Late
Night Talk Shows
By Disco
Stu - Editor in Chief : Issue 1, Vol. I
Late
night talk shows are one of the oldest forms of
televised entertainment. Just over a decade ago
NBC had a clear monopoly on the late night market
with the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late
Night with David Letterman. After Letterman left
to go to CBS, however, NBC had to play catch-up with their new hosts Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien.
In addition, cable networks added extra
competition with the formation of the Daily Show
with Craig Kilborn (who was later replaced by Jon
Stewart when Kilborn left to go to CBS). But
after years of jockeying for respect there's one
clear winner of The Best Late Night Talk Show on
television. Here's how they rank...
 5. The
Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
Details:
12:35 AM - 1:35 AM | CBS
His
Schtick: Read from the cue cards
Monologue:
5 minutes, plus 10 minutes of "News" a
la the Daily Show (6 out of 10)
Sketches:
um...sketches? (5 out of 10)
Guests:
Occasionally gets good guests...chalk it up to
good location. (7.5 out of 10)
Pros:
Five Questions has always been interesting (and
yet another thing which he brought over from his
days in the Daily Show). He's a solid interviewer,
though most of the credit should go to the guests.
Cons:
He's not that funny. He doesn't have any
diversionary skits like the rest of the late
night shows...that, and he sucks. He's so lonely.
SCORE: 6 out of 10. Go play some basketball, Mr. Kilborn.
 4. The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Details: 11:35 PM -
12:35 AM | NBC
His
Schtick: No Frills Stand Up Comedy Guy
Monologue:
A blistering 15 minutes each night. Mostly
political and entertainment jokes. (7 out of 10)
Sketches:
His sketches are NOT funny, period. 67 out of 10)
Guests:
Leno gets the best guest of any talk show out
there. (9 out of 10)
Pros:
He's got lots going for him: great guests, good
ratings, etc. He's got solid interviewing
techniques, that could be smoothed out though.
Cons:
He's too "stand-up." There's no
spontaneity in him. Celebrities don't go there to
talk, but only to hock their wares.
SCORE: 7 out of 10. He's no Johnny.
 3. The
Late Show with David Letterman
Details:
11:35 PM - 12:35 AM | CBS
His
Schtick: Sarcasm and Not Caring
Monologue:
8 to 10 minutes of standard monologue stuff (7
out of 10)
Sketches:
They're not really sketches, though diversions
would be a better word. It's still good though. (8
out of 10)
Guests:
Since he's in New York, celebrities find it
harder to make regular visits. Not quite as solid
as Leno's guests, though regulars include Dana Carvey, Julia Roberts, and Jerry
Seinfeld. (8.5
out of 10)
Pros:
Letterman's been around for a while so we've all
gotten used to him. He's made a living making
people laugh by annoying others. His band leader,
Paul Schaeffer and his announcer, Alan Kalter,
also make the show better.
Cons:
After almost 20 years of doing this for a living,
he doesn't seem fresh on occasions.
SCORE:
8 out of 10. Still better than Leno.
2. The
Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Details:
11:00 PM - 11:30 PM | Comedy Central
His
Schtick: Sarcasm
Monologue:
None. Instead, he does "News." (8.5 out
of 10)
Sketches:
They're more like news stories, though they are
completely parodied. (8.5 out of 10)
Guests:
Only one guest a night, but still solid. (7.5 out
of 10)
Pros:
Letterman almost tied the Daily Show for second
place, but I had to give the edge to "Daily"
only because it's more original. It follows the
format of a normal news show, but it totally
makes fun of the media. More people should start
watching this show.
Cons:
Not much, though half-an-hour doesn't seem enough
for this great show.
SCORE:
8.5 out of 10. The most innovative thing out
there.
 1. Late
Night with Conan O'Brien
Details: 12:35 AM -
1:35 AM | NBC
His
Schtick: Self-Deprecating humor
Monologue:
3-5 jokes, about 5 to 10 minutes (Grade: 8.5 out
of 10)
Sketches:
Funny as hell. Appearances from Pimpbot 5000,
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Bill Clinton are
hilarious. (9 out of 10)
Guests:
He's in New York with a later time slot so his
guests aren't always "A List." (8 out
of 10)
Pros:
Conan seems like a genuinely nice guy. His show
is spontaneous, which is great when you're trying
to do humor. His skits which appear during the
shows is definitely the show's strong point.
Cons:
Andy's gone. Plus, they're gonna lose Clinton at
the end of the year. Could use better guests.
SCORE:
9 out of 10. The Best Late Night Talk Show on TV.
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