5 Things We Hope Stephen Colbert Brings to ‘The Late Show’
Thursday just got a whole lot better! CBS announced earlier today that Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman on The Late Show in 2015. AWESOME! While some might be skeptical of his transition from a cable network to network TV, we’ve got high hopes for what he’ll bring to the late night lineup.
Here are 5 things we hope Stephen brings to The Late Show next year:
1. His biting political and social satire
Of course he’ll need to tone it down for CBS, but what we all love about The Colbert Report is Colbert’s ability to make hilarious – and often times uncomfortably true – observations about our culture. Of course we can’t expect him to push the envelope quite as far when he takes to the Late Night desk, but we’re sure he’ll find a way to slip in some of his trademark quips.
2. The Word
One of the most popular segments on The Colbert Report, “The Word” is a parody of The O’Reilly Factor‘s own feature, “Talking Points Memo,” and contains some of Colbert’s funniest and most cutting rants on news items that are infuriating and/or ridiculous. This has to come to Late Night – it’d be a shame to lose it!
3. His friendship with Jon Stewart
It’s easy for Colbert and Jon Stewart to frequently appear on one another’s shows since they’re both on Comedy Central and film in the same studio. Considering Colbert’s start on The Daily Show, it’s great to see their friendship continue, and hopefully it’ll also carry over to Colbert’s transition to CBS. A cross-network bromance has even more potential for hilarity, so let’s make it happen!
4. Interesting interviews
While late night TV is all about the celebrity appearances (and The Colbert Report itself has had its share of them), Colbert has also showed investment and interest in shedding light on more atypical public figures like authors, scientists and philosophers. I’ve certainly gained a lot of knowledge and have been exposed to a number of fascinating “celebrities” when watching The Colbert Report, so hopefully he can find a healthy balance once he makes the switch.
5. A change of pace
While David Letterman is a total legend and will be greatly missed, it’s important for the late night line-up to be shaken up to keep things fresh. Colbert is at the height of his career and has such a unique approach to his comedic material that he could be just what we need to breathe new life into the longstanding institution that is Late Show.
