David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
#101
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
Perhaps the strangest thing I've ever read on DVDTalk. His first four or five years on CBS were some of the best of his career.
These were Wednesday's ratings: In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 3.0/7; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.5/6; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 2.4/6.
That doesn't sound like "nearly double" to me. In fact, Fallon's ratings have steadily declined since he began a few months ago. I suspect that given a few more months, he would drop under a 2.5 in his 18-49 share.
Does he make fun of A-List talent on the Soup? The episodes I've seen, he mostly makes fun of reality stars and nobodys.
That doesn't sound like "nearly double" to me. In fact, Fallon's ratings have steadily declined since he began a few months ago. I suspect that given a few more months, he would drop under a 2.5 in his 18-49 share.
Does he make fun of A-List talent on the Soup? The episodes I've seen, he mostly makes fun of reality stars and nobodys.
#102
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I loved Letterman when he was on NBC from 1982-1993, as his show was the only thing ever to rival Carson.
Then something happened to him when he got to CBS, and he lost that edge that made his NBC Late Night show so great. Maybe it was the money, maybe he got too arrogant that he could be funny without trying, but to me it was never the same.
Then something happened to him when he got to CBS, and he lost that edge that made his NBC Late Night show so great. Maybe it was the money, maybe he got too arrogant that he could be funny without trying, but to me it was never the same.
#103
DVD Talk Hero
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
You can't get someone that is relentlessly acerbic. Aggressive comics wear on an audience if the viewers have to put up with a host for 250 nights a year. Most of the successful talk show hosts have been fairly laid back and witty.
#104
DVD Talk Legend
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I didn't think I cared, I mean I haven't watched Letterman in years and I think he's the complete opposite of funny. However I was on some site earlier and they were listing suggestions and the one that popped out to me was Neil Patrick Harris. I doubt he plays well in middle America but I think he'd be a great talk show host, maybe more suited for daytime but I think he could do it.
#105
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I'm one of the few who has always loved Dave and his asshole humor so I will miss him.
#106
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
Letterman had to temper his act for the 11:30 p.m. audience - a much different audience than the one who watched Late Night. He went from wearing a sports coat with sneakers to a full on suit, too. In 1993, the stuff that played after midnight was very different than the stuff Carson was doing.
#107
DVD Talk Hero
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
if anyone wants to see how Drew Carey would do, here's his monologue from the late late show on monday for april fools day
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/71NQm7UZOLY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/71NQm7UZOLY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
#108
DVD Talk Legend
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
Unless they come up with a really good choice I doubt anyone will unseat Fallon in the ratings especially among younger viewers.
Fallon has the best looking set on late night![Smilie](/images/smilies/smile.gif)
Fallon has the best looking set on late night
![Smilie](/images/smilies/smile.gif)
![](http://media.philly.com/images/021814_jimmy_fallon_tonight_show_600.jpg)
#109
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I was just reading an article discussing what I mentioned, it being more ratings than anything else, and something dawned on me that I'd harped on before with Fallon's debut - guests.
I was pondering what might happen to the undeniably historic Sullivan Theater, and wondered whether they'll keep it there or not. Hopefully it doesn't have happen to it what's happening across the street at the Roseland Ballroom.
But anyways, I just wonder if this might not be a behind the scenes admission that the Tonight Show, Late Night, Late Show, Daily Show, Colbert Report and god only knows what else might be too much for a city on the opposite side of the country from entertainment's capitol. I haven't watched Late Show in years, nor any of the others listed here, but maybe NBC's tactic of requiring Tonight guests to agree to exclusivity by only appearing on NBC shows for weeks surrounding their Tonight appearance might not have something to do with this.
Perhaps there are one too many NYC shows now, Letterman started feeling the burn and having difficulty booking the show, and... here we are. Obviously they'll never admit it if this is the case, even after Letterman is off the airwaves, but I said months ago that I just didn't see how NYC could deal with so many shows so far away from where these guests live/work/promote. That was before NBC announced that Tonight guests couldn't appear on other networks for several weeks afterwards.
What's the Late Show booking been like of late? Primarily CBS affiliated guests - primetime stars and others who are promoting content released under the CBS corporate umbrella, along with Letterman buddies like Bill Murray (who I saw was just on the other day with Lady GaGa)? Nobodies and has beens who aren't A-List talents?
Bottom line, I've gotta believe this had exceedingly little to do with Dave being tired and ready to go and everything to do with the Tonight Show - both ratings-wise (Which Letterman has very publicly been getting destroyed up against) and the NYC celebrity booking scene.
