Everybody was shocked â shocked! â when Stephen Colbert announced this week that CBS canceled âThe Late Show.â
The despondent media reacted like a meteor was about to smash into Earth.
But how surprising was Colbertâs kibosh really?
Did peoplesâ jaws also hit the floor when Blockbuster Video called it quits in 2014?
Were they muffling their screams when blimps were phased out for air travel in 1937?
âWhat do you mean âno more silent filmsâ?!â
The end of âThe Late Showâ was every bit as writ-in-stone as any of those predictable downfalls.
It’s not just Colbert who faces this fate. The Grim Reaper is coming for all of late-night TV, and those comedians in suits are simply ignoring the ominous signs.
Originating in the 1950s as a somewhat experimental way to fill airtime, these traditional shows now suffer from viewership numbers that are too small to warrant their hefty production costs.
Recent reports reveal that Colbert’s talk show loses between $40 to $50 million annually, although The Times suggests it’s more in the realm of “tens of millions.”
Awfully hard to blame Trump for that.
True, “The Late Show” was beating the competition with 2.42 million nightly viewers on average during the first quarter. But just 9% of those eyeballs were in the 18-49 demo that advertisers covet.
That means no ad dollars because young people couldnât care less.
And why would they?
Theyâve got YouTube and TikTok to scroll through after dark.
The funniest story of the week by a mile was Astronomer CEO Andy Byron getting caught on the jumbotron kiss cam canoodling with his head of HR at a Coldplay concert.
I even chuckled as I typed it.
Fifteen years ago, Americans wouldâve turned to David Letterman and Conan OâBrien to mock the horny halfwits.
Now, social media does it faster and funnier than Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers ever could.
Shake up the format all you want, but a fixed 11:30 p.m. show with commercial breaks on a dusty, old, censored network canât compete with instant, razor-sharp reactions from billions.
Could chats with A-List stars keep the struggling shows afloat?
Hah. The five-minute, skim-the-surface interview is a thing of the past, too. Celebrities are way overexposed, and promotional appearances present them at their fakest and least likable.
Thatâs why podcasts like âGood Hang with Amy Poehlerâ and âLas Culturistas” with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, which can be listened to for free at any time of day, are so popular. They give you a casual, revealing full hour with big names.
Sensing the sea change, top talent keeps choosing headphones over TV sets.
The escalating politics of late night are often called out as the chief offender. And they were a thorn, to be sure. But their slant is not the No. 1 problem anymore.
Think about it. Gen Z and Millennials arenât steering clear of talk shows because the hosts are too left-leaning.
The simple truth is these monologue-couch-desk affairs are behind-the-times museum exhibits that today’s audience has a dwindling connection to.
âThe Late Late Show with James Cordenâ was the first major casualty. Now, the guillotine has dropped on CBSâ former crown jewel. NBCâs âThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” âLate Night with Seth Meyersâ and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” wonât be far behind.
Yes, I know the politically driven cable shows like âThe Daily Showâ and âGutfeldâ are chugging along. They’re different animals.
Undeniably, the network workhorses that were once for everybody are now for nobody.
Itâs telling that, aside from Colbertâs walking papers, just one big-ish story has come out of late-night TV all month.
That was cuckoo Joaquin Phoenix apologizing for his uncomfortable stunt interview with David Letterman, the first “Late Show” host, back in 2009.
Itâs a reminder of how vital late-night TV used to be. A 16-year-old interaction with a totally different man is still a hotter topic than anything the new guys can drum up.
Iâd suggest Letterman return for a âTop 10 Reasons Late-night Shows Are Disappearingâ list.
But he’d only need one.
Nobody’s watching them.
