Comments

1
Didn't you even like the music!? The Sly and Family Stone cover, with the special guests was really good!
2
Completely agree.

It was like a literal continuation of his going away show. Star studded cameos, long musical interludes, a few light jokes about seriously meaty subjects. I prefer Oliver's overly critical breakdowns with a few bizarre non sequiters than a serious takedown of Donald Trump that lasts 5 minutes and ends up being almost entirely self effacing.

I mean, I get it, Colbert is not shy about the variety(which is to say musical interludes) in his variety hour, but I didn't come for the big band. I almost think he was too nervous. But the "I'm a narcissist, just not a conservative narcissist anymore" fell flat for me. It was almost a 15 minute colbert report wrapped up in a hour long SNL package.

I don't know what the prescription is, but like the Report he's got about a month to get his sea legs (which he really shouldn't need, as he again joked, "I had 9 months to do a 1 hour show").
4
I reas the headline and byline of this article and nothing more, and am confident that I'm missing nothing.
5
I think you were mistaken to expect any drastic changes in such a monolithic property. This isn't Colbert's new show, he's is a new host for an old show, and he's off to a great start.
6
Maybe you missed the faxed memo.

Television died some time ago.
7
@6 - How so? Television has higher quality programming now that it ever has.
8
*than
9
Announcing that you don't have a TV is really cool.
10
I didn't watch Colbert, but this reminds me of when I randomly watched the first episode of the Chevy Chase Show back in nineteen ninety something, and Chevy tripped and feel into a cake. That was the last late night TV show I ever bothered with.
11
This is a needs-to-be-dead stilted dated format on network TV. Anybody who expected greatness had to be kidding themselves. The top of the pile right now is Jimmy Kimmel only because he comes up with silly shit that stands up on its own as YouTube clips.
12
I'd give him a chance. Remember that Conan nearly was canceled by NBC during its first few weeks until it was able to find it's footing. I watched the first show: wasn't that funny at all but check it out in a few weeks.

I mean Colbert is replacing the Johnny Carson's True Heir....that's a very hard shadow to step out of. Give him a chance.
13
Actually, I liked it a great deal.

The thing is that, as others have pointed out, this isn't Colbert's new show really. He is the next person after someone who casts a very long shadow and he is fully aware of it.

Honestly, it was much better than the Nightly Show. At least Colbert talking about more than one topic.
14
I missed the first show, so just watched some YouTube clips. Not impressed, but it wasn't terrible. I'm not ready to write him off yet. Better to start mediocre, figure out what works and get better than start at the top and never repeat. I like Colbert a lot, so, here's hoping he'll find a way to reinvent late night for himself. Meanwhile, I turned back to Jimmy Kimmel. He is always funny, even when he's not. Plus, he has an ease and air of always having a good time which I enjoy. I wasn't a late night viewer of talk shows until he came along.
15
It was perfunctory. The network was probably crapping their pants wondering if Colbert would be too subversive and alienate the audience. Remember that if every Colbert fan tuned in, and if they each got a friend to tune in, the show would get cancelled for low ratings.

The people who need to tune in are the great hoards of dumb, fat Americans who don't read The Stranger. These are the people who were still laughing while Leno delivered Clinton blowjob jokes in 2005.

So the first episode-- prove to CBS that Colbert won't enrage conservatives. Put Jeb Bush on the first show and treat him well. Slow-pitch the jokes. Point out his conservative family in the audience. Bring out Clooney, a name that even people with Alzheimer’s will recognize.

If he succeeds doing this and gets a sizable share, he might be able to get away with more dangerous comedy by the second year.

Incidentally, there are two bits that were cut from the show that are on the web. One of them is actually the funniest moment, where Colbert gets Jeb Bush to read stuff from the prompter as if he were Trump. To his credit, Bush went along with the joke, and did it well.

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