Comedian Taylor Tomlinson is taking over the post-Late Show with Stephen Colbert spot on CBS.
The good news is she’s not doing a late night talk show.
She’ll host a cheaper alternative, a game show called After Midnight.
This seems like a savvy move because honestly, when was the last time you paid attention to a 12:30 a.m talk show?
For people my age, it’s likely been forever, maybe you were a fan of Conan O’Brien or Jimmy Fallon. Neither has had that job in a decade.
It's a symptom of the larger late night comedy problem. Those shows are a dying breed.
An increasingly small group of people consume these shows in real time.
Like the rest of the media, they’ve become a funnel to the internet to compete with video games, cute puppy videos and podcasters like me.
That’s not to say nothing connects: Saturday Night Live breaks through here or there but big moments like Conan O’Brien’s departure from the Tonight Show, David Letterman admitting he cheated on his wife after an extortion attempt or Jay Leno asking Hugh Grant what the hell was he thinking Or insert your favorite Jon Stewart bit here… are increasingly rare.
The good news for Taylor Tomlinson is, the old way isn’t working, trying something new might.
What do you think? Do you watch these shows? Tell me in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com or email me at Jamesbrowntv@gmail.com. You can also leave me a message at 585-484-0339.
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