When James Corden exits The Late Late Show next year, CBS might not be going the traditional route to replace the late night host. According to a new report, the network is eyeing a “multi-host panel” when Corden ends what will be an eight-year run in 2023. As late night viewers tend to mostly watch clips online the following day, CBS is hoping to tap into the audience who’s going to bed at a reasonable hour.
Via Variety:
People familiar with the matter suggest CBS is mindful of having the new show’s production costs align with the new ways people are watching late-night TV. Producers of the shows often find themselves focusing more intently on feedback from social media users, who pass around clips from the previous evening’s programs and watch them on Twitter or YouTube. In some views, the big late-night shows remains tied to some of TV’s earliest traditions and may not be as relevant to an audience that often watches comedy clips on phones and tablets.
The Late Late Show may also forgo a live band “or other trappings that have come to be expected from the format.” If all of this sounds like CBS doesn’t know what the heck it’s going to do when Corden leaves, that’s also true. Insiders say all of these ideas are being tossed around with nothing set in stone. However, as Variety notes, the multi-panel approach would offer CBS the opportunity to feature several, more diverse personalities rather than having a permanent host, which, traditionally, have been white men à la Corden, Colbert, Kimmel, etc.
Of course, this does raise the important question of how you’re going to fit a whole bunch of hosts inside a fighter jet piloted by Tom Cruise. Maybe some of them could hang onto the wing? Or, no, wait, be strapped underneath them like missiles. BOOM. Nailed it.
(Via Variety)