Stephen Colbert draws praise from critics with first episode of rebooted The Late Show
And so, with much anticipation, the first episode of the Late Show under the reign of Stephen Colbert has passed, and the critics, it seems, were pleased, highlighting the ‘fun’, ‘warm’ vibe that he brought to proceedings.
He kicked off the show with a video segment featuring the US national anthem that included a surprise cameo from former presenter of The Daily Show John Stewart that was full of charm, before walking on stage with more energy than Letterman had managed in told throughout his run during the 21st century. Colbert began his monologue with ‘Hello nation’ and described it as ‘a moment of history, that like most history, could not be found on the History channel’. A nice, off the cuff moment that he'd clearly thought of in the preceding months, yet somehow none of it felt rehearsed.
Guests on the evening were George Clooney and Jeb Bush, both of which will have felt their interviews would have been very different had they appeared on the show six months ago, although this was certainly not the same combative host who headed up the Colbert Report.
Yahoo TV described the premier episode as “exceedingly polished yet loose-limbed,” and added that this was “the first of many very good nights” ahead for the host.
“Colbert was golden,” proclaimed Deadline, claiming that the host was able to overcome his Comedy Central image and take over the mantel from his iconic predecessor.
“Warmer and less arch than in his previous incarnation,” said an early review by the Telegraph which gave him a four star rating, it’s clear that this new, more mainstream persona is one that audiences have taken to, and Colbert has hit the ground running.
Read the Found Remote interview with CBS EVP of Digital Marc DeBevoise on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.