Jerry K. writes to ask…
What do you think the chances are that Stephen Colbert will take the crown away from Jimmy Fallon as current King of Late Night?
It wouldn't surprise me but increasingly, that's becoming a pointless honor. What's the criteria? Highest overall ratings? Highest ratings in the key demographic? Most profitable show? Longest running show? Most awards? Most videos gone viral? We may well see Colbert, Fallon and Kimmel each "win" one or more of those distinctions and in the end, what does it matter?
It's probably the case now that all three shows are making money and none of them is in any danger of being canceled. Remember in the "Late Night Wars," Leno didn't knock Letterman off the air and Letterman didn't knock Leno off, nor was there a moment when either of those fatalities was possible. Ultimately, they were both knocked off by the passage of time.
If you want to pick your fave and root for him to "win" in any of the above ways, fine. I don't think it matters much. (Well, it never really did. It just matters even less now.)