Letterman's retirement

[Funafuti]

I came across this great piece on David Letterman's retirement by Bill Simmons: Letterman

It really hits the nail on the head as far as what I always thought made Dave so much better than anyone else who has tried to do that job. And the segment during which he announced he would be retiring was 10 minutes of great television that I can't imagine any other late night host pulling off:

[video=youtube;l5sVI_-LRCI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5sVI_-LRCI[/video]

 

[CaliTVguy]

Great clip. I just can't imagine late night television without Letterman! I wonder if this means we see Leno come back strong???

 

[Funafuti]

Great clip. I just can't imagine late night television without Letterman! I wonder if this means we see Leno come back strong???

CBS could just freak everybody out and hire Leno to replace Letterman. It seems completely insane, yet not out of line with how Leno's career has gone to this point...

 

[MMkaho]

leno is not that bad i used to watch the tonight show faithfully everynight then head off to bed for work, now idk got myself watching the colbert report for some reason

 

[Funafuti]

leno is not that bad i used to watch the tonight show faithfully everynight then head off to bed for work, now idk got myself watching the colbert report for some reason

Most people who write about late-night television for a living seem to be saying that Colbert is the front-runner for the Letterman time slot on CBS. He could probably do a very good job, but I would miss the character he has created on his show as I assume he would drop the clueless conservative act and be more of a congenial host.

 

[Funafuti]

Wow, that was fast... today CBS announced that it had signed Stephen Colbert to a five-year contract to replace David Letterman. Leno will have to look elsewhere, I suppose.... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/b...o-succeed-letterman-on-late-show.html?hp&_r=0

 

[MrPogi]

Just wrong.

I love Colbert. But he will be so out of his element there - and his leaving will leave a hole at Comedy Central.

 

[reverenddejesus]

I think Colbert is a really shrewd choice by CBS. It's a bold move considering his lack of network experience and alternative appeal but Colbert is a great all-round entertainer (monologues, sketches, characters, crowd-pumping, song, dance, satire) who is extremely likeable yet also smart and sharp in his humor. It's a true testament to what Letterman meant to late-night television that they're replacing him with someone who exhibits the same level of comic sophistication and innovation rather than trying to find the exact opposite of him, as NBC had to do with Leno. Colbert is also a populist character, and I think he' ll know how to endear himself to the nation.