David Letterman to retire from 'Late Show' in 2015

[T-post Tom]

That puts him at right around 33 years on nightly t.v. Wow. Amazing. Wonder if Bill Murray will be on his last show... You know Chris Elliott will be back and there'll be a tribute to Larry Bud. You can tell it's time for him...but still sad. End of an era.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by ILChief

Colbert will be a mistake. He is a character. What you see on tge Colbert report isn't really him. It would be like hiring ron burgundy.

No, in your analogy it'd be like hiring Will Ferrell.

[mcaj22]

Colbert is exactly like a WWF wrestler gimmick, and he'd break character to do the Late Show and all of his fans would be weirded out by it because he very rarely has ever broken character.

So what's his crossover appeal, he would lose some of his Colbert fans and would have to win not only new fans over but also bring back some of his Colbert fans with his kayfabe break.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

Colbert is exactly like a WWF wrestler gimmick, and he'd break character to do the Late Show and all of his fans would be weirded out by it because he very rarely has ever broken character.

His whole schtick is based on character sarcasm. You can't host a "major" late night talk show without being "real" or at least be successful in that time slot and or genere.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Jon Stewart would be much better than Colbert.

And Conan O'Brien would be better than all of them....and it would spark a legitimate late night TV war.

Conan got crushed on Tonight.
He gets crushed now at 10 at TBS vs the Daily Show and even Colbert.
But he'll do great if they just bring him back.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

Ellen sucks.

Any guy who thinks Ellen is entertaining needs to jump off a ****ing bridge.

Her daytime show is great for stay at home moms and that's about it.

That's because it's her target demographic. If she gets on Letterman's slot at night, she obviously isn't going to do her same stuff. Her audience is also not going to be full of nothing but women and gay men.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

Colbert is exactly like a WWF wrestler gimmick, and he'd break character to do the Late Show and all of his fans would be weirded out by it because he very rarely has ever broken character.

So what's his crossover appeal, he would lose some of his Colbert fans and would have to win not only new fans over but also bring back some of his Colbert fans with his kayfabe break.

He's a Second City alumnus. He's written for sketch comedy shows. His work on Strangers with Candy and The Daily Show proves his versatility beyond his Colbert Report gimmick, and even that show has prepared him over the years to interview anybody.

I don't know if Colbert is the best choice, but to think he's a one-trick-pony is shortsighted.

[RunKC]

Didn't read the thread, but I heard that Neil Patrick Harris is rumored to be the replacement.

That would be ****ing awesome! NPH is very entertaining

[Direckshun]

Why are people shitting on Colbert?

He would be an excellent host -- the job is just comedy writing and interviews. He can also sing and has connections to an army of celebrities. Plus he can offer substantial interviews with serious guests about shit that actually matters.

He's hilarious, and anybody arguing that his appeal is "just being a character" doesn't watch his show with any regularity.

My first vote would be Tina Fey, but she wants to write shows. Colbert is an excellent #2 option.

[58-4ever]

I saw Dave in 2009. Paul McCartney was on the show that day, but they didn't announce the guest until that day. He played on top of the Ed Sullivan theater and the people inside got to sit front and center. Not only did Paul play two songs for the show, but he played about 6 more for everyone after the show. It was the best free concert I've ever been to.

The best part about that particular show however, was the fact that I got to ask Dave a question before the show. He comes out and talks to the crowd before every show and takes 1-2 questions. Mine was the only question he took that day. When he called on me, he asked my name, where I was from, and what my question was. This was about the time when he had a feud with Sarah Palin for some tasteless jokes he told about her. It was also around the time Dick Cheney shot that guy while hunting.

I asked Dave "Would you rather go hunting with Sarah Palin or Dick Cheney?" The crowd and Dave laughed. Dave responded "Well Josh, I think I'd be in trouble either way".

This is a fun story to tell over a few beers.

[Sannyasi]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Didn't read the thread, but I heard that Neil Patrick Harris is rumored to be the replacement.

That would be ****ing awesome! NPH is very entertaining

Rupert Pupkin would be a better host than Neil Patrick Harris.

[MahiMike]

10 years too late.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Why are people shitting on Colbert?

