User reviews

Well, after 3 shows that were quite disappointing, it's clear that (i) Colbert is a fantastic host but (ii) being on CBS basically kills his potential.

This new show is passable, barely saved by Colbert's talent but offers pretty much no fun and no depth. In a nutshell, it's just another bland network TV show without much interest.

The inability to bring the best of the best TV host in the US on CBS demonstrates why it is way overdue that network TV shall disappear and cable shall take over. HBO has done it for TV and movies, Comedy central demonstrated it in reverse by letting Stephen Colbert go and lose most of his potential.

Stephen, please come back to cable and do what you do best instead of losing your soul and wasting your potential on CBS.

I have been an avid fan of Stephen since 2009, which says a lot about how much i like him, considering i am not an American. In fact, here in Greece the Colbert phenomenon is virtually unknown and only very few take the time to observe the late night scene where Stephen reigned supreme (ok, maybe along with Jon Stewart). Still, personally i always found his kind of satire being cutting edge and bold, and could always discern the intelligence and warmth behind the facade of the conservative pundit. Sadly what i saw these last two days (after months of waiting anxiously for the show) was not what Stephen really deserves. All this prancing around, the constant smiling without apparent reason, the extremely safe style of humor, the really inconsequential questions...all these just are not what Stephen is. Fallon or Conan(two people who i also like for different reasons) can do that, Stephen should maintain his unique style and avoid becoming one of the plenty. He doesn't need to pretend being a conservative, he just has to remain classy and dangerously smart. The only segments where the Stephen we love broke through, were Trump's critique and some parts of the Clooney and Bush interviews. Maybe he fears CBS or the "variety" character of the show are not appropriate for what he did so far, but i honestly believe that CBS should accommodate his style and not vice versa. I say all this with sincere care and choose to avoid rush judgment and vote based on what i hope the show will finally be when Stephen gets his balance back, as i am sure he will. Please consider this more of a friendly comment rather than any kind of judgmental rant. Until then Stephen, we will all be watching, supporting and hoping for the best!

Colbert and his writers are spot on and hilarious. The show just gets funnier and funnier. It is sad that people come here to flame the show with one star reviews when it is quite clear that they don't watch it and simply disagree with its point of view. It is a welcome and winning combination of humor, humanity, and satire. The "Meanwhile" segments are great, as are Jon Batiste's music and side commentary.

Love this show. It's killing in the ratings. Its critics sure complain a lot for people who are "winning" so much!

Stephen, after ending his show on comedy central, made a very strong opening on the Late Show. Although the first day wasn't perfect (even near-perfect beings like Colbert, can't be perfect), he has slowly started to get a good routine going on the following episodes. Although it might take time for him to completely get used to his new "genuine" character, Colbert has come out strong. He is moving with him my entire generation and with him we carry a similar vision; this is, by far, the greatest reason Colbert will work hard to make this show just as successful as his "Colbert Report." It is no small feat that Colbert has followed the footsteps of Stewart and carried with him the torch of my generation. We sometimes feel lost and unheard, but through Colbert (and Stewart) we felt a strong voice; both of them have made some very meaningful things happen and now Colbert is carrying on this legacy. I, like many in my age group, have never been interested in talk- shows, so Colbert is bringing with him a brand new set of audience. He might just as well be the person needed to bring back decent television and save us from the superficial, materialistic stuff that's on most TV today.

There's a reason why late-night talk shows are still popular. There's nothing like finally kicking back after a long day and watching something that makes you laugh. Especially when you can laugh about all of the things going on in the world that sometimes make you want to just sit in a corner and cry.

Stephen Colbert and his team have forged a strong replacement for the long-running, and well-loved Late Show with David Letterman. It's a good mix of edgy humor, irreverence, goofiness, and some very serious topics. colbert does a good interview - he never comes across as jaded, and always interested in what his guest have to say.

It's definitely a good antidote for a long day.

Great selection of guests and skits. His interaction with his guests make the show funny, informative and entertaining.

