The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air its final episode, ending two eras of network late-night television. The show began in 1993 under David Letterman after his departure from NBC, and he led it for 22 years before retiring. Stephen Colbert took over after rising to prominence on Comedy Central, including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and he hosted for 11 years. CBS announced cancellation in July, stating the decision was financial, even though the program held the best ratings among late-night talk shows for nine consecutive years. Many viewed the cancellation as politically motivated ahead of a major merger involving CBS’s parent company and Skydance. The show’s most memorable moments often connected to Donald Trump, alongside human-focused segments that viewers valued.
"This week marks the end of two distinctive eras of network television, as CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air its final episode. The show was created in 1993 by David Letterman after his controversial exit from NBC, and he held the reins for 22 years before retiring and turning the show over to Colbert, who had risen to prominence on Comedy Central as a member of The Daily Show, and then later host of his own political talkshow, The Colbert Report. Colbert's run on the Late Show would last 11 years."
"Last July, CBS shocked everyone by announcing the show's cancellation, with the final episode to air on 21 May. Although executives claimed the decision was purely financial even with Late Show holding the best ratings for any late-night talkshow for nine years running many saw it as a political gesture towards Donald Trump ahead of an $8bn merger between CBS's parent company, Paramount, and Skydance."
"An ignominious end to a modern television institution to be sure, but in its way, a fitting one, considering how so many of the most memorable moments of the show over the last 11 years are tied directly to Trump. At the same time, the show's viewers also cherished the human moments that Colbert undoubtedly the sincerest of all late-night talkshow hosts prioritized."
"In his second year as host of Late Show, Colbert undertook an ambitious project, covering both the 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions. Accompanied by his pet ferret Caligula and donning a purple wig a la Stanley Tucci's flamboyant television host from the Hunger Games movies, he gave us a glimpse into the even more dystopian inner workings of both parties. There are too many moments throughout The Hungry for Power Games to choose just one, but the wrap-up that aired after the conventions' end does a good job collecting the highlights."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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