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Is Colbert a good choice to replace Letterman?

Jon Gordon April 10, 2014, 11:34 AM Apr 10, 2014

Comedian Stephen Colbert performs at the Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall on October 30, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Will McNamee, Getty Images)

CBS has named Stephen Colbert to succeed David Letterman as host of “The Late Show.”

Today’s Question: Is Colbert a good choice to replace Letterman?

About the blogger

Jon Gordon

jgordon@mpr.org • @jongordon • 1-651-290-1024

Jon Gordon was the director of digital news for MPR News.

Joe

I would imagine he might have to shed his hilarious Bill O’Reilly caricature, but he’s been doing that for a while I suppose.

John

Not sure I have seen much of him out of character to know. The “Colbert Report” is all scripted and brilliantly improvised character work and from what I recall, much of his “Daily Show” stuff was as well. Very smart, very good at that character, though.

San Pablo Juan

Colbert is a good interviewer, smart, and quick witted. I think he’ll do fine. I’m interested in how he’ll make the transition from his current persona — a parody of talk show hosts to being an actual talk show host.

Its a great move for him. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of the truth telling he does on the Report dies with the move to the network. Also, It will be curious to see how he handles having more than enough time. Part of the success of the Report is the rapid pace and energy.

Erik

Well, you pretty much just said it all perfectly.

Joe

Truth-telling? That’s a bit of a stretch, he likes to poke fun at Fox News by parroting their funnier segments with an ironic mirror to make a salient enoguh point that is often funny, and this exhibits “truthiness”, but it isn’t truth-telling. Sadly, probably more intellectually honest than any of the cable news networks, yet The Colbert Report is owned by Viacom, the same network as CBS programming.

I wanna be elucidated

I’ve been hearing the honesty word my whole life, but only in the last couple years has ‘intellectual honesty’ been making itself known to me. Is this just another adverb or can you share the difference if there is one?

Joe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honesty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_honesty
hope this helps
James

He may be great. He may suck. Now that Jimmy Fallon has replaced Jay Leno, and we have choice again, it doesn’t really matter.
George

Major loss for political satire.
PajulJ

He’s got Johnny’s subservience but not the compensating intolerance. Maybe his ability to prepare will make up for the difference.
Ben

I hope he gets to keep doing his ‘the word’ segment.
Gary F

Colbert will have to compete with Stewart to be the main place where young people today get their political news.

I don’t watch any of the late night shows, so, no big deal.

Yawwnnnn.
- Joe
  
  Will the Late Show be shifting to the 10PM time slot once Colbert joins? It’s the only way Colbert and Stewart will be direct competitors in your shoehorned “kids these days” scenario.