The Stephen Colbert era of late night TV has officially begun, and if his first time behind the desk is any indication, Colbert is going to have a long, successful run as the host of "Late Show” on CBS.
The theme of the night was fresh beginnings. From the redesigned Ed Sullivan Theater where Colbert tapes his shows, to straying away from his “Colbert Report” character to finally be just Stephen Colbert, it was clear that the “Late Show” redux could wind up being wildly successful.
Colbert opened the show traveling the country to sing the National Anthem, a bit that was capped off with a cameo from Colbert’s Comedy Central crony Jon Stewart. The show then transitioned to the new host performing the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” with his house band. From the very beginning, it was clear that Colbert was enjoying his new stage.
Expectations for Colbert’s debut were high, and one of the biggest questions surrounding its premiere was how Colbert would manage shedding his “Report” character and manage being himself. He joked about this very notion several times, exclaiming, “With this show, I begin the search for the real Stephen Colbert. I just hope I don’t find him on Ashley Madison.”
Aside from enjoying himself, it was clear that Colbert’s intention during his tenure was not to replace his predecessor David Letterman, but to pay tribute to him.
“We will try to honor his achievement by doing the best show we can and occasionally making the network very mad at us,” Colbert joked.
This joke was highlighted by a cameo appearance from CBS head honcho Leslie Moonves, who appeared in the front row with a dial threatening to air more reruns of “The Mentalist” in place of the show. Also making a cameo and wishing Colbert luck in his debut was his NBC late night counterpart Jimmy Fallon.
“Have a good show buddy,” Fallon told him. “See you in the locker room.” The cameo was clever and it’s nice to see a sense of camaraderie between the late night hosts.
George Clooney and Jeb Bush had the honor of being Colbert’s inaugural guests. Clooney’s interview is a by-the-book talk show home run. Though Clooney had no movie to promote, the two made one up and showed “clips” from it.
However, Colbert showed that not only does he have a fastball, he also has a mean changeup. His interview with Bush was interesting for late night TV, with the two men talking about how to restore civility to politics. Colbert pointed his brother out in the audience, with whom his political views differ, and then asked Bush how his views do the same with his brother and former president.
A look ahead at Colbert’s guests for the remainder of the week show that the host wants to continue to stray away from the typical showbiz banter so often found on late night talk shows. Amy Schumer and Scarlett Johansson will make appearances, but they will also be joined by author Stephen King, vice president Joe Biden and the CEO’s of Uber and Tesla Motors.
If the pilot is any indication, Colbert’s personality and style when paired with guests such as that will surely make for interesting and entertaining television. In a time when Jimmy Fallon’s place is the celebrity hang out, it will be nice to see a bit of a different take on the late night format. Though the episode was a bit all over the place, I think as time goes on and Colbert settles in and gets comfortable behind the desk, he’ll prove to be one of the most entertaining hosts in recent memory and will surely have a long, successful tenure as the captain of CBS’ late night ship.
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