The verdict: funny-ish
Tonight’s segment felt a lot like what I saw during previews. He’s a tamer version of the character he played on the Colbert Report, but he still offers something we desperately need in late night: smart commentary. He pushed Jeb. He went after Trump. He gave George plenty of guff. I can tell this show is not going to be a superficial chat show, and it’s not going to be a celebrity fawn-fest either.
What it needs, though, is to figure out where its fun moments are. We need more of his playful side, and we could definitely use more Jon Batiste. But hey, it’s just the first night. And there’s always tomorrow. For now though, we’re signing off from New York City. Thanks for keeping us company.
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That’s a wrap!
Well! That’s it for tonight. The first episode of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is over. And now it’s on to the next. Tomorrow Colbert’s guests are Scarlett Johansson, Elon Musk and Kendrik Lamar. Will you be watching?
Some music – finally!
Jon Batiste, Brittany Howard, Mavis Staples (!!!) and even Stephen Colbert are dancing around on stage singing Different Strokes together. Lots of special guests for this musical number, including Buddy Guy! The audience is on its feet.
Forget everything else, the music on this show is going to be great.
#DerekTrucks #BuddyGuy kill it on the guitar. pic.twitter.com/fIEn3TauLY
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 9, 2015
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This is not your normal late night conversation. Stephen asks Jeb about changing how the left and the right relate to each other - he even uses the term “emotional narrative” to describe what he’s talking about. He also pushes him on why he wants to be President, and asks pointedly about what the hell the exclamation mark is doing at the end of his logo. The answer: “it connotes excitement!”... right.
The conversation itself, nevermind Mr Bush, is funny and interesting and lively. I’m happy with this segment.
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Great line from Stephen at the start of his chat with Jeb: “I used to play a narcissistic conservative pundit. Now I’m just a narcissist.”
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Here’s Jeb!
Oh god. This is going to be painful. I can feel it.
Just a quick thing about the ads tonight: every single movie seems to have bought space on this show. One of them, The Walk, about Philippe Petit starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actually looks pretty good. That is all.
Stephen opens the conversation asking about George’s charity Not On Our Watch, which raises money for humanitarian efforts around the world... But it doesn’t take long for Stephen to take the conversation to Amal. “How does it feel to be Amal’s arm candy”? He asks before presenting him with a wedding present: an engraved paper weight from Tiffany’s that says “I don’t know you.”
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Here's George!
George walks on and cleans the cookie crumbs from Stephen’s face. Aww. Don’t you just love George? I love George. Anyway.
"You got a little cookie." #LateShow pic.twitter.com/UGZfkpn9He
— Mashable GIF (@mashablegif) September 9, 2015
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How he's doing so far: funny, but predictable
Ok so we’re 25 minutes in and so far, it’s a lot like the show I saw last week. Lots of politics, lots of jokes from the headlines. He’s still Colbert, just a straighter, more mainstream version than the one we got to know on Comedy Central. We haven’t seen him with a guest yet, which I think will be really be a good test of how much fun the show will be to watch down the line. How do you think he’s doing so far? Tell us in the comments
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Cue Trump jokes! I guess they’re inevitable, if a little stale feeling. But what’s with all the Oreos? After that Sabra Hummus bit it’s got a few people wondering...
Do a bit about how the media covers Trump too much. Do a bit about Trump. Do another Trump bit. Do a bit that's probably sponsored by Oreos.
— emily nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) September 9, 2015
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Seems like I’m not alone in being confused about that Sabra Hummus plug. It’s got a few people wondering what the hell happened.
In the history of late night, has any host done an on-screen commercial in their first show?!?
— Brian Steinberg (@bristei) September 9, 2015
And now I know why Leslie Moonves told me Colbert "will make a profit." #Sabra #LateShow
— Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe) September 9, 2015
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A look at the new set
Stephen has taken us on a tour of the set: the coolest feature is the video wall behind him. There’s also a massive wrap-around desk, a captain America shield, a massive book case and yes, the antelope skull I saw last week is still there - although it appears to wear an amulet and be some kind of an oracle for sponsor messages? Including one for Sabra Hummus? I’m lost. And it was going so well!
Seems like I’m not alone in being confused about that Sabra Hummus on-air mention.
In the history of late night, has any host done an on-screen commercial in their first show?!?
— Brian Steinberg (@bristei) September 9, 2015
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Now it’s time for the requisite Dave Letterman shout-out. “We will try to honor his achievement by making the best show we can, and occasionally making the network very mad at us.”