I'm from the old late night school liking Carson and Leno and even putting up with Letterman and now my favorite is Fallon however from time to time I tune to "CBS" if Colbert has a good guest. And true he is a pretty good interviewer and talker and can be funny, his show is to much of a spin and political satire. His jokes and skits are often crude and rude somewhat of a mock style as his take and spin on the world is a very negative view of Trump. Still he has guts and courage and isn't scared to speak his mind as it's a clear view Stephen is a die hard liberal. So if your up give it a watch for the latest spin on political news and if you want a good laugh watch "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" it will entertain, educate, and inform you!

This is, what? Show number 7 so far? Way too soon to form an opinion, but what I can say is, Stephen Colbert has something unique that cannot be mimicked by other late night hosts, even if they wanted to. Watch the Cruz interview. You can't do what Colbert did there unless you have something special deeply ingrained in you. I have been happy with Colbert's stewardship of The Late Show. He retains the sharp wit and intelligence from his previous show without the fake character. If anything, he needs to discard the old character a little more, as I am sure he is aware. Baptiste is kind of annoying and so is Stephen's show intros where he announces who the guests will be against a cartoonish graphic. The interactions between Colbert and Baptiste seem stilted and awkward. The show is solid and gaining traction rapidly. I just hope the corporate network doesn't get scared by what seems to be a bit of political polarization.

Colbert is becoming less funny .. and more preachy. Perhaps he's going Al Franken route. At any rate, I've watched CR religiously. It was the best comedy on TV. This one, i'm soon going to stop watching

It is amazing that Stephen "Tyrone" is still on the air. Gone are the days of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show where you had guests that represented all sides of the political spectrum, not just ONE particular viewpoint or persuasion.

Gone also is the good-natured sense of humor and self-deprecating willingness to laugh at your own expense. Seinfeld was like that, but granted it was a sitcom, not a guest format live program.

Unfortunately, it seems that most shows are in business to force their political beliefs down your throat while saying the most vile and often untrue statements about people with whom they do not agree. In that regard, Colbert is just another liberal hack and political mouthpiece, like Kimmel and a few others, especially The View, which should have had its demise years ago, except when a level-headed Barbara Walters was at the helm.

I wish Conan, Leno and Letterman were back on the air. I will just look for their clips on YouTube when I want to watch a good-natured and truly entertaining era of television, especially when Norm MacDonald was a guest.

Speaking truth to power with the sharpest of wit, ok Trump is a dream come true in terms of a comedic material, but it's all about the delivery. A legend of a personality and an entertaining intelligence, he bounces well off his high calibre guests too. Thank you Stephen Colbert, please keep it up!

Just some ideas you might be able to use:

If I were Trumps lawyers, I have no doubt I could get him off scot free. I would simply plead for him "Not guilty by reason of insanity." I have no doubt I could win the case for him because the evidence is abundant and provable. His niece's book "Too Much and Never Enough" would be one major source of information. I believe your writers could create a major skit of a mock trial based on said theme.

Another mock trial you could stage would be to try him for being a foreign (perhaps Russian) agent.

If I had your platform, I could really have some fun -- or I might end up in prison. ?? :(

Sincerely, One of your many viewers, An old retired college professor

P. S. In case you happen to use one of my ideas, Please let me know because I would not want to miss it. At 84 years of age, I do not always stay up late enough to see your show.

Your system says I did not use enough characters. It says I Need to use at least 150 characters. This has to be a record -- My notes have NEVER been accused of being too short. At least this should make up for the deficiency.

Just another tool of the machine. Spewing the same far left dribble as most mainstream media. Biden, Fauci, vaccines, Democrats = Good. DeSantis/Trump, Republicans, freedom of speech/thought = Bad. I thought this was supposed to be a late night comedy show, not a platform for the machine to push their far left agenda? There isn't a single original thought in the entire series since Colbert took over. It's just the same biased, far left, lets divide the country, word vomit you'll find on MSNBC or The View. Let's go back to the days when late night talk shows were there to make you laugh, unlike now where they promote divisive hate.

I would not give him a 10, if he wasn't getting a 7,9 so far. But his last couple of shows where really good. He started of a little flat - but I think he is becoming better and better since the last couple of shows.

I see that most reviews that rate the show as lost potential (whatever the show will become... NO ONE can deny: Colbert is talented and smart as s**t!) are very early looks upon the show. I will just put these in the category of frustrated fans, and give him some time - but after the last couple of shows the reviews are just unfair - the dates show that some reviewers gave this guy 3-4 days before they judged.

