Colbert: Initial Reactions
 

First reactions:

Opening was painful and uncomfortable.

Colbert comes out an I immediately think: "Oh fuck, it's just another dude in a suit doing a monologue in front of an overly-excited-for-no-real-reason audience and a fucking band. So nothing new or groundbreaking here, just same old same old.

Sit the man DOWN! Colbert was shifty, uneasy and visibly uncomfortable during the opening monologue. When he sat down it felt natural again. DO AWAY WITH THE MONOLOGUE!

George Clooney was funny at times but a safe choice as first guest. What we call in the business a 'safe landing'.

Colbert's older brother is married to a fucking fat ugly bitch. OMG I felt sorry for his brother (who looks like a screen door salesman).

Jeb Bush was exactly as expected: lifeless, humorless and predictable.

Note: Colbert's band is great!

Highlight of the show was Fallon's video spot.

I agree with your comment about him being uncomfortable.

Stephen Colbert Opens First Late Show with Stewart Cameo, Trump Jokes (Video)

The show sucked.
Let's hope he "finds his voice" soon.

I'd describe him as nervous, not really uncomfortable. Regardless, it's to be expected. Overall I thought he did a good job.

It was boring and so were the guest and the band music and the ridiculous 30 person jam at the end. I like him and hope the show gets better.

Mitch

Agreed.

I liked the Oreo/Trump bit. But my first thought was fuck we dont need another late show with a monologue 2-3 guests and a band.

Do something different.

Colbert does great solo, behind the desk..... even the interviews on his old show we're not that engaging.

Agreed. Even during his radio and tv commercials for the new show he sounds different. He had a great persona with the old show and should've translated it somehow to this new time slot.

But I guess CBS just wants Dave Lite.

My favorite Colbert video



Never gets old.

I've even named a WOW character after the person mentioned by Colbert

Letterman was amazing when he was at NBC tucked away in the late 12:30 time slot playing to people who got his humor, college kids and 20 somethings who hadn't become 9 to 5 drones yet - I watched his first CBS 11:30 and I knew the old Dave was gone and so was I. Sounds like Colbert might be falling into the same pit.

That's a great point! I felt the same way as you did when Dave made the switch. I think, for me, the main problem is actually the Ed Sullivan Theater. It's HUGE and cavernous and the audience is way too big. It's like Dave/Stephen is on Broadway every night (which they are technically) and feel the need to play to this big crowd. I hate it, everything is too noisy and brash and LOUD.

Trying to sleep here people, remember? LOL

All these shows are so formatted they've lost their appeal.

Tired jokes, tired band that's only there for decoration, celebrities selling their latest product and they do them too often, is it every week night or close?

That's what kill a lot of US TV series, they find a format and flog it to death for years and years. Too many episodes, too many series and too many writers.

Take UK The Office, and compare it with the US version.

I agree. Most Britcoms are better than the US versions or US sitcoms in general. Tho I do like The Big Bang Theory a lot. LOL

The IT Crowd was the best sitcom in the last decade, in my opinion.

Father Ted was fantastic as well.

I liked it and you have to remember the comedy central show was a character he was playing basically an Oreilly spoof. This is the real guy.

He still seems to be trying to keep the character, but ... but but but...

So I watched the second show yesterday and found it kind of boring. Elon Musk was too nervous to say anything interesting, and Scarlett Johansson was cute but brought nothing to the show. Colbert's questions to her were boring.

I also hate the format of the show. It's exactly the same as all the other late night shows. Dumb Monolog, Goofy shitty band playing shitty music, funny comedy bit (good), and then boring questions to boring guests. YAWN.....

My favourite late-night show now is This Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO, and then The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. I will really miss Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Hopefully the new host (Trevor Noah?) will do a really good job.

Spot on. If it's just going to be 'the real Stephen Colbert' and not his character from Comedy Central then this show will be a disaster. Colbert is NOT a stand-up comedian. He doesn't know how to play to a giant live audience like he has now.

Daily Show: why did they hire an unknown South African 'comic' (he has yet to say a single funny thing) with an accent to replace Stewart? Geniuses. The Daily Show will suck major league cock now I predict.

Stephen Colbert had his time and got too big for his britches. Lets see if he gets a clue and realizes he delivers funny lines his people write for him, and he's not a messiah or a political genius. As for the daily show, I wonder why they went to south africa for a completely unknown personality to host it? If they wanted diversity, why not get that from the US? If they want an international audience, why not a well known person with some skill? very dumb brand management.

