Stephen Colbert Replacing David Letterman on The Late Show

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Stephen Colbert will take over CBS's Late Show when David Letterman retires next year after more than two decades as host. "Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career," Colbert says in a statement. "I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead." Colbert's premiere date will be announced after a timeline is set for Letterman to go off the air. CBS has a five-year contract for Colbert to host.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/10/5601300/late-show-names-stephen-colbert-new-host

I watch Colbert every few months and I have never seen Letterman. Do you watch either? Excited? Desolated? Indifferent? Is it possible to be funny on network TV?

Shit. Longtime Colbert Report watcher. This is gonna be sad.

That said, good for him. He deserves it. Hopefully the network never fucks him over.

I'm sort of surprised to read this. I haven't watched TV in a while but the Colbert Report was nonstop hilarious when it started.

I knew this was going to happen

Letterman was one the coolest mofos on television back in the day. My dad talked about how there was simply nothing like it. In fact my dad liked how I was a big Conan O'Brien fan back in the early 00s, because they were both so zany and witty (and the shows were so loose) but also good interviewers.

Dave was still goofy when I was a kid in the mid to late 90s, but he kind of got old and bitter and a bit off of his game. There's the whole Leno rivalry too.

I love Colbert but this is going to be interesting to say the least, considering his political satire brilliance. Could bomb or be a huge hit, I dunno. CBS is an odd channel too.

dat slap

dem shoes

My entire day will be lost to 1980s Letterman clips now.

I'll miss the colbert report!

  On 4/10/2014 at 8:09 PM, goDel said:

I'll miss the colbert report!

same

This is going to make viewer ratings go through the roof.

I'm glad that they've got what should be an heavy hitter in the demo to go against fallon. That fallon guy is the opposite of funny, the dark matter of funny, they say that it's there but you can't see it, touch it, interact with it and no one has ever detected any of it. Hopefully when colbert has finished with him he will change his surname to FALLEN.

One thing that may be a little sad is that colbert would probably have to drop the satire persona that he created around himself, and just be colbert. It did allow him to get away with making statements and challenging people in ways, you might not otherwise be able to do on mainstream television. Still though all the best for this project.

  On 4/10/2014 at 9:33 PM, delet... said:

That fallon guy is the opposite of funny, the dark matter of funny, they say that it's there but you can't see it, touch it, interact with it and no one has ever detected any of it. Hopefully when colbert has finished with him he will change his surname to FALLEN.

 

One thing that may be a little sad is that colbert would probably have to drop the satire persona that he created around himself, and just be colbert. It did allow him to get away with making statements and challenging people in ways, you might not otherwise be able to do on mainstream television. Still though all the best for this project.

1) yes, lol

2) yes, sadly

I'm happy about this because it will mean the colbert report was consistently gold from beginning to end.

i hate late night talk shows. its all movie stars promoíng their shitty movies. same old questions. one big ad. (and the yelling) i hate screaming audiences.

Ive heard Colbert is dropping his right wing persona for this gig

the colbert report is excellent-- it's the best comedy on tv now and while it's a different sort of thing, it's as good as seinfeld and mr show and among the best ever.

  On 4/11/2014 at 3:32 AM, baph said:

 

  On 4/10/2014 at 9:33 PM, delet... said:

 

One thing that may be a little sad is that colbert would probably have to drop the satire persona that he created around himself, and just be colbert. It did allow him to get away with making statements and challenging people in ways, you might not otherwise be able to do on mainstream television. Still though all the best for this project.

 

2) yes, sadly

 

sucks, mayne.

David Letterman stopped being funny a decade ago, Leno was never funny, Conan is getting old and stale (and after getting bitch slapped by Leno he kinda gave up), both Jimmys are like delet said "opposite of funny," and Craig is just...there. honestly, Colbert is one of the best and probably the only choice right now. He's still funny, creative and has experience.

though, he has some pretty crazy antics and CBS may be quick to put that down. so all we can do is wait and see.

it was weird to see colbert on charlie rose, he's totally different, even from his old daily show persona. i wonder what he'll do with the new thing. i'm sure he put some creative control language in the deal, this could be awesome. i'll miss the colbert report but he's been doing it for a while now, i think next year could be good timing to end it

  On 4/11/2014 at 3:56 AM, coolandfrank said:

the colbert report is excellent-- it's the best comedy on tv now and while it's a different sort of thing, it's as good as seinfeld and mr show and among the best ever.

easy there

  On 4/11/2014 at 4:53 AM, jules said:

 

  On 4/11/2014 at 3:56 AM, coolandfrank said:

the colbert report is excellent-- it's the best comedy on tv now and while it's a different sort of thing, it's as good as seinfeld and mr show and among the best ever.

easy there

 

heh ok ok... but i really like this guy http://playboysfw.kinja.com/the-playboy-interview-stephen-colbert-on-politics-gri-1561831379/+tcraggs22

he is awesome. comparing him to the best sitcom ever is a little much. the rewatchability ability isn't there with a show based on current events.

but I agree, he deserves this and it is definitely going to shake things up if he stays the Colbert that got him the job.

you're probably right jules and i'm glad you recognize how amazing seinfeld is :). but i do think colbert is significantly better than the daily show and am having difficulty thinking of a funnier show on tv right now.

The daily show is let down by his sidekicks, all of whom are wasteful timefillers that would be better left to more jokes in John's teleprompter, well apart from that marginal stylings of the back in black segment and occasional bits that work from the other contributors. I understand that he's a loyal guy though so probably won't alter the format despite the fact that you can see from his expressions that even he is less than whelmed at the output of the company that he keeps. Surely they've paid their mortgages by now and John can move them on without any guilt, because they aren't going to get any funnier or more interesting and will just guilt trip him into on air time if they hang around.

Colbert probably won't be in character for this, but he's still going to be a witty, cunning mofo. The interviews will still be spontaneous and sharp I'm sure.

Always Sunny > Seinfeld