Comments

1
Dammit.

Say goodbye to funny, edgy Colbert, and hello to neutered, bland Colbert.

Well, if history serves as any indication.
2
@1 His schtick couldn't go on forever. This is the best possible exit strategy, though we should expect "Stephen Colbert" to do something to get the Colbert Report "cancelled" just before the CBS gig starts.
3
Meh.
4
Finally! A middle aged white dude gets a voice in late night
5
I'm happy for Colbert, I just hope that he doesn't have to dumb down his show to appeal to the masses.
6
Wrong choice if you ask me... but not like I was going to watch it anyways.
7
@5 -- "His" show will be ending when he takes over for Letterman. I doubt he'll continue doing his character on the Late Show, if that's what you mean.
8
What @1 said. Letterman's show died decades ago, and Colbert crawling down into the crypt with it isn't going to help either one. His current gig is PERFECT.
9
Colbert will be sharp. Just look at the way he does backhanded product endorsements of featured sponsors on the Report.
10
This is great for Colbert and I couldn't be happier for him. Not that I can imagine ever watching a television show again.
11
Ever since W. Kamau Bell's show moved to FXX, I can't watch full episodes online anymore. Sucky.
12
@7 I'm not necessarily talking about his character. The political satire on his show and some of the guests are way better than anything you'd see on the three major networks. I just hope he doesn't end up interviewing an endless stream of vapid celebrities with something to plug, like everyone else does.
13
@2: I think his schtick could have gone on as long as the target of his satire is a huge part of the media landscape. It is not as if his ratings were in decline.

Of course nothing lasts forever, but my main complaint is that he is going somewhere where he basically has to be unfunny, irrelevant, and boring as part of the job description.
14
They're going to geld him in the interest of network ratings. Sadness.
15
@13 - exactly, i don't think he was in any danger of running out of material any time soon.
16
@11, Unfortunately, his Totally Biased show was cancelled, so you shouldn't be seeing much of him on the FXX site.

Danielle, that's what hip people have decided vis-a-vis Bell, but the Powers that Be are a different animal. Maybe they'll make an exception this time.
17
He has the nicest smile. Am happy for him, but likely won't watch.
18
@12

Ha! You'll see celebrities, of course, but you're going to get Savage and Alexie on CBS now, for starters.
19
Letterman is still on?
20
@16 Wow it was canceled a really long time ago. I can't decide if the fact I had no idea is awesome or sad. At any rate, now I really want Bell to get a Comedy Central show that follows Stewart.
21
@15 - I agree. I remember watching the very first Colbert Report and saying, "That was really funny, but there is no way that show can come up with enough material to last more than a year or two." Over 8 years later, maybe I got that one wrong.

On the other hand, maybe he is getting bored with the limited premise of the show. He's more talented that just being a great parody of Fox News.
22
He will have to tone down. Network t.v. is hideous and boring.
23
He's a well-rounded, super-talented guy. I think he could deliver a show that's light and musical like Fallon's but with actual good interviews, wit, a little subversiveness, etc. He probably didn't want to do that character for the rest of his life, no matter how much we enjoy it. I'm afraid this will mean the end of Ferguson's show, though, as they'll probably want to remake the whole night...if he stayed on they could have a 1-2 punch of the smartest, best shows on late night though.
24
I guess we can say goodbye to the beloved Ching-Chong Ding-Dong character.
25
So. What this says is basically CBS has given up building dynastic shows.

Colbert is 50. He's NOT middle aged (unless you all plan to start living to a hundred). He's on the edge of being old (I'm older, but whatever).

Letterman wasn't middle aged when he started Late Night. Letterman was 35 when he first started Late Night.

That was young in TV terms in the late 1970's early eighties. WAY young back then. It was how he could spend decades building a dynasty.

For perspective: Jimmy Fallon is 40. Tina Fey is 43.

CBS is kissing good by the young demographic. And people my age don't watch late night talk shows. CBS is kissing good by the future, essentially. This means there will be a new host every three or four years until it all fails.

I love Colbert. But he is a stupid choice. They needed somebody in their early to mid thirties.

I think Mindy Kaling was a good choice, personally.
26
@25, my idea of a good talk show is Graham Norton. He's 51. But his show is fresh and interesting and funny even if you don't particularly care about the guests. But Graham Norton's show could never in a million years run on an American network, for reasons that Colbert's current show highlights every single night.
27
I'll never watch it. Old men like me turn the television off around 10pm. At least I have Slog to provide necessary YouTube highlights!
28
You know Colbert will have fun with the keys to Letterman's secret bedroom at the Ed Sullivan Theater, right ?
29
Amy Poehler would have been amazing.

