Yesterday, CBS made the shocking announcement that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its run in May of next year, with no plans to hire a new host to take over, signaling the end of their late-night business.
Whether the reason for the cancellation is a financial decision (as they claimed in the press statement) or politically motivated (which is what fans are speculating), this poses a bigger question about the state of late-night television in the future and whether we will see the other shows follow suit sooner rather than later.
Are We Nearing the End of Late-Night Television?
Once Colbert's show ends next year, there will only be three traditional late-night talk shows airing by that time: Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
The hosts of each show are still under contract within the next few years, so from that perspective, we can easily say that the late-night business is still expected to be alive in some ways, and the impending death of this TV genre is not imminent, for that matter.
However, with the changing media landscape and fewer audiences for this type of programming (or at least in live TV viewing), there is no guarantee that these late-night shows will survive within the next 10 years or less, especially if interest in traditional TV interviews wanes. Consumers prefer to see their stars being interviewed in a podcast.
It is also a well-known fact within the entertainment business that producing late-night shows is expensive, as hosts are given a substantial annual paycheck to remain with the network and serve as the face of their late-night programming. There are also expenses associated with producing segments or special episodes that require the presence of A-list stars.
There is also no concrete information that late-night shows are properly incentivized when they upload their clips online, which is a huge factor to consider from a business perspective.
If CBS' explanation is accurate that Colbert's show is ending due to financial reasons, perhaps the late-night business is indeed nearing its end within the next several years (or less) as it is difficult to see the networks continue to commit on these type of shows in a long run unless they find a business-friendly decision that can truly sustain its longevity.
The political landscape might also be a significant consideration, especially The Late Show might be related to Paramount's recent settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump political discussions in the host's monologue.
There are so many factors to consider when exploring the idea of the end of late-night television. For now, it's difficult to determine whether it's indeed coming to an end, as the media landscape remains uncertain. However, the cancellation of The Late Show has also shown that nothing is guaranteed to be safe in the television business today, and even a No. 1 late-night talk show is not vulnerable to a grim fate.
Do you think that the end of late-night television is coming? Let us know in the comments.
Keep it locked on Epicstream, your go-to site for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!