Debate of the Day: Colbert Hosting The Late Show

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By now you’ve heard the news that Stephen Colbert has been tapped to replace the retiring David Letterman as the host of The Late Show. Colbert has just signed a five year contract with CBS, and will leave both The Colbert Report and his ultra-conservative persona behind.

While it’s great to see someone like Colbert showered in riches and acclaim on primetime, I can’t help but wonder what he’ll be like as the Late Show host, or really, what CBS will let him do. CBS and Comedy Cental’s target audiences really do not overlap, and I worry about Colbert being forced to play it more “safe” than usual.

What do you think? Is this a good fit and I’m being paranoid? Or will Stephen Colbert prove to not be quite as funny as “Stephen Colbert”?

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4 Comments

  1. I hope he doesn’t lose his edge just because he’s moving to a more “mainstream” network. Colbert and John Stewart seem to be inoculated from the worst of the censorship brigade’s antics by virtue of being on Comedy Central. Letterman’s always been tame by comparison.

    Also, Colbert’s celeb interviews have always been the weakest part of his show IMO. I’m not sure about him hosting a show where interviews are the key element.

    1. Keep in mind the context of those interviews and that they are filtered through the lens of his “character” of Colbert.

      I would like to hope that with this new gig, he can be more free and natural with his chatter with guests. I saw a vid where Colbert, as himself, interviewed Neil deGrasse Tyson and I enjoyed it.

      I’ve been personally jonesing for him to do a show that doesn’t constantly deal with how screwed up U.S. politics are. Plus, he’s going from 30 mins to 1 hour… I’m so in! Made me very happy to hear this news.

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