I'll definitely be very, very, very interested to see what CBS does location-wise - does everything get up and moved to LA? Will the Sullivan Theater remain, and will another show move in? Or will it be converted to a live venue? And if the 11:35 CBS'er goes to LA, do they keep whatever ends up at 12:35 there, too, or play switcheroo and move that to NYC
I was pondering what might happen to the undeniably historic Sullivan Theater, and wondered whether they'll keep it there or not. Hopefully it doesn't have happen to it what's happening across the street at the Roseland Ballroom.
But anyways, I just wonder if this might not be a behind the scenes admission that the Tonight Show, Late Night, Late Show, Daily Show, Colbert Report and god only knows what else might be too much for a city on the opposite side of the country from entertainment's capitol. I haven't watched Late Show in years, nor any of the others listed here, but maybe NBC's tactic of requiring Tonight guests to agree to exclusivity by only appearing on NBC shows for weeks surrounding their Tonight appearance might not have something to do with this.
Perhaps there are one too many NYC shows now, Letterman started feeling the burn and having difficulty booking the show, and... here we are. Obviously they'll never admit it if this is the case, even after Letterman is off the airwaves, but I said months ago that I just didn't see how NYC could deal with so many shows so far away from where these guests live/work/promote. That was before NBC announced that Tonight guests couldn't appear on other networks for several weeks afterwards.
What's the Late Show booking been like of late? Primarily CBS affiliated guests - primetime stars and others who are promoting content released under the CBS corporate umbrella, along with Letterman buddies like Bill Murray (who I saw was just on the other day with Lady GaGa)? Nobodies and has beens who aren't A-List talents?
Bottom line, I've gotta believe this had exceedingly little to do with Dave being tired and ready to go and everything to do with the Tonight Show - both ratings-wise (Which Letterman has very publicly been getting destroyed up against) and the NYC celebrity booking scene.
I'll definitely be very, very, very interested to see what CBS does location-wise - does everything get up and moved to LA? Will the Sullivan Theater remain, and will another show move in? Or will it be converted to a live venue? And if the 11:35 CBS'er goes to LA, do they keep whatever ends up at 12:35 there, too, or play switcheroo and move that to NYC
#110
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
It's being reported that Colbert is CBS's first choice to replace Letterman and that they had even discussed their interest with him before Letterman made his announcement and I've read he was definitely interested in the job after having those talks.
#111
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
CBS should move Late Night to LA just so they aren't competing with Fallon in trying to book guests.
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I didn't think I cared, I mean I haven't watched Letterman in years and I think he's the complete opposite of funny. However I was on some site earlier and they were listing suggestions and the one that popped out to me was Neil Patrick Harris. I doubt he plays well in middle America but I think he'd be a great talk show host, maybe more suited for daytime but I think he could do it.
I know NPH has a reputation amongst 20-somethings for various projects and viral videos, but let's face it - a NPH hosted talker ain't gonna draw the college age, frat boy crowd CBS is probably desperate for in the wake of Fallon. He'd be more like a Wayne Brady type, playing well with a somewhat older audience despite his youth and familiarity with younger crowds (Brady once upon a time on the Chapelle Show, for instance.)
One suggestion I've seen tossed about today is Colbert, even over Stewart. Some even seem to think Colbert is the frontrunner right now. Horrible, horrible, *horrible* idea there - already said he'd play it straight and drop his nutty conservative persona. People would tune out expecting something entirely different - expecting the Stephen Colbert persona - and never mind the fact that by and large we've little to go on on the real Colbert. No idea how he'd do, what he'd be like, and whether people would enjoy whoever lies behind that mask doing, by and large, exactly what he's doing now as someone entirely different.
I think CBS has a huge problem here. There isn't any front-runner. There aren't any heir apparents. You've got a loooooong list of possibilities, but few if any genuinely stand out. Far fewer still have the sort of experience doing this that's required - almost every single one of these shows, even the all-time greats at late night hosting, all sucked hardcore for months if not years. Conan sucked. Fallon sucked. Ferguson even sucked, compared to now. This is an unnatural gig for these types, and the settling in period can be both brutal and long.