"For the record, I am not replacing David Letterman." #LateShow pic.twitter.com/dIudNeY2Qx
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 9, 2015
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CBS president Les Moonvez wonders along with us if this show is going to live up to the hype
.@CBS' Les Moonvez prepared to swap #LateShow for 'The Mentalist' pic.twitter.com/iTy5LdZ1k7
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 9, 2015
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He’s funny! Pretty good so far! Lots of jokes!
“CBS has been so welcoming I feel like a third broke girl”
“As long I have nine months to make nine hours of TV, I can do this forever”
“With this show, I begin the search for the real Stephen Colbert. I just hope I don’t find him on Ashley Madison”
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It begins!
Ok so he’s singing the Star Spangled Banner. With a bunch of different people in a bunch of different places: at a bowling alley, at the National Monument, in a corn field.. This is cute. America! And his voice is pretty good... oh! There’s Jon Stewart! He kicks off the show with a classic “play ball!”
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The Wrap has done an interesting feature comparing all the late night hosts by the numbers. Two things stand out: Jimmy Fallon is king (for now) but Stephen Colbert is off to a very strong start.
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Last week I got to see a preview of Colbert’s Late Show. It’ll be interesting to see how different the debut is from what I saw. I wonder, for example, if he’s kept the antelope skull near his desk. Or if he’ll banter as much with Jon Batiste (yes please – love him). I also wonder if his jokes will be as politics-heavy as they were that night.
But one of of things that struck me most about the preview was how male the show felt overall - from the preview music (only male bands), to the man-cave vibe of the set and the tone-deaf way he interacted with his one female guest. Will be curious if it feels the same way tonight.
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Here’s something weird: Fusion has merged all the faces of every late night host into one “comfortingly bland” white dude.
We merged the faces of every network late-night star into TV’s ultimate talk show host http://t.co/yiD4Btc33X pic.twitter.com/ampvpTiddX
— Fusion (@ThisIsFusion) September 9, 2015
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Here’s an excerpt from Dave Itzkoff’s interview with Colbert today in the New York Times, which mostly focused on how Colbert feels about the upcoming election:
[On a late-night show,] all we ever want to know is, where do we point our magnifying glass? Well, for the next 430 days, we know exactly where it’s going to point, most of the time. And the nice thing is that the story doesn’t really get old. People care, every day. It’s the biggest story in the world and nobody dies. What could be better than that?
“It’s the biggest story in the world and nobody dies” – at least someone’s looking on the bright side!
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Scenes from The Late Show's taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC
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Aside from George and Jeb, Colbert has hinted that we should expect “special guests” tonight. Exciting! So long as it’s Amy Schumer I’ll be happy.
Who do you think might show up? Let us know in the comments.
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What to know before you watch
If you haven’t read the thousands of hot-takes on tonight’s premiere, we forgive you. But if you want to impress your friends at a watch party, you’ll need to know a few things. Here are some key points:
- Tonight’s guests are George Clooney and Jeb Bush. There are some rumors that Colbert wanted Hillary Clinton has his first guest, but she refused. Some commentators have guessed that her entourage thought it too big a risk. Clooney and Bush are an interesting combination. They’re sort of.. foils to one another. But if you already thought Bush was a bore, just imagine how bland he’ll be next to gorgeous George. Swoon.
- Jon Batiste, a 28 year old from New Orleans is the new Late Show bandleader. His sound is a mix of Jazz, funk and R&B and he’s known for his vibrant stage presence (we liked him *very* much when we caught a preview of the show last week). One thing to look out for tonight is how Colbert and Batiste interact on stage. With 24 years between them, their dynamic will be different from what we’ve seen on Late Night before with Letterman/Schafer or Carson/Severinson. We’re looking forward to it actually – so long as it’s not as awkward as Jay Leno and Branford Marsalis. That wasn’t fun for anyone.
- The frenzy surrounding tonight’s premiere has been going on for weeks and in that time Colbert has been everywhere - from billboards to magazine covers to Michigan Public television. Joel Lovell’s 6000 word profile in GQ is one of the most interesting pieces to come out of the media mayhem. It reveals a candid Colbert. In it, he discusses how he struggled to move on from the death of his father, reveals that he is a deeply religious man, and talks about his own anxiety about taking over Late Night. Just read it.
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Stephen Colbert’s first night hosting The Late Show on CBS. On social media and the subway it feels like everyone is talking about this debut. The big question of course is whether or not Colbert, the man, will delight us in the same way that Colbert, the character did on Comedy Central. Will he be as funny sans schtick? Tonight, we find out!
The show begins at 11.30pm ET so sit back and relax as we wait to see if the new Late Show lives up to its hype.
Variety. " width="1000" height="600" class="gu-image" /> Updated
