Late Night Television
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Finch
- Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:09 pm
- Location: United States
Re: Late Night Television
On a tangent, I watched a few clips of the old guard and Leno and Letterman came across as profoundly uninterested in some of their guests. They both had David Lynch on their shows and didn't even bother to do their research. Letterman had only a vague idea of who Lynch was playing in Twin Peaks and I forgot whether it was FWWM or Lost Highway in Leno's case but he hadn't even seen the film Lynch was promoting.
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spectre
- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:52 am
Re: Late Night Television
I feel similarly (except Colbert is all "leave" for me; I find him pretty insufferable in general). I still think Jon Stewart is the best of the lot though, even if his politics are basically the same as The New York Times editorial board – he's a great speaker and as funny and likeable as he's always been. If he ever wants to run for president, the Dems could do a lot worse!Finch wrote: Fri May 15, 2026 2:52 am Thanks for that article, flyonthewall. It gets at why Fallon is like nails on a chalkboard. That rictus grin and the desperation not to be offensive to anyone is just sad to witness. Mind you, out of all those hosts, John Oliver is the only one I can genuinely enjoy. Maybe Seth Myers at a push. I like that Kimmel gets under Trump's skin but that's about it. Colbert I can take or leave depending on my mood.
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hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Late Night Television
When I was growing up in the Midwest and didn't have cable TV in our family home, Letterman and then Conan were pretty much my main entertainment every evening. I don't really count John Oliver as part of the group because he doesn't air in the same slots or on the same schedule, but I still watch him every now and then. (Helps a lot that whole episodes stream free.)
The first few months of Colbert was the last time I viewed any late night talk show in its entirety, and even then it was via streaming the day after. Since then I occasionally watch highlights on YouTube, which is helpful - maybe 10 to 20 minutes of viewing during transit instead of a solid hour during my free time.
Colbert and Myers have strong Chicago-area connections and used to pop up there a lot, moreso before their late night gigs, and I've had friends who've met them in Chicago. They're genuinely nice, sharp, funny, highly-educated people, pretty much what I'd expect given their backgrounds. I've never heard or seen anyone say a bad thing about them after meeting them. (Unless you count George W. Bush who was clearly angry at Colbert immediately after his famous roast.) I still find Kimmel's transformation bewildering if very welcome - this is the guy who made his name with The Man Show? Never would've predicted it.
Having said all that, the old Letterman shows are still the gold standard for me because no one will ever have a show like that anymore - even Letterman couldn't once he moved to an earlier slot with bigger pressures and expectations. His best, most legendary interviews were combative and uncomfortable - Shirley MacLaine, Harvey Pekar, Jane Pauley (see the "custom-made" show), Oliver Reed, Crispin Glover...they happened over and over again on Late Night. They could still happen later (like Madonna's first appearance on The Late Show), but they became much more rare. Also it was charming to see Letterman comfortable and knowing as something like an interloper in the world of public figures when watching Late Night, like when he's talking with close friend Michael Keaton about how he's blowing up because of Batman and how curious he is about Jack Nicholson. I also love how that show looks like a low-budget affair, like NBC threw it together because they had a studio sitting empty.
The next President needs to know how to run the government and do what they can to restore the horrendous damage done to pretty much every institution within it (which is so bad that much of it may be permanent). We don't need any more proof that voting for celebrities with no experience in public office is a stupid idea - that could work in, say, the Senate when you're a junior Senator to a senior one and also one Senator out of a 100, but not when you're the sole chief executive.
The first few months of Colbert was the last time I viewed any late night talk show in its entirety, and even then it was via streaming the day after. Since then I occasionally watch highlights on YouTube, which is helpful - maybe 10 to 20 minutes of viewing during transit instead of a solid hour during my free time.
Colbert and Myers have strong Chicago-area connections and used to pop up there a lot, moreso before their late night gigs, and I've had friends who've met them in Chicago. They're genuinely nice, sharp, funny, highly-educated people, pretty much what I'd expect given their backgrounds. I've never heard or seen anyone say a bad thing about them after meeting them. (Unless you count George W. Bush who was clearly angry at Colbert immediately after his famous roast.) I still find Kimmel's transformation bewildering if very welcome - this is the guy who made his name with The Man Show? Never would've predicted it.
Having said all that, the old Letterman shows are still the gold standard for me because no one will ever have a show like that anymore - even Letterman couldn't once he moved to an earlier slot with bigger pressures and expectations. His best, most legendary interviews were combative and uncomfortable - Shirley MacLaine, Harvey Pekar, Jane Pauley (see the "custom-made" show), Oliver Reed, Crispin Glover...they happened over and over again on Late Night. They could still happen later (like Madonna's first appearance on The Late Show), but they became much more rare. Also it was charming to see Letterman comfortable and knowing as something like an interloper in the world of public figures when watching Late Night, like when he's talking with close friend Michael Keaton about how he's blowing up because of Batman and how curious he is about Jack Nicholson. I also love how that show looks like a low-budget affair, like NBC threw it together because they had a studio sitting empty.
The next President needs to know how to run the government and do what they can to restore the horrendous damage done to pretty much every institution within it (which is so bad that much of it may be permanent). We don't need any more proof that voting for celebrities with no experience in public office is a stupid idea - that could work in, say, the Senate when you're a junior Senator to a senior one and also one Senator out of a 100, but not when you're the sole chief executive.
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brundlefly
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 4:55 pm
Re: Late Night Television
Perhaps surprising and disappointing for Lynch, given his Midwesternness could have made for easy bond, but part of the point of the original Letterman show was to be dismissive of celebrity and to make a show of being low-effort. This was an hour of network television (back when that meant something) built to be wasted, and guests were either pals or freaks or a parade of high-profile peddlers. Instead of indulging the mechanics of public relations and trying to enliven rehearsed anecdotes from pre-interviewed celebs, you dare them to be interesting.Finch wrote: Fri May 15, 2026 2:57 am On a tangent, I watched a few clips of the old guard and Leno and Letterman came across as profoundly uninterested in some of their guests. They both had David Lynch on their shows and didn't even bother to do their research. Letterman had only a vague idea of who Lynch was playing in Twin Peaks and I forgot whether it was FWWM or Lost Highway in Leno's case but he hadn't even seen the film Lynch was promoting.