That's where NBC had it made... Conan and Fallon both worked out all their kinks and found their groove in a show where the spotlight on them wasn't near what it is here. Most of these folks would've been canceled post-haste if they had been thrown into 11:35 straight away. So it means CBS really, really better go with somebody with experience doing this exact line of work. That narrows the list quite a bit if nothing else, but even so there aren't any clear-cut frontrunners IMO. Personally, I think Ellen would have the best success and produce the best stereotypical late night talker, but I'm not sure whether she'd want to leave what's a proven, successful show for this. Many have been the names that had wild success, sought to expand upon that by moving on to bigger and better things, then failed miserably. (Katie Couric, I'm looking at you.)
There'll be one winner here regardless of how any of it turns out: Craig Ferguson. He's set to get what, $10mil if Letterman leaves and he doesn't get the 11:35 job? So he's either guaranteed a promotion, or else he'll get $10mil instantly and possibly still keep his 12:35 show if he wants it? Props to whoever got CBS to agree to that contract on his behalf - there was no way at any point in time (before or after Leno) that anyone would've said Ferguson would be getting 11:35 at CBS. That's just never been in the cards, despite the fact he's the only one of these shows I ever watch, a zany, off-the-cuff monologue, *zero* skits and instead winging it with viewer submitted letters every night, five nights a week, and a gay robot skeleton sidekick plus two dudes prancing in a horse costume does not an iconic, highly visible late night talk show make.
Ferguson is niche to the extreme, and has carved out his little corner to legitimate success and praise, but what he's got now is really all he'll ever get. He's not the sort that'll be able to expand his audience or broaden the appeal of the show by mainstreaming it and going more generic in tone and content. If he tried, and again I say this as a big fan, he'd almost certainly fail in epic proportions and the result would be a total disaster.
Last edited by Coladar1; 04-04-14 at 06:03 PM.
#113
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I'd really like to see CBS think outside the box and find someone fresh and really talented. Like when Conan first came along and no one knew who he was, except just some writer from THE SIMPSONS.
I'd love to see Patton Oswalt do it, but I'm guessing he's not even under consideration.
#114
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I'm not saying I'd support this, but is it possible that Seth McFarlane would leave all he has for a shot at this type of thing? I don't really like the guy, but I have to admit he'd be a certain draw.
As far as Joel McHale, no, he doesn't take shots at A-listers on The Soup, but he has a rep for taking shots at people due to it. I don't think that would help the booking issue.
The producer of the new show is a big issue. It is possible that Letterman (or his company) would still be in charge. If not, who is it? Do they bring in their one big producer Chuck Lorre? If they did, I again wonder if we're looking at a stronger chance for Jim Parsons. Obviously Seth McFarlane would produce his own show.
I tend to agree it would be a rough transition for either Stewart or Colbert. I'd say look to Dennis Miller when talking about either of them for a historic comparison. I'm not sure either of them would actually be able to transition their current shtick to the Late Show as well as Miller did, either. Don' get me wrong -- Stewart is awesome at this type of show. We know that from history. It's just not really remotely like what he has been doing for a long while. Colbert to me just isn't somebody who can carry a show unless it's in character. That's a great talent I don't mean to demean. It's just not the same skill-set as what we're talking about.
I think Drew Carey is not a real possibility because that is robbing from one important CBS institution to aid another. It would be like Seth Meyers taking over Deal or No Deal if that show had shown staying power. Nah. I don't see it.
Is Steve Harvey perhaps somebody we're overlooking? Would he insist on doing the show in Atlanta? Is that a non-starter?
As far as Joel McHale, no, he doesn't take shots at A-listers on The Soup, but he has a rep for taking shots at people due to it. I don't think that would help the booking issue.
The producer of the new show is a big issue. It is possible that Letterman (or his company) would still be in charge. If not, who is it? Do they bring in their one big producer Chuck Lorre? If they did, I again wonder if we're looking at a stronger chance for Jim Parsons. Obviously Seth McFarlane would produce his own show.
I tend to agree it would be a rough transition for either Stewart or Colbert. I'd say look to Dennis Miller when talking about either of them for a historic comparison. I'm not sure either of them would actually be able to transition their current shtick to the Late Show as well as Miller did, either. Don' get me wrong -- Stewart is awesome at this type of show. We know that from history. It's just not really remotely like what he has been doing for a long while. Colbert to me just isn't somebody who can carry a show unless it's in character. That's a great talent I don't mean to demean. It's just not the same skill-set as what we're talking about.
I think Drew Carey is not a real possibility because that is robbing from one important CBS institution to aid another. It would be like Seth Meyers taking over Deal or No Deal if that show had shown staying power. Nah. I don't see it.