He would be an excellent host -- the job is just comedy writing and interviews. He can also sing and has connections to an army of celebrities. Plus he can offer substantial interviews with serious guests about shit that actually matters.

He's hilarious, and anybody arguing that his appeal is "just being a character" doesn't watch his show with any regularity.

My first vote would be Tina Fey, but she wants to write shows. Colbert is an excellent #2 option.

Because he is a character. Stephen Col-BEAR is not Stephen Col-BERT. And a network late night talk show won't work with a character as a host. I enjoy his show on Comedy Central, but it won't work on network late night opposite Fallon.

[Aries Walker]

USA Today has a (admittedly gimmicky) "Top Ten" list of who should replace Dave, and most of their Pros and Cons seem to make some sense.

Originally Posted by USA Today

With David Letterman retiring next year after a record run in late-night TV, speculation is already rampant about who will replace him on CBS's Late Show. We handicap some candidates.

1. Stephen Colbert
Pro: His contract is up in December; he's a star and well-versed in politics and entertainment.
Con: He'd have to give up his blowhard mock-conservative persona that made him famous and just be himself. Which might actually be a plus.

2. Jon Stewart
Pro: His Daily Show is more popular than Colbert's, he has a big base of influential fans and he's available as of mid-2015, when Letterman is expected to step down.
Cons: Stewart has tremendous freedom at Comedy Central, has said he has no interest in hosting a network talk show and claims celebrity interviews are the least favorite part of his show.

3. Craig Ferguson
Pro: He's the heir apparent whose show follows (and is produced by) Letterman, and a clause in his current contract "guarantees" him the chair -- or a payout.
Con: He's not well-known, his ratings are low and insiders say he's not being seriously considered for the gig.

4. John Oliver
Pro: He reportedly talked to CBS earlier and had great reviews (and solid ratings) for last summer's guest-anchor gig on The Daily Show.
Con: He signed a deal with HBO for a weekly late-night talk show that premieres later this month.

5. Ellen DeGeneres
Pro: She'd add gender diversity to late-night, she has a successful daytime talk show and an easy rapport with celebrities.
Con: DeGeneres is under contract for an extremely lucrative job, and has essentially inherited Oprah Winfrey's mantle as the queen of daytime.

6. Neil Patrick Harris
Pro: He's an awards-show veteran and a likable personality who has guest-hosted with Live with Kelly. And his day job on CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother has ended.
Con: He's on Broadway now, has appeared in movies and may not want to commit to a long-term contract for a daily talk show.

7. Chelsea Handler
Pro: She has late-night talk-show experience and just announced plans to exit her gig on E! later this year.
Con: The abrasive comedian is considered too edgy for CBS' mainstream audience.

8. Jay Leno
Pro: He's newly unemployed, has a solid late-night following that matches CBS' older-skewing audience and loves to work.
Con: Just two months ago, he vowed he'd never do another nightly talk show. But we've heard that before.

9. Conan O'Brien
Pro: He's also a late-night veteran with a loyal (and younger) core fan base.
Con: That fan base isn't big enough (as evidenced by his cable ratings), and he's seen as damaged goods after his heated Tonight Show exit.

10. Louis CK
Pro: He's a popular comedian with a beloved and scrappy cable sitcom. Presciently, a three-episode arc last season had his semi-fictional character vying to replace Letterman.
Con: He doesn't like suits, his career is going just fine and there's almost no chance he'd actually do it.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/t...dates/7301729/

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by ILChief

Because he is a character. Stephen Col-BEAR is not Stephen Col-BERT. And a network late night talk show won't work with a character as a host. I enjoy his show on Comedy Central, but it won't work on network late night opposite Fallon.

Post #96.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by ILChief

Because he is a character. Stephen Col-BEAR is not Stephen Col-BERT. And a network late night talk show won't work with a character as a host. I enjoy his show on Comedy Central, but it won't work on network late night opposite Fallon.

So much fail, Colbert is actually pronounced Kohl-Bear. The joke is that Report isn't pronounced Reh-pour.

And Stephen isn't going to maintain his Colbert Report persona on a late night show, but he's still swift and bright and bring a good interview.