Same script every night. Well seems like it.

Fawlty Towers.

As for those American chat shows. Throw out the auto cue, get the promo in fast and let the program just go its own way. It needs someone who doesn't need scripting to make it work, so you're thinking "WTF is he going to do next?"

Seems like he needs time to get in his groove. It'll happen.

The US version of the office was way better than the brit version. The actors are just much much better fits than the brit ones.

Chat shows suck too but are marginally more interesting than The Tonight Show.
Graham Norton is still an annoying wanker tho. LOL

The Big Bang Theory is smart, well-written and actually (shock!) intelligent.

your funny must be broken then...

It's because he's an annoying wanker that it works. So long as he has guests that add to it, some weeks the guests are boring, most times it's good. Better an annoying wanker than the moulded man for all seasons clones.

BBT is good in little doses, it just seems to be repetitive. Like Parks and Recreation, it has gone on for far too long.

American Drama is fast becoming the best, accept for a few exceptions. Again ones that have to have beautiful 25 years olds trying to look younger, running the show, and the love interests that do nothing for the plot.

Liking Halt and Catch fire and saw an episode of Mr Robot, looks promising.

Speaking of British Sitcoms.. there was another one that used to crack me up, the "Kumars at No. 42" -- I thought it was brilliantly casted.

I also think the original British version of "The Office" was miles ahead of the US version, and the same with "Shameless"... so much better with the UK version.

It may be the East Coast Canadian in me I guess... we have a very strong heritage of Scottish, Irish and English here. Tea and toast daily is a real thing :)

Kumars was also about the concept of the show inside a show.

Every so often the UK allow a new comedy idea to come onto the screens. The problem recently has been the dramas. I try to watch them and 10 to 20 minutes in, nothing has happened. Sherlock is an exception. A programme like a YT video has to kick off with a reason to watch. Or spoilt for choice, we go elsewhere.

The show is NOT getting any better (tho Joe Biden crying was a good moment).

Damn I'm starting to miss Craig Kilborn!

^^^^^ Precisely.

^^ Yeah, that was a good interview, and emotion by Biden. He is very likable.

** The band..lame...(maybe I am too used to Paul & his band)...
** Colbert was never that great to me in the first place.

I was never one of the people who religiously watched Stewart's show. And the only time I really saw Colbert's impersonation of Bill O'Reilly (which seemed to be what his big character was) was in snippets here and there.

Haven't caught the show yet, but I was kind of surprised when Colbert was picked as Dave's replacement.
I figured that he must have shown the "powers that be" something in some sort of an audition for the show...but reading the comments here and elsewhere on the web, it sounds like it's been not so good so far.

EDIT: It has been fun watching John Stewart on WWE though. And kinda funny that so many people who look up to Stewart as being very intelligent now have to live with the fact that he's a big pro-wrestling fan. heh-heh

He'll find his grove, if not I'm sure Jay Leno is lurking in the shadows ready to take over

OMG! That would be kinda funny if Jay stepped in. lol

I could not disagree more. The original Office was a pure masterpiece. The USA version was very good.

The Big Bang Theory has not been well written, funny or intelligent in about 4 seasons. Now its just another couples comedy. The first 4 years were excellent.

Yes it has gone downhill a litte, as all shows that have been on forever do. I hate Penny's new dyke haircut (she has a pug face and is not pretty enough to pull it off). I also hate how the Indian dude, who could never talk to girls, suddenly has the hottest girlfriend on the show. Fucking lame.

Oh - and a wedding to start the new season! How original. For next year another tv sitcom cliche: a baby!! You watch. Sigh.

How many TV series keep their appeal after the 5th season?

Look at the greats and see the ones with 2-3 seasons at the top. There only so many ideas a team of writers can come up with, after that it's the same actors, format and jokes in a slightly different location or twist.

You kind of know what's going to be said or done next.

The band is horrible. Talented.. yes. Music choices....no!!

Steven seems nervous. The dancing at the beginning of the show is awkward. The interviews are awkward. "A fish out of water" seems to sum it up perfectly.

It's sad because I loved his old show and I want him to do well, but the "late show" is way off the mark. CBS sucks, and it seems they sucked the life out of Colbert. Hopefully they makes some changes and fix it before its too late.