Is Steve Harvey perhaps somebody we're overlooking? Would he insist on doing the show in Atlanta? Is that a non-starter?
#115
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
Is Colbert going to be in character? Because I don't think that idea would work. And would people accept him out-of-character?
I'd really like to see CBS think outside the box and find someone fresh and really talented. Like when Conan first came along and no one knew who he was, except just some writer from THE SIMPSONS.
I'd love to see Patton Oswalt do it, but I'm guessing he's not even under consideration.
I'd really like to see CBS think outside the box and find someone fresh and really talented. Like when Conan first came along and no one knew who he was, except just some writer from THE SIMPSONS.
I'd love to see Patton Oswalt do it, but I'm guessing he's not even under consideration.
However, the articles noted there isn't a huge difference between the two when it comes to style and sense of humor.
PS-for those who like NPH, many of the same sources who report Colbert is the front runner stated that Harris is definitely on the radar and is considered a "wildcard" when it comes to being a possibility to get the job.
PPS-I think if CBS goes with Colbert, they should get a female to take over for Ferguson, who will almost certainly leave if he's passed over. I'd like to see Amy Schumer get the gig.
Last edited by dolphinboy; 04-04-14 at 07:02 PM.
#116
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
From what I've read, should Colbert take the job, he would NOT be in character like on the Colbert show.
However, the articles noted there isn't a huge difference between the two when it comes to style and sense of humor.
PS-for those who like NPH, many of the same sources who report Colbert is the front runner stated that Harris is definitely on the radar and is considered a "wildcard" when it comes to being a possibility to get the job.
However, the articles noted there isn't a huge difference between the two when it comes to style and sense of humor.
PS-for those who like NPH, many of the same sources who report Colbert is the front runner stated that Harris is definitely on the radar and is considered a "wildcard" when it comes to being a possibility to get the job.
#117
DVD Talk Hero
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
i would say 'too raunchy' but then again look at what Craig gets away w, tons of bleeped cuss words and all.
#118
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
Colbert as top choice is everywhere, including Huffington Post. I first read the news here:
http://mashable.com/2014/04/04/steph...utm_source=rss
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
I didn't see this posted:
CBS Approached John Oliver for Late Night Show as Major Shuffle Looms (Exclusive)
5:33 PM PDT 4/3/2014 by Lacey Rose, Marisa Guthrie, Matthew Belloni
The pitch was for Oliver potentially to take the 12:30 time slot occupied by Craig Ferguson as the network begins the big task of replacing David Letterman and possibly remaking its entire late-night block.
In the weeks after John Oliver successfully filled in for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's The Daily Show last summer, CBS executives initiated talks with Oliver's representatives about launching a show on their network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The pitch was for Oliver potentially to occupy the 12:30 time slot currently filled by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in the event Ferguson does not re-up his contract at the end of 2014, or possibly for Oliver to launch a different show that would be syndicated by CBS, according to sources.
The talks, which ended when Oliver chose in November to host a weekly show on HBO, illustrate the significant challenges CBS faces in remaking its late-night block now that David Letterman announced Thursday he will retire from Late Show sometime in 2015. Ferguson has his fans, but he has not emerged as Letterman's heir apparent, because his show is perceived as a more niche chat hour built around his quirky interview style rather than a mainstream variety show that has embraced the digital era, as Jimmy Fallon has at NBC and Jimmy Kimmel at ABC. In addition, the fact that Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company produces with CBS both his Late Show and Ferguson's Late Late Show seemingly gives the network a chance to clean house and rebuild with a new generation of talent, if it chooses to do so.
CBS declined to comment.
Still, replacing Letterman and potentially Ferguson will be a much more difficult task than it might have been two decades ago, when Letterman defected from NBC's Late Night to launch his CBS show. As evidenced by Oliver's decision to host a Sunday HBO show, cable networks have emerged as a plum perch for late-night comics. That's a far cry from the broadcast-dominated world Letterman joined with Late Show.
There's no better example of late night's changed landscape than Stewart's standing at Comedy Central. A decade ago, it would be Stewart who was desperate for a call from CBS CEO Leslie Moonves; today, it's hard to imagine Moonves wouldn't kill to have Stewart on his network. And, perhaps more noteworthy, Stewart would have little incentive to make the leap. Comedy Central has not only made him among the highest paid hosts, with a salary reported at between $25 million to $30 million per year, but also offered him a platform to do a show in tune with his persona. Though it often out-rates broadcast competition among the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Stewart's 11 p.m. show is driven less by ratings as it is by his political and news interests. In place of the more typical broadcast rotation of broadly appealing celebrities promoting their latest film or TV show, Stewart and his 11:30 counterpart Stephen Colbert book a higher-brow (read: more narrow) mix of politicians, intellectuals and authors along with Hollywood stars.
