The most-asked question I'm getting about the Letterman/Colbert handoff is "Why not Jon Stewart?" I think there are a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they probably knew he didn't want it. He has a little empire built at Comedy Central and he's doing a show he obviously loves. More importantly, I don't think The Daily Show leaves much of Stewart's talents untapped, whereas The Colbert Report was always just one thing that Colbert did using some of his skills. Colbert can sing and dance and do a wider range of characters than his pompous Fox News parody.
If I were the guy at CBS making the pick, I'd pick Colbert over Stewart. I think Colbert has potentially broader appeal and would be more comfy with a pure, non-political show biz environment; not that his Late Show won't have on political guests but I think he'd function better when it doesn't, which will be most of the time. I think the world of Stewart as a talented, smart man but where he is now seems like a perfect fit, whereas Colbert has other places to go.
Jon Stewart, by the way, has figured into CBS's late night plans in the past. For a time, he was under contract as a possible 12:30 guy to follow Dave whenever Tom Snyder abdicated. He was signed in a move which many viewed as a tactic to keep him off the market, lest he go somewhere else and compete with Dave, but all that came of it was him occasionally guest-hosting for Snyder. Later, when there was that brief period in which Letterman was threatening to leave CBS and go to ABC, CBS had some sort of contingency deal to have Stewart replace Dave should a replacement be necessary. But from all indications, Jon's perfectly happy where he is right now.
The other question I'm getting a lot has to do with Conservative outrage about the Colbert selection and Rush Limbaugh saying, "CBS has just declared war on the heart of America. No longer is comedy going to be a covert assault on traditional American values. No, it's just wide out in the open." Which does raise the question of whether a certain kind of person in this country is going to ever stop responding when someone like Limbaugh tells them they're being victimized and threatened and their whole way of life and belief system is moments away from total destruction.
It also raises the question, asked by many, if any Conservatives were considered for the job. Actually, I don't think anyone but Stephen Colbert was considered…but is there anyone who has the credentials as a TV host and comedian who would have pleased the Limbaugh mob? It's been some time since the last in a long string of flop Dennis Miller Shows. Even Fox News hasn't tried giving him one lately.
I'm sure there are unknowns or little-knowns who could handle it or think they could. (Every time one of these slots comes open, I'm amazed at the number of comedians that no one has wanted to hire for any TV show for years, even on the smallest cable channel…but they feel they deserved equal consideration for the top job.) I don't think there's anyone out there with any experience and track record who falls into that category. If there were, Rupert Murdoch could make one phone call and put that person on the air…and he hasn't.