3 minute read
The Story of Late Night
from What2Watch-May-2021
by ntvbmedia
CNN’s Six-Part Documentary Explores Carson, Letterman, Leno And More.
There may never be another Johnny Carson to dominate the fi eld, but as this brisk and blissfully clip-heavy survey of the evolution of late-night TV reminds us, there will always be a place for after-hours conversation and comedy. Airing over six Sundays (barring breaking news), CNN’s The Story of Late Night traces a trajectory that began with the slapstick anarchy of Steve Allen on the embryonic Tonight Show (the inspiration for David Letterman’s wacky antics decades later) and matured with the prickly intelligence of erudite successor Jack Paar.
Carson’s 30-year reign (1962-92) of show-business savvy set the standard during an earlier period of national tumult — one that gave rise to the satirical free-for-all of Lorne Michaels’ groundbreaking Saturday Night Live. More than a mere nostalgia romp, the series acknowledges the diffi culty women and performers of color have had fi nding and sustaining a place behind the late-night desks. Famous feuds (Leno vs. Letterman, Leno vs. Conan) reveal how much drama lurks within these lucrative laugh factories. And today’s practitioners walk a more precarious tightrope of humor in politically polarized times. Even so, going to bed without them is unthinkable. — Matt Roush
Episode Guide
At the dawn of the TV era in the 1950s, Steve Allen’s zany spontaneity turns Tonight into a hilarious and unexpected hit. But in the early 1960s, it’s Jack Paar’s captivating, quirky personality and Johnny Carson’s impeccably hip humor that transform late night from a shot in the dark into an enduring television staple.
As the 1980s dawn, David Letterman reinvents late-night comedy for a new generation, rescuing comedian Jay Leno’s nearly fl amed-out career in the process. But Johnny Carson’s enduring comic appeal spawns endless speculation over his eventual successor: Will it be Leno, Letterman, Joan Rivers or upstart Arsenio Hall?
Johnny Carson deftly navigates the turbulent 1960s to elevate The Tonight Show into a cultural touchstone, enshrining himself as the undisputed king of late night. But his success begets competition with the emergence of Dick Cavett, Merv Griffi n, Saturday Night Live and a former Indiana weatherman by the name of David Letterman.
Carson’s 1992 retirement touches a nation — and touches off an epic late-night war between Jay Leno and David Letterman. But it’s network newcomers Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel — and the comic inspirations of cable upstart Jon Stewart — that introduce hilarious new comedy perspectives that could change late night’s sense of humor forever.
As the 2000s unfold, Jay Leno’s monologue mastery captivates mainstream America. But his succession struggle with heirapparent Conan O’Brien is no joke, making waves across the late-night landscape and bringing Jimmy Fallon’s fresh voice to the front. Thanks to cable’s rise, diverse voices like Chelsea Handler, Andy Cohen and George Lopez get their seat behind the late-night desk, while Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert take the news into their own hilarious hands.
Jimmy Fallon takes over for Jay Leno. Stephen Colbert inherits David Letterman’s desk. Trevor Noah becomes a surprise pick for Jon Stewart’s replacement. Plus, new hosts James Corden, Seth Meyers, Amber Ruffi n, Desus & Mero and Samantha Bee join the late-night TV ranks.