None of this is to say CBS can't find a strong replacement. Broadcast still is able to offer a massive platform, particularly at the most-watched network, CBS, and a higher starting salary than most cable nets. NBC's Seth Meyers and, before him, Fallon, entered the late-night space with salaries in the $3 million range and benefited from the kind of marketing heft that only a network can provide.
Names ranging from Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris to Chris Rock and Conan O'Brien (still doing a broadcast-style show despite a cable platform on TBS) have already surfaced as potential Letterman replacements, with multiple sources agreeing Ferguson is not seriously in the running. Female-skewing Chelsea Handler surely will put her hat in the ring too, after THR reported earlier this week that she plans to leave E! at the conclusion of her contract this year.
One thing not to look for is a shakeup in the broadcast TV late-night format. As Meyers noted when he launched his by-the-book broadcast show in February, there's a reason that the network late-night hours tend to look the same. "The format is the format because it works," he told THR of the monologue/comedy bit/guest interview routine. Though he talked about wanting to cast his net of guests wider than is typical for broadcast, with politicians, authors and pundits, he has spent the past month-plus hosting a series of familiar celebrity faces, including Amy Poehler and Kim Kardashian.
Given the challenge (and high cost) of recruiting a top talent to replace Letterman, CBS could go the route of placing an unknown or emerging talent in Letterman's chair. "Do they want a 20th Century show or do they want a 21st Century show?" asks one source familiar with the late-night TV wars, referring to the viral videos and stunts that have helped Fallon and Kimmel lure younger viewers and increase relevance in the digital era. "ABC and NBC have both shifted to 21st Century shows."
But CBS' audience in primetime famously skews older. Would the viewers that tune in for Blue Bloods want to stick around for a bit like Fallon's "Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing"? And, unlike NBC, which has a stable of in-house stars from Saturday Night Live, CBS lacks a roster of young talent and a maestro in Lorne Michaels, who now produces both the Fallon and Meyers shows.
Further complicating matters, while Letterman will step down when his contract expires in 2015, his Worldwide Pants company will live on. Because it makes Late Show and The Late Late Show with CBS, the network would have to license the name or buy the company outright to keep the Late Show title.
One other wrinkle: CBS likely would benefit from relocating the show to Los Angeles, a less crowded (and more star-friendly) locale now that Fallon uprooted The Tonight Show to New York. But one rumored LA-based option is not on the table -- sources tell THR that Jay Leno, who recently ended his run as host of NBC's The Tonight Show, has no interest in replacing his longtime rival Letterman at CBS.
5:33 PM PDT 4/3/2014 by Lacey Rose, Marisa Guthrie, Matthew Belloni
The pitch was for Oliver potentially to take the 12:30 time slot occupied by Craig Ferguson as the network begins the big task of replacing David Letterman and possibly remaking its entire late-night block.
In the weeks after John Oliver successfully filled in for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's The Daily Show last summer, CBS executives initiated talks with Oliver's representatives about launching a show on their network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The pitch was for Oliver potentially to occupy the 12:30 time slot currently filled by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in the event Ferguson does not re-up his contract at the end of 2014, or possibly for Oliver to launch a different show that would be syndicated by CBS, according to sources.
The talks, which ended when Oliver chose in November to host a weekly show on HBO, illustrate the significant challenges CBS faces in remaking its late-night block now that David Letterman announced Thursday he will retire from Late Show sometime in 2015. Ferguson has his fans, but he has not emerged as Letterman's heir apparent, because his show is perceived as a more niche chat hour built around his quirky interview style rather than a mainstream variety show that has embraced the digital era, as Jimmy Fallon has at NBC and Jimmy Kimmel at ABC. In addition, the fact that Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company produces with CBS both his Late Show and Ferguson's Late Late Show seemingly gives the network a chance to clean house and rebuild with a new generation of talent, if it chooses to do so.
CBS declined to comment.
Still, replacing Letterman and potentially Ferguson will be a much more difficult task than it might have been two decades ago, when Letterman defected from NBC's Late Night to launch his CBS show. As evidenced by Oliver's decision to host a Sunday HBO show, cable networks have emerged as a plum perch for late-night comics. That's a far cry from the broadcast-dominated world Letterman joined with Late Show.
