The world of leisure can usually be as cyclical as anything in life, however I don’t simply imply within the sense of countless reboots and revivals. The film and TV fanatics of previous generations are sometimes those who innovate these artforms essentially the most after they come of age, whether or not it includes gory indie horror, late night time discuss present comedy, and all the pieces in between. In that method, Final Week Tonight host John Oliver is maybe most mournful about CBS cancelling The Late Present with Stephen Colbert.
Talking with THR, the multi-Emmy winner addressed his perception that Final Week Tonight’s previous awards success — it earned six noms for the upcoming 2025 Emmy Awards — has performed a giant half in convincing HBO and mum or dad firm WBD to maintain the satirical collection going for this lengthy, regardless of its subject material being as topical and doubtlessly controversial as something coated in broadcast’s discuss exhibits. (The shortage of promoting additionally helps.) When requested about his private worries relating to community TV’s late night time future, Oliver mentioned:
Yeah, it’s always evolving. What’s occurred to The Late Present is extremely unhappy for comedy and, clearly, for the employees in that constructing. It actually resonated with me when Stephen mentioned he hoped at hand this present over to another person. You hope that the franchise lives on partly as a result of there are generations of youngsters watching these exhibits and deciding, ‘Perhaps I’d prefer to be a comedy author,’ after which perhaps writing on that present.
That’s a response that, ideally, ought to communicate to each those that agree with and disagree with CBS’ determination to axe The Late Present as a present of religion for Skydance’s merger with Paramount, even when the corporate blamed monetary failings because the core purpose. Whether or not one likes or agrees with the fabric or not, the thought of youthful viewers being creatively impressed by one thing needs to be a optimistic to anybody.
It’s not possible to disregard the impact that stalwart TV comedians like Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and extra have had on youthful generations of comedians and writers. Oliver voiced his hope for that cycle of affect to proceed on, even when it received’t be the identical.
So, simply as there are Colbert writers that watched Letterman, there shall be future writers that watched Colbert, and also you need that to proceed. I’m positive it’ll discover a solution to exist in some type, we simply don’t but know precisely what that’s going to appear like for community tv.
In the intervening time, solely The Late Present goes away, and never till the center of 2026. But it surely’ nonetheless comes throughout as one thing of a doomsday omen for the format, particularly after CBS already removed The Late Late Present when James Corden left, and axed After Midnight as soon as Taylor Tomlinson bowed out.
As of this second, NBC’s Tonight Present and Late Evening are protected, however each exhibits made financially motivated cutbacks in 2024 that probably will not be the final such modifications earlier than each hosts’ contracts expire. Jimmy Kimmel can even seemingly be round for a number of extra years, however one can solely think about that the President’s impression on current occasions will gasoline his urge to retire much more.
As such, it is laborious to foretell what the late night time hours will appear like for broadcast community within the subsequent 5-10 years. I would not be too stunned if at the least one community makes an attempt to create an A.I. host that simply runs countless viral web clips.
John Oliver additionally voiced his disagreement with for Jay Leno’s tackle political comedy in late night time, after the previous Tonight Present host disparaged exhibits and hosts for skewing partisan reasonably than making an attempt to appease as many viewers members as potential.
Final Week Tonight airs Sunday. nights on HBO at 11:00 p.m. ET.