Travis McClain

Agreed all around. That was one of the most entertaining episodes I've seen in weeks...and I can't really think of any clunkers. I was run down and in bed by 8:30 last night, but I actually set an alarm to ensure I'd catch last night's episode. Sad to think we're down to just four.

philo

Yeah Jon Hamm was great. Last week was terrific as well. I doubt we'll be seeing any other host mention Marcel Duchamp, get into abstract art or bring out C.G. Jung's Red Book.

Travis McClain

Indeed. That's just one of the things that I've appreciated most about Craig Ferguson: the guy isn't afraid to get into cerebral subjects, and he knows what he's talking about when he does. I don't recall seeing nearly as many writers as late night guests as he's had over the years.

And he's also the guy with puppets. I miss Sid and Wavy.

Mike86

Yeah I wish he would have used the puppets more in recent years. It seems like after Geoff and Secretariat showed up on the show is about when he started doing less with the puppets. I don't quite understand why though since he mainly used them in the cold opens which don't always feature Geoff and Secretariat anyways.

movieking

I always wanted more musical openings. Loved when he did those.

Mike86

The one where he lip synced "Oops I Did It Again" was absolutely hilarious.

Travis McClain

My guess would be that he did the puppets primarily as a way to break the monotony of carrying the show solo, and that wasn't such an issue once he got Geoff.

I think my favorite was "Constantinople".

Match

One of my favorite opening.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Loh1zZy3TMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm going to miss this show.

Craig, I bid you adieu for leaving.

Mike86

I love Geoff on the show but honestly I think that's what makes Craig so differrent from other hosts. He basically carried the show on his own for all those years. No band, no sidekick until Geoff came along the last four years or so, a simplistic set, minimal budget, and etc. The show really was ultra simple but so damn entertaining. It really speaks to his talent and I don't really know who else could be able to be so entertaining pretty much on their own on such a consistent basis.

whotony

Love Geoff, the guy who is the voice reminds me of Bryan Cranston

B.A.

I definitely missed the music and the puppets during the last few years.

I was disappointed he didn't take one last trip with a handful of his favorite guests.

The wife and I loved the Paris and Scotland episodes.

And Hamm's interview last night was hilarious.

Jackskeleton

I absolutely loved the one audience free episode he did with Stephen Fry. It was utterly amazing.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/n9teqCuLL-4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

B.A.

Holy crap - the Fry sit-down was almost five years ago?

Doesn't seem that long ago at all.

Mike86

It seems like Craig is all but wanting to confirm that he is doing another show. He dropped some hints again last night during his interview with Larry King.

movieking

It really doesn't, and it was fantastic. Just a great hour of TV.

I was always partial to this one:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cwkK5-ibYcw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

JeffTheAlpaca

He is ok but his departure is not as big as Leno or Conan from NBC.

stopgap

It's a big deal for me. He is the only talk show host I currently enjoy.

whotony

No one ever said it would be, also it doesn't matter,it really isn't relevant for this show.

eXcentris

He was on tonight.

movieking

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DI840einsuY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Travis McClain

I've been watching late night shows since the last couple years of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. No one's departure from the landscape has been as big as Carson's - not Leno, not Conan. No one meant more to me personally than Letterman. He and Cheers are the foundation of my sense of humor.

But Craig Ferguson has proven himself the most innovative, if not the most entertaining, of the entire lot. I'll concede that Letterman has the better ongoing segments (Top Ten lists, Stupid Pet Tricks, anything involving his mom) and Conan has the better sketches, but there's no one in Ferguson's class as an interviewer. No one.

Dan

I completely agree with this statement.

Mike86

Conan, Letterman, and Leno maybe all have better long running segments and sketches, but the thing is Craig barely seems to need to use stuff like that to make himself and his show hilarious on a nightly basis. That's the genius of him and his show is how simplistic it is.

Travis McClain

You'll get no argument from me that Craig has been brilliant, but I stop short of a purity litmus test. The late night show format has always been built on variety, and each host has had different areas of interest and strengths. Conan is, by trade, a sketch comedy guy so it stands to reason that's where he would focus and shine, just as Jimmy Fallon has done some truly brilliant musical bits. I don't think those things should be dismissed as some kind of content padding, because for those hosts, they're not.

Having said all this, along with the musical numbers and puppet cold openings, I also miss sketches like Aquaman, Prince Charles, and Sean Connery. They added to the "public access" feel of The Late Late Show.

Mike86

I'm not trying to discredit those other hosts. Just saying that Craig works relatively simplistic and makes it work really damn well. I just tend to give him more credit for that.