He is in a new role - although it seems similar - he is human and made a show that was the perfect fit for 9 years! He will have to find activity bits that suit him, a rhythm in his approach to his guests as his "new" self, find a balance between sarcasm, sincereness, smart talks and maybe find that certain thing that will complete the experience.

I would say in general Colbert has gotten better and better in whatever he made. That also is a fact (also people of that generation are often late bloomers ;-). So I can just repeat myself: If CBS is not full of total retards and they let themselves be influenced by Colberts' genius, I think that the show has the potential to become THE best tonight show that you have ever seen. The last couple of shows had glimpses and hints in that direction: Joe Biden Interview, Pope Francis Show, Elizabeth Warren Interview.

Admitted a lot of bits still seem awkward and constructed (e.g. Stephen Curry Shootout), but if he gains backbone and comfort with time and influences the writing and ideas of the show with the right people I think he can get somewhere with this. Maybe even something great.

Due too what I owe this guy in joyful and interesting moments, he gets' a 10/10 from me until I am sure I am wrong and to counter the bad reviews he got so far. I hope I am not - although I am not the easy to convince type of guy and the place Mr. Colbert has in my heart is not written in stone. Well, I am after all German ;-)

PS.: John Batiste also still seems a bit awkward and not that comfortable and fit for his position. His answers are not that quick-witted and he seems a bit unprofessional at times (e.g. Duett with Stephen at the pope special) - plus his band seems a bit clowny sometimes - but it seems they have growing potential, too - although I am not sure in Colberts' category.

I watch the 5-10 mins of monologues that get posted to YouTube regularly and love many of them. Always looking forward to the next one. Stephen is brill. I don't engage with the rest of the show - the music and interviews. Good stuff

These reviews saying that the show isn't funny and that Colbert is a shill just show that these people aren't watching the show, they just don't agree with Colbert so they give the show a bad review. If you actually watched the show or follow the news, you are going to laugh and learn every time you tune in. As someone who didn't like the Late Show when Colbert first took over, it has gotten SO GOOD. In fact, it's gotten so good, he dethroned Fallon as #1 in ratings for almost 2 months straight now!

Colbert held a vigil the day after the election and he's still holding one. No substance whatsoever, just 30 minutes of complaining about the right. More bearable than Samantha Bee but just barely.

Please Colbert, you need a great comedian like Stewart to hold your hand. Otherwise, you sound like an angry child.

CBS has really messed up. Putting the show into a side box while running commercials is NOT show time. We only get to see the band play for a few seconds at a time. The segments are shorter. And there are more repeat shows, used to tape early so we had a new show on Fridays.

The censors are ridiculous. What is the point of leaving in a joke if it's censored so much the TV audience is left out of the joke.

Stephen is still amazing and is the only reason I record the thing to watch the next day.

CBS is doing these changes all over their network, losing me as a viewer on many shows. Ridiculous.

I had to write a review for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, because I am appalled by the number of negative reviews here.

Colbert is one of the very few late night show hosts whose monologues I click immediately. He is hilarious, but not offensive, and his interactions with guests are natural and funny as well, unlike some other hosts. In response to other reviewers that say he talks about Trump too much, the thing is, Colbert still makes it interesting to listen to and not rehashed. And can you really blame him--Trump gives way too much ridiculous content--plus he most definitely makes fun of Democrats too. Quite possible that some of the naysayers don't actually watch a majority of his videos...

I love Stephen Colbert. He and Jon really make The Late Show. I never watched the late show until Stephen took the helm, but I try to never miss it now. Stephen, made me laugh all through the first part of the pandemic. The fact that they continued making programs really encouraged me and gave me something to look forward to. I always have my kleenex close because Stephen makes me laugh so hard. My T. V. is always on C. B. S. When the Late Show is on.

Even here in Australia we loved our Late Show from the USA but really??? Don't you have anything else to entertain us apart from your Trump hate speeches. I now only occasionally turn your show on to see if there are any changes to the format but alas, nothing has changed. Just to lay my cards on the table, I'm not a Trump fan either, but if I want constant political views, I'll watch an appropriate channel.

