The many reasons we’re pumped for Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ debut

Fall TV can’t come fast enough. Fortunately, our fix starts tonight with Stephen Colbert’s Late Show debut! He’ll be taking over for David Letterman who, until the end of last season, had been hosting the late night staple since 1993. Needless to say with Colbert behind the desk, this is the dawn of a new era. And here are just a few of the reasons why we’re excited to see what Señor Colbert’s show will bring.

The variety of guests.
Tonight’s inaugural guests are George Clooney and Jeb Bush, two gents who give just a hint to the show’s range. Later in the week Colbert will welcome everyone from government figures (Joe Biden) to actors (Amy Schumer, Scarlett Johansson) to business masterminds (Elon Musk). Colbert made it clear that his show will largely be a fluff-free zone and that he isn’t afraid to invite a range of guests to discuss intelligent topics.

New segments!
David Letterman’s top 10 lists, Jimmy Fallon’s thank-you notes, Jimmy Kimmel’s Lie Witness News. Surely (hopefully) Colbert will be introducing his own original segments, giving us hilarious videos to re-watch the next day and discuss at the proverbial water cooler.

The show hasn’t even started and Colbert is already bringing the funny.
In anticipation of Jeb Bush’s appearance on the show tonight, the presidential candidate announced a contest to win a trip to the show’s taping for a $3 donation. Colbert fired back, stating that nobody cleared the idea with him and announcing a contest of his own: The Jeb Bush on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Raffle-Adjacent Experience at Omaze. We’re already in love.

Colbert is totally going to own it and make the show his own.
It’s probably a little daunting to share a time slot with the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, but Colbert isn’t worried — he simply isn’t here to recreate their shows. “I watch those shows. I mean, I like ‘em. But we’re here to compete with ourselves. We’re runners competing against our own time,” he told Rolling Stone. “You have to do what you want to do.”

Jon Batiste. And his melodica.
Bandleader Jon Batiste knows how to JAM, and it’s going down tonight. He’s the Questlove to your Jimmy Fallon; the Fred Armisen to your Seth Meyers. Batiste will be leading his band, Stay Human, and you can bet there will be frequent pied piper-style street flashmobs.

Colbert is just so genuinely happy about it.
Even though Colbert plays it cool on TV, he’s so super stoked about his new gig — and his excitement is contagious. “It gives me everything I want,” he said in an interview. “I was very proud of the show we had done, we’d had some success with it. If I was going to do another live show in front of an audience, taking over for Dave was the only thing that had a laurel wreath on it.” We love his genuine enthusiasm, and we can’t wait for him to breathe new life into the Late Show.

It’s time to meet the real Colbert . . . we think.
For months, the media has been repeating the phrase the real Stephen Colbert. We’ve been holding our breath to see just how much regular Colbert he’ll be, and how much of his Colbert personality he’ll bring to the gig. Only tonight will tell.

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[Featured image via Twitter]