It almost feels like a distant memory, but there was a time when people were worried that Stephen Colbert might have been a mistake when chosen to take over The Late Show for David Letterman. In similar fashion to The Tonight Show, there was also a time when people worried about Jimmy Fallon’s leadership chops in being able to take over for Jay Leno. Fallon’s first few months of the show were marred by mixed reviews as he was trying to find his late night style and win over audiences. Through time Fallon has proven he’s more than capable in the late night spot and has been leading the ratings for a while now.
But Colbert is finally catching up, and catching on. It appears he’s taken to the role of late night show host and removed himself from his comedic sketch style of The Colbert Report and his correspondent days on The Daily Show. According to Cinema Blend
With his history as a faux-publican talking head on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert knows how to handle the political landscape, and the ruckus-filled election season and its aftermath have apparently been working well for CBS’ late night mainstay. During inauguration week, from January 16-20, The Late Show averaged a total viewership of 2.84 million, which trailed Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show by just 8,000 people. The demo rating battle was less neck-and-neck, with Colbert earning a 0.5 rating in adults 18-49, while Fallon got 0.73. Still, the week was the closest that the CBS series came to the NBC stalwart in the numbers since its premiere week.
Also, behind the scenes, CBS This Morning‘s Chris Licht was tapped as a showrunner to guide the show through some creative changes. Looks like that move paid off. And one more X factor. While Donald Trump’s victory in the election might not have been to Colbert’s political liking, he’s got material for the next four years and he’ll be leading the political comedy charge during this entire administration.
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