I've been a long time fan of Stephen Colbert so I was really hoping his new show would be a hit. After watching about 15-20 episodes, I can say that Stephen is as good a ever. That is, after the opening to the show is over and he sits at the desk. The opening is just hard to watch. Stephen jumping around and pulling faces, heel clicking, giddily grinning and gesturing at the audience and at the band leader. It all looks so goofy and Stephen is certainly not goofy. Funny, yes, but not goofy. And the whole thing seems to go on for an overly long time. I don't think the band leader is a plus for the show. His chemistry with Stephen is awkward and difficult to watch. Does Stephen really need a band or sidekick? I don't think so. But once Stephen gets to the desk, his usual wit and intelligence show through. I am happy to see that he now is giving his quests more of a chance to speak since he is not playing a character in this new venue.

Always starts the same tiring way.

The announcer introduces him to a round of applause, then he introduces himself to another round of applause...like Steve Harvey.

Then we see the same shot of the show-off drummer who exchanges finger pointing with Colbert (for some unknown reason). It's stupid.

Then the monologue. Each joke is oversold and treated like it's funnier than it is, but the jokes are hit and miss.

The writing is so-so and doesn't match up with the funnier Jimmy .Kimmel. Also Kimmel seems more authentic and the jokes roll out like well-oiled machine.

Colbert always seems to be playing a part, which has grown old over years of repetition.

I don't mind his political bias because after all, we're in the age of Trump and Trump's hate and stupidity beg for satire.

As you can tell, I like the Kimmel show more.

Colbert is just trying to hard to be funny, and it isn't working, the show is lame, and the music just doesn't fit. After years of David Letterman and Paul Shaffer, I just can relate to this new show ... I'm totally disappointed. I've tried to watch the show, but I tune in to be entertained, and I'm not, the last skit with Jon Steward fell flat. Colbert is just not the guy to be doing the late show! So let's end the agony that everyone is feeling and can call it a day, I had wished that the show would have been awesome, but it's not, and nothing that CBS does is going to change this fact. Late night TV should be a place to help me forget my cares and give me a place where I can relax and forget about all the problems of my day. This show is just to painful to watch let alone to enjoy. Pull the plug and lets move on.

I was a huge fan of the Colbert Report before Stephen's retirement of his pundit caricature. Like many, I was also nervous about what Stephen's tenure on The Late Show would bring to the vast table of late night talk shows and how he would compare in relation to his phenomenal character. Already Mr. Colbert is establishing himself as a jewel in the mine of late night talk shows. The opening theme is so solid. Jon Batiste's catchy jazz style and the tilt-shift effect to create a vibrant and cartoonish NYC landscape is absolutely beautiful and sets the tone for the whole show. The Ed Sullivan Theater is gorgeous. Stephen Colbert's comments and joke behind the desk are as witty and eye-opening as ever (a recent one on the absurdity of FCC rules regarding nudity on broadcast television comes to mind). I will admit that there were a few rocky moments at the start (a bland interview with Jeb Bush, an obviously wishful but reluctantly silent Colbert when Aziz Ansari commented about CBS's racial disparities, and a few hits and misses on the network's part to establish him as the new kid on the block). Another weakness is Stephen's opening monologue. Colbert hasn't done a cold open that wasn't behind the safety of the Colbert Report desk in years, and it shows. Maybe he'll come into his own with the monologue over time, but he might want to look at an alternative "deskologue" like he's used to doing. Seth Meyers is currently the only one doing the opening this way on network television, but it seems to be working for him. However, after those few backfires, Stephen Colbert has been pulling no punches with great skits including one satirizing the Presidential candidates as they slowly drop out (THE HUNGRY FOR POWER GAMES), a wealth of political, newsworthy, and just plain interesting guests that he's begun to ask real hard hitting questions and is having meaningful and thought-engaging interviews with (Ted Cruz, Ban ki-Moon, Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg, Bill Maher, John Cleese), and some creative web specials on Youtube (John Irving's "New Hampshire Sh*t"). While Fallon is still No. 1 in the ratings, Colbert has already taken over Kimmel, and his target audience of the 18-49 demographic is growing. I must also point out that it's only been two months. This beloved comedian is back in action and is conquering his fears as a head honcho in late night one episode at a time. I can't wait to see how Mr. Stephen makes an even bigger name for himself on network television. He's gonna be just fine, and I wish The Late Show all the best. It's in good hands- that much is certain.