An iconic late-night American talk show is leaving the air, and people are divided on why. Is it because politics got involved, or is it because live television culture is dying out? Let’s go back to the beginning.
The Late Show first aired in August 1993 on CBS with its host, David Letterman, who had just come off hosting Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. That gig lasted from 1982 to 1993. He rose to popularity with this show, and in spite of his relationship with the network, they chose Jay Leno over him to succeed Johnny Carson as the host of The Tonight Show. This is what pushed Letterman to move to CBS and launch his show.
The very first guest to appear on both of Letterman’s shows was Bill Murray. The first musical guest star, Billy Joel, appeared to promote his song, “No Man’s Land. The show featured high-profile guests. The interviews were comfortable and in good fun, but Letterman had a side that could antagonize some people. For example, Cher, who publicly insulted him for his treatment of guests.
Others found comfort in his Midwest attitude. Though it never quite peaked like The Tonight Show did, it influenced a generation of comedians and watchers. It was a culture centered on tuning in to watch a show at a specific time on specific days.
Colbert was soon chosen to take over for Letterman and debuted on September 8, 2015. Eventually, Colbert stopped playing a character and began being himself, sprinkling in his natural comedy. Though ratings were initially low around 2017, they skyrocketed as his comedic timing and political satire improved viewership. They followed a typical format with an opening monologue, skits, and several interviews.
People praise him for his ability to tackle complex political issues with humor, sparking important conversations in the home and on social media. He has advocated for various causes, such as DonorsChoose.org, of which he is a board member. Colbert is particularly focused on education and disaster relief. He has brought together an engaged audience, especially younger people. Who enjoy his commentary and are some of his loudest supporters. But are these voices enough, or are they muffled by streaming services knocking out live TV?
Remember, when waking up on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons, eating TV dinners, and families watching shows together after dinner (if they weren’t already eating dinner in front of the TV) was the standard. It created a shared cultural experience where you could talk about what happened on last night’s episode with your friends.
Live television was the norm, with a big focus on variety shows, sports, news, and sitcoms. It was also challenging for the creators, as there was no editing. This meant everything had to go to plan, avoiding any possible mishaps. While they used a delay to give them a chance to censor words and images, the technology wasn’t as reliable as it is now. Blurry images, black and white pictures, static, and frequent signal interruptions ran wild. The sets themselves were bulky and expensive, not to mention the price.
Many have now cut the cord on cable and moved to streaming. It’s a more convenient way to watch old and new shows. Why watch cable and sit through commercials when you could just pay to skip them? It seems like a simple solution, yet people are paying more than they did for cable.
Binge-watching has inched its way into the culture as a cool novelty. Why wait a week to see the next episode after a cliffhanger when you could just watch it now? People now feel obligated, and they measure a show’s success by how binge-worthy it is. Streamers now expect their audience to binge-watch an entire show as soon as it comes out. Others have returned to weekly episodes, but that doesn’t mean people watch week by week. Personally, in my house, my dad waits until the whole show drops to binge.
In addition to binge-watching, late-night television also takes up interesting space within our stream of information. Late-night TV blends news, comedy, and social media updates, like The Colbert Report. It aired four days a week on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014. Stephen Colbert played an anchorman character of the same name, described as a “well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot.” The show talked about current events and American political news.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert held its place as the most-viewed late-night show in the 2020s. However, just like many shows, it faced the competition of other entertainment formats. It was still surprising when CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in May 2026 with nothing new to replace it. Some say it’s for financial reasons, as the viewership drops for late night shows, but prices stay the same or go up.
Yet, many have suggested that it was the frequent criticism of the second Trump administration. Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a lawsuit brought against it by Trump for $16 million. Whether this is true or not, we can’t know for sure. Either reason could be possible, or both at once. This doesn’t lessen the impact the show had. But will streaming TV culture cancel out the rest? Only time will tell.
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