David Letterman retiring

[quartermainefan]

Colbert is funny and has shown an ability to work well with guests. It's a good fit.

[VirginiaHamilton]

I couldn't agree more (though I will miss the Colber Repor). Can't wait to see what Tyrone has in store for me.

[JaneAusten]

CBS was never going to do anything radical like Chelsea Handler, although I think she's or she will be on a downward spiral. Someone like an Amy Poehler might have worked.

With that, I think Colbert is a good choice, although I wonder if some of his humor might be almost too highbrow. I see people find Jimmy Fallon funny and all he seems to do is giggle for an hour. And it's certainly far better than Jon Stewart.

[Mr. Vixen]

Blech.

[quartermainefan]

When I was young my mother loved the highbrow talkshows. Dick Cavett, Tom Snyder and David Susskind used to provide TV with actual conversation. It would be good if Colbert changed the show up slightly and brought on a more varied guest list. One of Johnny Carson's strengths was he would bring on people from all aspects of entertainment so you would get the occasional standards singer, the broadway singer, an opera singer, and so on. I hope Colbert goes back to that.

[BetterForgotten]

Anyone but Handler's unfunny ass, so I'm good.

[JaneAusten]

You can watch some of Dick Cavett's interviews on youtube. Really great stuff. Watch the one with Bette Davis, it's fabulous.

I think that timeslot in particular is tough because there is a wider audience that one has to appeal to. And I think those who do the later timeslot have an advantage, particularly a comic, like Ferguson, who can get away with edgier material.

Carson is irreplaceable IMO. No one to this day has matched his appeal. He had an elegance about him, yet was very unassuming and his humor understated and he had cross appeal. I actually think someone like Colbert has the potential to come the closest. I guess time will tell.

[Khan]

For once, I'm going to be positive. (Shocking, isn't it, lol?) I actually enjoy Stephen Colbert and think CBS made a good choice (even if I was sure they would've called Jon Stewart first). I'm actually looking forward to checking out his show when it premieres next year.

[Khan]

Poor Conan. I'm probably wrong for saying as much, but I feel his move to TBS was not a smart one.

[dragonflies]

+1

[Khan]

Many have complained over the years about David Letterman's increasingly cranky attitude...and now you can add me to the list. Don't get me wrong, I still heart the guy. "Late Night With David Letterman" will always -- ALWAYS -- rank among my most favorite shows. But I don't think it's any secret that he's always looked upon the CBS gig as a consolation prize for getting screwed out of "The Tonight Show." And what's REALLY sad, at least IMO, is that when it's all said and done, Leno will have the bigger name in the history books, not b/c he was better than Letterman (b/c, quite frankly, he wasn't), but b/c he just happened to host "The Tonight Show."

[Khan]

Frankly, after the one-two punch of Leno and Fallon -- not to mention, Jimmy "Helpin' My Family Get Work" Kimmel over on ABC -- I'll be happy to see a late-night host again who plays "up" to the audience. Conan still does, of course, but his show on TBS has become a long, sad reminder of the old "If a tree falls in the forest..." question.

[Khan]

Given how much we, as viewers, have dumbed ourselves down since Carson, I doubt THAT kind of late-night talk show ever will make a comeback (although, like you, I wish it would). I don't want to pin too many hopes on Colbert, though. I just want him to be entertaining, and smart, and above all else, NOT be another Jimmy Fallon. (I'm not kidding, Jesus.)

[DRW50]

I think he sort of had limited options.

The main concern I have with Colbert is how people will react to him being everyday Stephen Colbert. He's been playing a character for such a long time.

I imagine they will get a lot of heat over not picking a woman or a POC. Which I can understand (why they'd get heat for it), although I feel like they had limited options.

[Khan]

As much as I would have loved to see someone like Chris Rock take Letterman's chair, I knew CBS hiring a POC to fill that slot was never going to happen. We'll be lucky if one of "us" gets the post-Craig Ferguson slot.

And as for a woman replacing Letterman -- I'd have loved to have seen that happen as well. If I thought there was a woman out there who could have filled the spot w/o risking major audience defections. Chelsea Handler, for one, is too polarizing; Aisha Tyler doesn't "pop" (I hate that term, but what else can I say?); and Tina Fey, as funny as she is, is probably focused more right now on other endeavors.