Late-night talk shows are in serious jeopardy. Stephen Colbert’s late-night show ends in May after 11 seasons. CBS named a replacement already, but hinted that the replacement is doomed before they even start. Keep reading for the latest on the unexpected situation.
CBS Cancels Late Show Brand
Stephen Colbert took over CBS’s Late Show talk show in 2015 after longtime host David Letterman retired. The network nabbed Letterman after NBC passed him over to host The Tonight Show. The Late Show With David Letterman premiered in 1993.
It went head-to-head in the ratings with Jay Leno’s Tonight Show for years. But now the brand is ending after 33 years. CBS announced last year that they weren’t renewing Stephen Colbert’s contract. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert goes off the air on Thursday, May 21. But the 11:35 P.M. time slot won’t go dark.
A new show premieres on Friday, May 22. It’s not another talk show. Instead, the network will air Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen. But for how long?
Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Replacement Doomed Before Start
Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen already airs on CBS. However, the show will expand and take over The Late Show‘s spot. But it may not be a long-term solution. Paramount Chair of TV Media George Cheeks hinted at a press conference this week that the plans are temporary. “We are still going to develop other ideas, other concepts” after Byron Allen’s contract expires, George Cheeks said.
“Byron’s been a great partner to us at 12:30, so we feel confident he will continue to be a great partner for us at 11:30, as well,” he added before again saying that CBS is still developing other ideas to take over the spot permanently.
It could even be another talk show. While Jimmy Kimmel is already planning for the end of late-night, CBS is thinking outside the box. “I think the reality is that the reach is still there, but the reach is there primarily on YouTube, which is undermonetized. So, if we’re going to go back into that space, we have to go back into that space with a different financial model.”
Despite popular belief that Colbert’s show was canceled due to his constant comments about President Trump, CBS insists that it was a financial decision.
Fans Weigh In
If CBS plans to replace Stephen Colbert’s replacement, they might want to do it fast. CBS viewers took to Reddit to blast Byron Allen’s comedy show.
- “I never even heard of Byron Allen until he started to follow the Late Show but once I heard he wanted to take over Stephen’s spot I made sure my TV was off the moment the Late Show was over”
- “It’s absolute trash even when a decent comic is on…. I hope it crashes and burns.”
- “Will any of the comics be ones I’ve heard of or just ones that old people think are funny?”
- “It’s Awful. It shouldn’t be played in that time slot.”
- “It’s really pretty awful and mind-numbing. I applaud anyone who’s willing to put themselves out there, but this “comedy” is usually so lame and irrelevant that I get through maybe a minute or two and have to turn it off.”
Don’t miss Stephen Colbert’s last show on Thursday, May 21. Tell us who you want to see as his final guest.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