I'm sad to lose The Colbert Report, and Colbert, to the dull blade of Late Night, UNLESS he can bring that sharp liberal wit along with him, where he can reach audiences not yet exposed.
30
@28. What makes you think they won't move him to LA? Cheeper, easier access to big name guest and Colbert has no conceptual ties to NY.
31
@26 Norton's okay. But his audience is tiny. You're right it'd never fly over here. But he's just too old. Even if he could make the transition to mass appeal.

The problem is the late night spots are no longer really talk shows that require interviewers. They are comedy variety shows with viral skits and a couple of guests promoting crappy movies to attract the olds.

Late night shows have to have at least one hight page view viral video skit for the internet every night. Those are not interviews with Salmon Rushdie. In the internet age virals are the only way they can tell the true breadth of the audience for advertising dollars. People over forty are not the group to be appealing to for that.

The growth demographic no longer have traditional viewing habits and mostly don't care about interviews. They want a viral to send around social media.

Colbert can do that with politics because he has a built in audience of liberals (and that is where he is still rooted). But He doesn't have the same cache with young people to that with straight comedy. It takes time to build that and after the current batch of liberals hit middle age he will be too old to do it for twenty somethings.
32
@4 Colbert doesn't see color. He knows he's white because culture warriors on the internet say he is.
33
Obviously it should have been a young black woman

But ... Racism & Sexism won
34
@31

You are an exceptional late night talk show analyst. It's kinds like you who are greatly needed in these tough economic times for the underclasses. Keep up the great work.
35
@31, Norton has more viewers than Letterman, in a country a fifth the size.
36
@1: Say goodbye to funny, edgy Colbert

No way. I'm old enough to remember when David Letterman was funny and edgy.

Colbert can't do his satirical Bill O'Reilly shtick forever. Personally I'm looking forward to this new phase.
37
Danielle is wrong, Bell is not funny he shouldn't get it.
38
@ 16 Say no to hipsters
39
Some seem to think he'll host the show while doing his best impression of Letterman/Leno/Carson/Fallon/Conan...

My bet is that he'll do something we've not seen before, and it will be subversive and fantastic.

I, too, would like to have seen a comedy lady in that timeslot. Maybe that's what will come of Colbert's current show. Someone give Maya Rudolph a call!!
40
Representing 33% of America:
David Letterman
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Kimmel
Seth Meyers
Craig Ferguson
Carson Daly
Conan O'Brien
Jon Stewart
Stephen Colbert

Representing 67% of America, kind of:
Chelsea Handler
Arsenio Hall

Absolutely unbelievable. Let's just mail crowns to every white man in America to prove we all understand how out society works.
41
Yeah, I agree Colbert was getting tired of his character. I do owe him for forcing my ultra conservative father to laugh and think about issues for a change. Thanks for the great work Colbert!

@tkc I'm twenty five and I'm going to start watching the Late Show as soon as Colbert takes over, so :P

Jon Stewart better stay in that mother fucking chair or I will lose my shit.
42
@40 - Have you ever considered that because of natural selection white men are just better suited to sit behind a desk with a fake microphone and ask celebrities funny questions? science.
43
@40 Why trash on Colbert's and Stewart's success just because they're white and have dicks? They worked hard to get where they are and always made me, a biracial woman, feel as if I was a member at the table. How isn't that special?
44
@40

I'm all for it Raku. When you start mailing those crowns to the white men, give me a ring. The adhesive high I get from licking stamps is awesome, and I've been wanting to take it to the next level.
45
@40 I'd like a burger with my crown too please.
46
Shoulda picked a woman. Bad move CBS. You had nothing to loose, late night is dying anyway.
47
43: Being allowed to sit at the table once in a while is an extremely low standard.

I have no opinion about Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart or any other specific member of the millions of white guys in charge. I'm talking about systemic, social, cultural problems. Nobody would stand for it for one second if any other minority was in charge of so much like white men are.
48
Colbert will keep the personality. Its the main reason why people loved him on Daily Show, its the main reason why people watch Colbert Reprort, its the main reason why he got to host the correspondence dinner, its the main reason why CBS will hire him to replace Letterman.