There's no better example of late night's changed landscape than Stewart's standing at Comedy Central. A decade ago, it would be Stewart who was desperate for a call from CBS CEO Leslie Moonves; today, it's hard to imagine Moonves wouldn't kill to have Stewart on his network. And, perhaps more noteworthy, Stewart would have little incentive to make the leap. Comedy Central has not only made him among the highest paid hosts, with a salary reported at between $25 million to $30 million per year, but also offered him a platform to do a show in tune with his persona. Though it often out-rates broadcast competition among the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Stewart's 11 p.m. show is driven less by ratings as it is by his political and news interests. In place of the more typical broadcast rotation of broadly appealing celebrities promoting their latest film or TV show, Stewart and his 11:30 counterpart Stephen Colbert book a higher-brow (read: more narrow) mix of politicians, intellectuals and authors along with Hollywood stars.
None of this is to say CBS can't find a strong replacement. Broadcast still is able to offer a massive platform, particularly at the most-watched network, CBS, and a higher starting salary than most cable nets. NBC's Seth Meyers and, before him, Fallon, entered the late-night space with salaries in the $3 million range and benefited from the kind of marketing heft that only a network can provide.
Names ranging from Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris to Chris Rock and Conan O'Brien (still doing a broadcast-style show despite a cable platform on TBS) have already surfaced as potential Letterman replacements, with multiple sources agreeing Ferguson is not seriously in the running. Female-skewing Chelsea Handler surely will put her hat in the ring too, after THR reported earlier this week that she plans to leave E! at the conclusion of her contract this year.
One thing not to look for is a shakeup in the broadcast TV late-night format. As Meyers noted when he launched his by-the-book broadcast show in February, there's a reason that the network late-night hours tend to look the same. "The format is the format because it works," he told THR of the monologue/comedy bit/guest interview routine. Though he talked about wanting to cast his net of guests wider than is typical for broadcast, with politicians, authors and pundits, he has spent the past month-plus hosting a series of familiar celebrity faces, including Amy Poehler and Kim Kardashian.
Given the challenge (and high cost) of recruiting a top talent to replace Letterman, CBS could go the route of placing an unknown or emerging talent in Letterman's chair. "Do they want a 20th Century show or do they want a 21st Century show?" asks one source familiar with the late-night TV wars, referring to the viral videos and stunts that have helped Fallon and Kimmel lure younger viewers and increase relevance in the digital era. "ABC and NBC have both shifted to 21st Century shows."
But CBS' audience in primetime famously skews older. Would the viewers that tune in for Blue Bloods want to stick around for a bit like Fallon's "Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing"? And, unlike NBC, which has a stable of in-house stars from Saturday Night Live, CBS lacks a roster of young talent and a maestro in Lorne Michaels, who now produces both the Fallon and Meyers shows.
Further complicating matters, while Letterman will step down when his contract expires in 2015, his Worldwide Pants company will live on. Because it makes Late Show and The Late Late Show with CBS, the network would have to license the name or buy the company outright to keep the Late Show title.
One other wrinkle: CBS likely would benefit from relocating the show to Los Angeles, a less crowded (and more star-friendly) locale now that Fallon uprooted The Tonight Show to New York. But one rumored LA-based option is not on the table -- sources tell THR that Jay Leno, who recently ended his run as host of NBC's The Tonight Show, has no interest in replacing his longtime rival Letterman at CBS.
#120
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re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
You know I like Colbert but honestly he's not my favorite. Between him and Stewart I've always liked Stewart more. Maybe it's just because I get tired of his character shtick which I think works at times but at other times I'd like to just see him be himself.
#121
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Okay this maybe suggests to me that CBS is behind the Handler announcement. Perhaps we'll see:
1) Handler steal the 12:30 job from Ferguson
2) Colbert take over for Letterman
3) Ferguson launch essentially the same show post-Daily Show on Comedy Central
4) In something like 8-10 years, Colbert hands off to Handler, guaranteed quietly in her contract
1) Handler steal the 12:30 job from Ferguson
2) Colbert take over for Letterman
3) Ferguson launch essentially the same show post-Daily Show on Comedy Central
4) In something like 8-10 years, Colbert hands off to Handler, guaranteed quietly in her contract
#122
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
re: David Letterman - Shows, Projects, and News
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