We’ve been going over this for weeks. Stephen Colbert and his Late Show is now the ratings leader over Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show. Want some stats? Here they are for the first quarter of 2017. According to a report from Variety, The Late Show outdrew The Tonight Show by an average rate of 3.29 million viewers to 3.02 viewers, marking the first time CBS has defeated NBC in the slot during the first quarter since 2010. Colbert’s success is likely driven by interest in his famed political humor in the climate of Trump’s presidency, which admittedly offers a nonstop supply of subject material for jokes. However, despite the uptick, Colbert was still defeated by Fallon in the crucial 18-49 demographic, scoring a .8 to Fallon’s 1.0.
So let’s talk about how little I and you should care about this. It’s not like Colbert doubled Fallon. It’s not as if Fallon’s viewership went into the sewer folks. We’re talking about an uptick because of politics. I haven’t heard any rumors that Jimmy Fallon is clamoring for his job. The only thing I’ve heard is that he’s facing more pressure to be political. To that I say, “don’t do it.” Both of these guys are great late night hosts who bring their own special personality to each show. I know it’s easy to say as a fan, but don’t cater to the ratings or the numbers, especially when the numbers are already there.
If Jimmy Fallon were getting 500K viewers a night, then yeah, there should be cause for concern. But I never understood this whole “Late Night Wars” thing. The only war this is between is the executives at the networks. Everyone on board is making millions. Just be happy with that and let us watch these guys make us laugh!
Follow Us
