Stephen Colbert to replace Letterman!

[Torgo]

www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=116997

Well this is a hell of a more exciting choice than Jimmy Fallon. I'm already switching to Letterman over Fallon anyway, so it's encouraging to know my choice will be just as easy in the future.

[Torgo]

Colbert and Jon Stewart comment on the news.

[nondescript spice]

i love colbert; i just kind of hate to see his show end because it could be so damned funny.

i agree that letterman revolutionized late night talk shows. i remember when my dad and i shared an apartment together back in the late '80's, we'd get a pizza and watch when he came on at 12:30. but over the years i sort of drifted away from dave; he's still funny, but he seems more like a cranky old guy more than anything now. and i know it's stupid, but that sex scandal thing a few years back kind of cooled me on him. i don't know why exactly - those scandals never affect me. but i never looked at him quite the same way again.

i'll definitely see what colbert does - he's so talented, i'm sure he'll do great. but what about conan? was he even considered, i wonder?

[Mod City]

I've watched Letterman since around 1986 or so, and if you go back and watch some of those early years on YouTube, you'll see why he was considered groundbreaking in his day. He really had a different, confrontational, almost dismissive vibe going on. Very, very different than what he became at CBS. But even to this day, guests are intimidated by Letterman, and want him to like them. It's kind of like getting that old approval from Johnny Carson. Nobody is intimidated by Jimmy Fallon, because he's practically making out with his guests before they've even sat down.

Letterman used to showcase great up and coming bands, too.

I think Colbert is a good choice, but I was hoping Craig Ferguson would get the nod on this one. It really doesn't make any sense, since he's losing in the ratings to Seth Meyers already, but I love his open, honest style. He can lean toward the goofy/absurd, but once he gets under your skin he grows there. I loved his autobiography, too. Just a fascinating guy, in my opinion.

Colbert should do fine, and I'm glad he's dropping his character for the Late Show job. He's great as that character, but I'm interested to see if he can be as entertaining when playing it comparatively straight.

[nondescript spice]

ferguson is losing to seth meyers?? that's insane. i like seth, but i don't like late night since he's taken over. his opening monologues are painful at times they are so unfunny. all they are, are reinventions of his part in weekend update, which i liked when he was a part of it, but it's not working so much now. it's just not clicking, imo. his set is all wrong, too - it looks cheap, too brightly lit for a night show. everything feels forced. it's a shame because seth is a good comedy writer. hopefully he will grow into this.

and you are so right about fallon - i watch the first 15 minutes of his shows sometimes and he's like an excitable puppy. some of his stuff is funny, but he's a far cry from carson or letterman. sometimes when he breaks into giggles over a guest i just want to smack him. he's a definite kiss-ass compared to letterman. however, i do like the roots, his band.

yeah, letterman used to be more in your face, but i think he's just lost the enthusiasm for it. and moving to cbs didn't help him either, but that's just my opinion. ferguson is definitely one of the most underrated late night hosts on tv. and conan is literally the redheaded stepchild.

ferguson doesn't even use cue cards during his monologues - he just has talking points. he's really hilarious, but i think he just gets overlooked in the huge stew of late night hosts.

[Phantom Engineer]

Apr 11, 2014 12:47:06 GMT -5 Mod City said:

Colbert should do fine, and I'm glad he's dropping his character for the Late Show job. He's great as that character, but I'm interested to see if he can be as entertaining when playing it comparatively straight.

I agree. I think it would be a huge mistake to continue his character into the Late Show spot.  I would think it would be liberating for him to drop that schtick.

[Torgo]

The Colbert Report had a good run. I honestly never thought it would end but if it did I'm happy it does because of a wonderful opportunity such as this. Colbert really deserves it and I'm sure he'll be just as funny as himself instead of a Bill O'Reilly riff.

Or maybe CBS pulls a NBC/Conan: marginalizes him, pushes him to the side, before kicking him to the curb with zero respect. Then maybe we'd get the Report back in a few months.

[kidflash]

Apr 11, 2014 16:06:38 GMT -5 Torgo said:

Or maybe CBS pulls a NBC/Conan: marginalizes him, pushes him to the side, before kicking him to the curb with zero respect. Then maybe we'd get the Report back in a few months.

I kind of doubt that, to be honest with you. The whole NBC/Conan mess was mitigated by the fact that Leno still had a contract with NBC and was restless, so they wanted to keep him happy. In this scenario, Dave doesn't seem to be the type that would hang around. He'll probably pull a Carson: once he's done, that's it and off to retirement. I suspect he'll pop up on the Colbert Report before it's done and perhaps make a surprise appearance on the new Late Show (especially if it stays in NYC). But that would be it, I'd guess.

[Mr. Atari]

Apr 11, 2014 15:50:03 GMT -5 nondescript spice said:

ferguson doesn't even use cue cards during his monologues - he just has talking points. he's really hilarious, but i think he just gets overlooked in the huge stew of late night hosts.

Craig Ferguson is a mad genius. He's far and away the best comedian in the late-night game. He's been ad-libbing his monologues for years, and they're almost always funnier than everyone else's. His guests have fun on his show, and his interplay with Geoff makes every other sidekick look terrible. The amount of creativity on a shoestring budget in that show amazes me. Lately, though, he seems bored and loses interest during the show, which makes for uncomfortable viewing-- and not in a funny way.

I think Colbert is the perfect choice to replace Dave. Even if he sheds his persona, I hope he keeps the biting satirical humor going in his jokes. He's one of the few comedians working who will still go after both sides of the political spectrum. Even though his conservative blowhard act is a mocking of the right, that character also lets him land a ton of great shots at the left.