Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon will soon go head to head on late night television.
CBS announced today that Stephen Colbert will succeed David Letterman when he steps down from his late night spot at the end of this year. Colbert is best known for The Colbert Report, his hit Comedy Central fake-news show where he impersonates a right-wing blowhard.
In a press release announcing the big news Colbert said:
Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career. I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave's lead. I'm thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth .
The big question is whether Colbert will take his persona with him to late night or if he will play it straight . As "Stephen Colbert," the comedian makes endless fun of the right while pretending to be an idiotic member of that group. It's a tricky line to walk but one that Colbert does effortlessly. He even stays in character when he's interviewing his nightly guest.
But that's a very different format from the normal late night show which is focused around a few bits, some high-profile guests and maybe a musical act. While Jimmy Fallon's success at The Tonight Show is turning late night into a breeding ground for viral video hits, he still stays very close to the accepted format.
And Colbert's Comedy Central show has been at once extremely silly and extremely cerebral. He's not above jumping into a tub of balls with Charlie Rose to make fun of morning news' new social media rooms but at the same time he delights in interviewing serious people like Emily Bazelon and historian Simon Schama. Most late night shows tend to go from silly bit to fawning celebrity interviews.
By choosing Colbert, it's most likely that CBS has decided to really shake up late night by having a character host a show. If Colbert is going to reinvent himself though, it'll be a big risky change since he has developed his passionate fan following based on playing "Stephen Colbert."
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