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Stephen Colbert's Show Is Failing

JoeTrumps

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The New York Times has a lengthy report about what's going on at The Late Show on CBS since Stephen Colbert took over for David Letterman nearly a year ago. The Times's write-up bends over backwards to put a brave face on it, but Colbert's show thus far has been a pretty big failure. CBS just hired a new executive producer to fix the show, and the ratings aren't good.

The big mistake CBS made was assuming that the fact Colbert and Jon Stewart generated dedicated following among influential liberals would translate into a mass audience. On Comedy Central, Colbert had an audience of just over a million people a night. On Fox News, Bill O'Reilly—who Colbert was explicitly satirizing—averaged almost three times Colbert's audience. Yet, it seems nearly impossible to imagine a major network rolling the dice on giving a Fox News host a similarly high profile own show, even when their ability to draw eyeballs is demonstrably better.

Still, it's remarkable that the media establishment is such a liberal echo chamber that they seem mystified by the fact that a guy who forged his career mocking the mores and politics of half the country has yet to become a broadly popular television personality.

Stephen Colbert's Show Is Failing | The Weekly Standard


What always amazes me is people get paid millions of dollars to make these decisions, yet none could see this coming? If they had bought me lunch I could have told them this would be how it ended up. Goes to show what these TV execs know.
 
Stephen Colbert's Show Is Failing | The Weekly Standard


What always amazes me is people get paid millions of dollars to make these decisions, yet none could see this coming? If they had bought me lunch I could have told them this would be how it ended up. Goes to show what these TV execs know.

The big mistake your reference makes is this one: "The big mistake CBS made was assuming that the fact Colbert and Jon Stewart generated dedicated following among influential liberals would translate into a mass audience." The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is every bit as liberal, and Jimmy Kimmel isn't that far behind...and Seth Meyers on the Late Show is even more so. In other words, there's more than enough of a liberal audience to justify a liberal late night talk show host...but Colbert simply just isn't able to compete with the others, especially with Jimmy Fallon who, it turns out, is not just a very good talk show host, but is also a very talented performer.
 
Stephen Colbert's Show Is Failing | The Weekly Standard


What always amazes me is people get paid millions of dollars to make these decisions, yet none could see this coming? If they had bought me lunch I could have told them this would be how it ended up. Goes to show what these TV execs know.

Colbert's show is just really bad, and I'm not just saying that because I can't stand the guy. It's just the way it is put together sloppily. Not on the same level as Fallon, Kimmel, or even Conan.
 
Usually I question anything printed by the Weekly Standard, but in this case it appears changes have been made to help the ratings condition of the show. Including new Producers who have more decision making than Colbert himself. But I would not be so quick to say the show is over. Even though the show has become a love it or hate it condition, there is a chance changes will save the show.
 
Bring back the Colbert Report.

The late night show and every other show like it is boring and sucks ****.
 
Agreed. Steven needs to come back to Comedy Central, where he belongs.

right. that's like asking a starter for the New York Yankees to go play for a minor league team in Iowa. You look like a giant failure. can't see him ever doing that.
 
All anti-trumppers are failing..
 
The only Late night talk show that I can stand to watch is Conan O Brian's. That guy is hysterical!
 
Stephen Colbert's Show Is Failing | The Weekly Standard


What always amazes me is people get paid millions of dollars to make these decisions, yet none could see this coming? If they had bought me lunch I could have told them this would be how it ended up. Goes to show what these TV execs know.

It has nothing to do with a liberal audience.

Colbert was great because his point of view and satiric wit was so interesting , informative and biting. The format of the Colbert Report was unlike any show ever on television.

Then they took the guy and threw him in a cookie cutter late night format with a house band and a leader who was modeled on Doc Severinson, just less articulate.

Yuk.
 
It has nothing to do with a liberal audience.

Colbert was great because his point of view and satiric wit was so interesting , informative and biting. The format of the Colbert Report was unlike any show ever on television.

Then they took the guy and threw him in a cookie cutter late night format with a house band and a leader who was modeled on Doc Severinson, just less articulate.

Yuk.

That's my take. Too formulaic. Churning out old-school style and wonder why it isn't performing like new.
 
