Never mind that silly presidential election. Someone at Nate Silver's site has finally done a survey on a matter of true importance: Guests on late night talk shows. The occasion that triggered this was the 100th episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
It shows that Colbert is not booking quite the same kinds of guests as either Jimmy on a competing channel…and good for him. I happen to like Colbert's show a lot. I think he's a much better interviewer than anyone else currently doing that kind of program and his comedy spots are strong enough that I don't miss his old show on Comedy Central too much. He also seems to be enjoying himself…which you might think is a silly quality but I think it's one of the main reasons that Jimmy Fallon is doing so well and why Mr. Leno bested Mr. Letterman for such a long time.
Not that I like everything about Colbert's show. It may not be his fault that studio audiences now believe their job is to overcheer everything and chant the host's name and give everyone and everything a standing ovation…but I'll bet he could do more to dial that back. I also expected him to do more to monkey with talk show conventions and format, and the physical bits he does — like a guest teaching him to dance or cook — all have that well-rehearsed air that all talk shows now have.
The Legendary Carson used to at least partially wing those and trust in his own ability to ad-lib if things went wrong. Then it became S.O.P. in the Letterman-Leno years that the host must never be surprised in any way, even though both Dave and Jay could probably have handled anything that did not go as planned. I'll bet Colbert could too but his show doesn't take enough of a chance in those directions.
The ratings are OK. CBS is probably quite happy with what they're getting, which is roughly a neck-and-neck finish with Jimmy Kimmel. They'd be happier, as would ABC, if their guy was more competitive with Fallon, who is out-and-away in the lead…but that doesn't seem to changing any time soon. CBS has got to be pretty pleased with James Corden as well so we have some long-range stability in late night. I guess for some, that makes it less fun.