Television late night has been the subject of a lot of talk over the past five years. There was the battle between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien over who will host “The Tonight Show”. There was the surge in popularity of Jimmy Fallon once he took over the position, creating viral video after viral video. There was the time change of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to compete with the primary late night shows. There was the announcement of the retirement of David Letterman, and the announcement of Stephen Colbert taking over the position. One talk show host, however, decided to keep a low profile and develop what has been the most entertaining (and strangest) late night talk show over the past ten years.
Craig Ferguson is that man, who has helmed CBS’s “The Late Late Show” since January 3, 2005 and will host his final episode tonight (December 19th) at the ripe time of 12:35 A.M. EST, which I guess actually makes it December 20th. This is a sad day for all of us who have enjoyed every second of his anarchic spirit, awkward pauses, robot skeleton sidekick, use of puppets, mouth organ playing, and occasional serious, emotional moments for years.
I started watching “The Late Late Show” back in 2008. It was just one of those nights where I couldn’t sleep and was going through the channels. I stumbled upon the show, and this sketch was about to start:
It had me scratching my head, thinking “What is this show?” More importantly, it had me laughing. I came back to the show the following Monday, and I have not missed an episode since.
One of my favorite things to watch or listen to is a conversation. In late night television, an honest, funny, spontaneous conversation is almost never seen. Everything has been established in a pre-interview and the interview segment is nearly scripted. With Ferguson’s trademark tearing apart of the blue question card, he just asks about the things that interest him about the guest. When you can tell someone is authentically engaged in a conversation, it is terrific to witness. So, when he has guests like Stephen Fry, Kristen Bell, or Rashida Jones on, who are people with things to say (of course very different things), it is all interesting.
Then there is all the anarchy his “Late Late Show” displayed. From having the best sidekick in late night TV, Geoff Peterson (the gay robot skeleton voiced by Josh Robert Thompson), to the pantomime horse Secretariat, Ferguson was able to create an atmosphere of fun and a space where anything could happen. Geoff’s persona allowed for him to say something horribly inappropriate to a guest, and it would all be in good fun.
The show never stopped evolving. He would throw in animal puppets because he thought they were funny, like a foul-mouthed English rabbit. He would bring down people from the audience and “interrogate” them about their lives (or clothes or whatever). He would have choreographed lip sync numbers as a cold open. He would have guests end segments by choosing to either do an awkward pause, play the harmonica, or earn a “big cash prize”. It always made for an interesting watch, even if every show wasn’t amazing. When you make over 2,000 episodes, that is bound to happen.
My favorite episode of the show aired back in 2010. It was a total break from the show’s format. Ferguson sat down for a one-on-one conversation with previously mentioned guest Stephen Fry. No audience. No monologue. No tweets and e-mails. Just two intelligent, funny people talking with one another.
I will miss this show. Seeing GP & the Fergs every day has been an immense joy for me for years. Tony Award winner James Corden will be taking over the job in March, and I wish him the best of luck. The man is very funny and has a unique voice. I hope he is able to craft his own playhouse to entertain us night owls. Craig Ferguson crafted a special show, but it could not last forever. It is a relief Ferguson saw that and decided to step down. For the many years of entertainment, I saw thank you, Mr. Ferguson. Thank you.
I have included some of great moments from the show below for you all to watch, which run the gamut of laughing attacks to real honesty. Enjoy.