He should have never left Colbert Report, IMO.

He said he was done with that character. He was hating putting on that act every night and he said he was leaving the show before he was even offered Late Night.
 
He said he was done with that character. He was hating putting on that act every night and he said he was leaving the show before he was even offered Late Night.
Eh, I guess I just miss his show a lot, kinda like how I miss Jon Stewart.
 
Eh, I guess I just miss his show a lot, kinda like how I miss Jon Stewart.

Me too. Jon was a master interviewer. He handled his guests masterfully and with respect from presidents and dignitaries to other silly comedians. He could do all interviews well.
 
Me too. Jon was a master interviewer. He handled his guests masterfully and with respect from presidents and dignitaries to other silly comedians. He could do all interviews well.
Definitely. Jon Stewart was a legend. I'm trying to get into Trevor Noah, but idk I guess I just love Jon too much. I'm more into Jon Oliver's show right now, anyways.
 
the guys career is based in biased partisan politics... take that away from him and try to make him appeal to a wider audience than he's capable of, and , well.. it won't end well.... his failure is inevitable.

send him to HBO with John Oliver and Bill Maher.. he can do his overt politcal stuff and get along just fine.

alot of folks are bone tired of being inundated with political stuff and want a comedic break from it.... political comedians/satirists are incapable of giving them that break, while remaining funny/entertaining.

there's a world of comedians out there that could pull off the tonight show, and not have to rely on politics to be funny..... find one and hire them...send the politcal comedians packing to lesser stations where they are more welcome.
 
Definitely. Jon Stewart was a legend. I'm trying to get into Trevor Noah, but idk I guess I just love Jon too much. I'm more into Jon Oliver's show right now, anyways.

Jon Oliver is hilarious. I was hoping he'd have taken over for Jon Stewart when he left. Trevor is alright but too hit or miss. Some shows don't seem to be put together that well.
 
Definitely. Jon Steward was a legend. I'm trying to get into Trevor Noah, but idk I guess I just love Jon too much. I'm more into Jon Oliver's show right now, anyways.

I like John Oliver, when i'm in the mood for humor with a political agenda attached to it..... he's damn funny and curiously entertaining.

like many people, though, I get tired of politics being thrown at me from every angle, 24/7...
 
That's my take. Too formulaic. Churning out old-school style and wonder why it isn't performing like new.

yet, quite a few guys pull it off with ease, and remain successful at it.

it's not really the formula...it's the guy they are putting in the seat... he simply can't pull off the formula because his strength lies in being a political satirist appealing to a specific audience.

if i had my druthers, i'd like to see Louis CK get a shot... he's an actual comedian with a wide audience.( not sure how he would do with interviews, though... but i'm willing to tune into to find out)
 
Jon Oliver is hilarious. I was hoping he'd have taken over for Jon Stewart when he left. Trevor is alright but too hit or miss. Some shows don't seem to be put together that well.

Same here.

But check out Samantha Bee. It's almost as good as John Oliver.

I really didn't like her much on the Daily Show, actually, but her New show is great- better than Trevor Noah and Larry Wilmore. It's just on at an odd time.
 
yet, quite a few guys pull it off with ease, and remain successful at it.

it's not really the formula...it's the guy they are putting in the seat... he simply can't pull off the formula because his strength lies in being a political satirist appealing to a specific audience.

if i had my druthers, i'd like to see Louis CK get a shot... he's an actual comedian with a wide audience.( not sure how he would do with interviews, though... but i'm willing to tune into to find out)

Louis CK is great. Don't know how well he'd do in a censored role because his strengths are with going all out against common-place sensibilities.
 
Same here.

But check out Samantha Bee. It's almost as good as John Oliver.

I really didn't like her much on the Daily Show, actually, but her New show is great- better than Trevor Noah and Larry Wilmore. It's just on at an odd time.

I like her. She needs some maturing on her show though. She doesn't have a desk so she needs to watch her body language. She does this lean forward thing in her delivery that, to me, comes off kind of preachy. That can be funny on occasion but if you don't give it a rest once in a while it becomes annoying. To me at least.

Her husbands show "The Detour" is absolutely hilarious.
 
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