannons. They like to go off script throughout taping. Which is entertaining in their own right. I appreciate the spontaneity.

That said, I'm sure Colbert will do well. I'm a fan.

 

[Telos]

Terrible. I was hoping they would give the reigns to Ferguson. I guess on the plus side, Colbert is still much better than that washed up Conan.

He definitely deserved it most out of all.

The names people thought in the first 10 posts were unrealistic. I'm sure the under 30 crowd on the message boards will love this. Fallon and Myers are known through SNL and their SNL/Hollywood connections, NBC's late night ratings, and NBC location help them get guests and viewers. Many people don't watch cable talk shows and don't even know who John Stewart is, let alone Colbert. He looks like a scientist and is not a stand up comedian. I see Letterman type ratings that are < Fallon for this.

They may see a ratings drop in the short term, but they are also adding a lot more youth into their general audience and will likely win out in the long run given Colbert's popularity amongst the younger audiences that will follow him over from Comedy Central. The only problem will be how he and his staff will go about transitioning the show from a mock political parody of a Republican tirade to a normal talk show. It won't be easy, and I am assuming he is keeping most of his staff which has been geared toward political mockery moreso than general discussion for quite some time.

 

[ArcataShark]

Colbert is the man, great news.

 

[salsa man]

****, the Colbert Report is awesome. **** the Late show.

 

[WTFetus]

interesting move-- curious why fergie was not given the job?

Ferguson is amazing, but his type of comedy is perfect for his current time-slot. Don't think he'd get as much love in an earlier one.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Is Colbert going to play it straight?

 

[RockLobster]

Certainly an interesting choice. It'll be interesting to see how much of his writing staff will be able to make the jump.

I read that he has already told his staff t hat they will be working with him on the new show.

 

[John Price]

Colbert fit in at cc so surprised he got it. Not the same without his character

Then again he I'd wildly popular now with the lads so

 

[Sharpshooter]

I don't see any reason to believe he wouldn't be hilarious out of his fake persona-- That guy is sharp as a knife.

Agreed. A comical sharpshooter if you will.

Great choice.

 

[Sharpshooter]

Stephen Colbert is a great choice

 

[John Price]

Fallon
Colbert
Kimmel

 

[EvilCoop]

I think Ferguson's brand would actually be helped by going forward an hour, because all the hype would make people tune in and see how funny he really is.

Colbert's probably the better choice for business, but it's a real shame because you can just see by watching the show for 5 minutes that Ferguson is devoted to the show and to his audience.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

This is an interesting choice. Love Colbert, but it'll be interesting to see how he makes the switch from pure satire to just another variety show.

 

[Trap Jesus]

I don't see any reason to believe he wouldn't be hilarious out of his fake persona-- That guy is sharp as a knife.

It's more of a perception thing for me. He's been doing it so long that I just can't see him outside of that role. I'd sort of equate it to watching a show with Michael Richards in it and constantly having Kramer in the back (or even the forefront) of your mind. I'm sure it's something that would pass in time, but that's just my initial reaction to it.

 

[Miss Mess]

Oh yay!! Colbert has been my favorite late night host for a long time now.

 

[whiplash]

I was always under the impression Ferguson didn't even want the Late Show...

Regardless, not getting it is netting him a nice chunk of change, 8-12mil: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...t-net-craig-ferguson-8m-12m-article-1.1746070

 

[Kamal007]

Fallon, Colbert, Conan, Kimmel and Ferguson. Insane late night line up. I wish more shows would do what Kimmel's does, where they upload pretty much the whole show up on youtube.

 

[Megahab]

This is now a pretty cool picture:

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Colbert replaces Letterman

Wow

Even for me, someone who hasn't owned a TV since 2007, that's big news

 

[Reality Check]

Fallon, Colbert, Conan, Kimmel and Ferguson. Insane late night line up. I wish more shows would do what Kimmel's does, where they upload pretty much the whole show up on youtube.

All of these shows are available on-demand and through their websites. Well, at least for Americans

I figured it would be Colbert or Ferguson. Especially since NBC showed interest in Colbert as well.

But I think Ferguson is happy where he is and does other things as well. I'm not sure how old he is but I think he is slotted where he should be.

Same goes for Conan as I think he is content now and probably doesn't want to uproot his family again.

Jon Stewart has already been down the road before and has carved out a niche on the Daily Show. Which has taken that show to new heights.

All which leaves Colbert and he is the best choice out there. Just thank god it wasn't Leno or Handler.

 

[melnyk budget*]

Horrible. Cbs will neuter colbert.

 

[Disclose]

i like Colberts humor a little more than whatever Fallon has worked on. Not sure how the transition from character to host will go on (if he decides to be serious), but im sure ill enjoy it alot.
surprised about this. i knew letterman was leaving but i wasnt following any news or rumors.