Several websites like this one are reporting that Craig Ferguson's replacement as host of CBS's Late, Late Show will be British star James Corden. I'm surprised even though I said here, "It…wouldn't surprise me if they went with someone who hasn't been mentioned on any of the 'Who'll Succeed Craig Ferguson?' lists. After all, Craig Ferguson wasn't on the 'Who'll Succeed Craig Kilborn?' lists."
The rumor mill, which has been wrong a lot about the filling of this vacancy, says that quite a few others were approached before they settled on Mr. Corden. This is, assuming they have settled on Mr. Corden. It doesn't feel official to me until Bill Carter announces it.
Speaking of Mr. Carter, who covers this beat for the New York Times, in an article about Stephen Colbert taking over Mr. Letterman's time slot, he had this to say…
CBS has not set a date yet for Mr. Letterman's exit, or Mr. Colbert's first night. But there will need to be a hiatus between the two — most likely for several months — as Mr. Colbert installs a new set to the theater and his staff moves in to old Letterman offices. The most likely plan is a farewell to Mr. Letterman at the end of May, with a September premiere for Mr. Colbert.
I am baffled by several things here, starting with the fact that Colbert leaves his Comedy Central show on December 17 of this year. Even if he starts on CBS on September 7, 2015 (the first Monday of that month), that would mean he'd be off regular television for 37 weeks. That's more than enough time to organize a new talk show and remodel the studio…but it's also more than enough time to lose a lot of one's popularity with the public and general momentum —
— especially if (and this leads us to another thing that baffles me) CBS fills the intervening 14 weeks with audience-losing filler programming. What is CBS going to put in that slot for all that time? Letterman reruns? Dave might not be leaving if there was more of an audience for Letterman reruns.
Getting back to James Corden, and still assuming it'll be James Corden, I have no opinion of how he'll do. I'll just say that he seems as unlikely a choice as Craig Ferguson was and Craig Ferguson worked out fine. Then again, he's also as unlikely a choice as Piers Morgan was to take over for Larry King…