49
Everyone is missing the truth behind modern entertainment/media. It's all corporate owned. It presents what the suits allow it to present. Colbert cuts too close to the truth, he has the young and the liberal watching him every day. What better way to stop his shit than to buy his shit and shelve it. Voila! No more Colbert Show, no more slash and burn satire of the overlords and their minions. The genius that is Colbert is being turned into one more media poodle.

As was said by another before me, Stewart better keep his chair or I will seriously lose my shit every night at 10pm central.
50
@35 I was thinking American viewers.

But yeah Norton does around 4 million viewers in the UK. However, it's a deceptive comparison because Norton's show is weekly. Not nightly. Way different.

Late night viewership in the US has been shrinking dramatically over the last decade and a half but back in the day the big three network late shows got 10 million viewers. That's never happening again. They can't even really measure it any more.

BTW. Last weeks numbers for US late night shows:
NBC “Tonight,” 3.829 million viewers
CBS “Late Show,” 3.148 million viewers
ABC “Kimmel,” 2.627 million viewers *

PS. I used to do advertising media buying back in the day. Talk about dead industry.
51
@47: Shrek your privilege.
52
How bout a woman host, Sam Bee would be good.
53
@48, he's already said he's dropping the persona.
54
@50 those are interesting stats. Not surprising in this day given most have access to basic cable or the internet. I've not watched Leno, Letterman, Conan, Fallon or Kimmel simply because I prefer Stewart/Colbert as my nightcap.

That said, 3-4 million viewers is nothing to sneeze at.
55
@47 I'm not disagreeing that in a very significant way white men get some breaks in our society, but it doesn't mean we need to throw a fit when someone who works hard gets recognized. And to be completely honest, as strong as a seat on a show may seem I believe a seat in legislature would be far better. So instead of whining about who get's to interview who let's elect more women.
57
@40

There are certainly systemic culture issues at play, but its occurring much lower on the totem pole. The issue is in the minor leagues, not the majors. Colbert is clearly the most viable candidate to elevate from the minors to the majors, there is just a shortage of women/people of color in the minor leagues. Let's also see who takes Colbert's slot on Comedy Central.

Didn't Wanda Sykes have a late variety show only to have it canceled within 6 months due to poor viewership.
58
I'm annoyed. Network late-night ruins everyone.
59
Great comment Raku, u nailed it! My prediction (well its a wish really). Craig will quit the Late Late show and retire on the 12 mil he is rumoured to receive from CBS because they didn't choose him. John Stewart will get the Late, Late show and voila, we will have a reverse of what we have enjoyed for years on Comedy Central. Chelsea Handler will get the Daily Show desk and Kamau Bell will have his own show called "In Your Face!" in the following spot. CBS will give Stephen and John free reign as they will be very, very different from the Jimmy's et al and "very, very different" will draw new viewers (we are all going to watch for example).
60
It makes sense that they chose someone from the current late night realm who's used to that type of schedule and has a proven success rate. I doubt that many of the potential replacements people seemed so keen on -- Tina Fey! Louie CK! -- would have wanted the job at all.
61
On the one hand, Suey Park's accusation of racism against obvious satire was idiotic. On the other hand, people's responses to her have been, ironically, racist (and oftentimes downright creepy). Here's a good rule of thumb for when someone makes an invalid racism claim:

Proper Response: "What a bunch of bullshit."
Alternate Proper Response: "This is a bunch of bullshit for the following reasons..."

Improper Response: "God, you social justice minorities are fucking insufferable! We already gave up the N-word, slavery, and internment camps! When is enough gonna be enough with you people?"

There seems to be nothing that clueless white people love more than taking invalid racism claims and turning them into valid ones.
62
I think he's brilliant. He's so quick on his feet--he's wonderful interviewing guests. This is a great choice. I can't see him dumbing down for any reason. As for those who classify him as just another middle-aged white dude, who would you have picked as host of this show?

Colbert is funny as hell, but he's also a man of the people. I can't wait to see what he does.
63
@61: I admit, I've managed to miss most of the Improper Responses. I was mostly mad at Suey Park because most of the time when people say liberals can't take a joke, they're unjustified. They started saying that after the Suey Park thing and I absolutely had to agree.

I guess the one good thing I can think of Colbert doing in Letterman's spot is bring on better people to interview. He's always been a great interviewer and he doesn't do exclusively movie/tv/pop/rock stars- he's interviewed a ton of politicians, authors, and activists on the Report. I hope he'll keep doing that in this new spot.

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