The Late Show on CBS is No More

This news likely signals the inevitable end of these kinds of shows on network TV.

Next May, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be ending. Actually, the Late Show in general will be ending.

CBS announced yesterday that the iconic brand will be ending, which ushers in a new era for late night TV. Stephen Colbert is not being replaced, which is probably where a lot of people’s minds went when they first saw a headline. Rather, the network has decided that the show format just isn’t worth it.

(There are also rumors that this was politically motivated. Colbert is a Trump hater and Trump recently approved a Paramount merger with Skydance – only after Paramount agreed to settle with Trump for $60 million over 60 Minutes editing a Kamala Harris interview. Beyond giving you those two sentences’ worth of facts, I’ll pass on the political side of this. And truthfully, I doubt politics were anything more than a tiebreaker in this case, if anything.)

Linear TV has been declining in importance in recent years, which is a fact as obvious to everyone as the sky being blue. For that reason, it probably just isn’t worth it to pay the overhead costs for a show like that, including a huge studio, the band, and all of the production costs.

Also, I’d argue that there is another factor at play here that isn’t talked about nearly enough. The style of interviews that are conducted on late night TV are nowhere near as novel, revealing, or outright as important as they used to be. And they feel fake. A celebrity comes on a show and answers questions that they probably knew was coming, and they’re putting on an image the whole time. And of course, there’s probably a promotional aspect for their movie or whatever it is. And the whole thing is done in about 7-12 minutes, before anyone really loosens up.

That mattered way more in the past when people had less access to famous people and their thoughts/personalities. But now, the interview style of something like podcasts absolutely dwarfs the interviews with a late night host. They feel way less canned and produced on a podcast, where people can really show who they are.

To be fair to late night, these interviews are supposed to be surface-level fluff. It’s not like the interviews (and the interviewers) aren’t doing their jobs. But younger viewers have a million things to watch before bed when they are turning their brains off – these late night, basic interviews just don’t quite cut it.

To play devil’s advocate, there’s one reason that makes me wonder if CBS will regret this move: What else will fill that time slot? Even though I just spent half of this post saying why the type of show is declining in importance, late shows are still more important to watch live than just about all types of television other than news, sports, and award shows. Is it really a good idea to replace something like the Late Show with Stephen Colbert with yet another rerun of some sitcom you’ve never heard of?

That said, if I had to choose, I don’t think CBS will regret this choice. And Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers on ABC and NBC are probably next. The type of show just doesn’t have as much of a place, and the types of interviews that are done just don’t feel as important anymore.

But losing late night shows will mean losing a staple of American television. There’s something cool about seeing the studios that have had some of the biggest moments in our culture, going back to the mid 20th century when television was taking off. Seeing a part of our country’s culture decline is always sad to see, even if it winds up being the right business choice.