None of which is meant to be taken as an indictment of James Corden.
And they’re both monsters.
No, I never watched James Corden because of James Corden.
But because his show is in a format that is either on life support or already dead.
It was simply not sustainable, says one executive.
CBS could not afford him anymore.
Even if Corden had wanted to stay in his seat, there was bound to be a late-night reckoning.
In the pre-cable, pre-internet era, [Johnny] Carson could draw 10 million viewers a night.
As competition mounted, [David] Letterman averaged 3 million to 5 million.
Now, all three 11:30 p.m. starsStephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmelreach 5 million, combined.
That shrinkage has hurt the 12:30 a.m. shows, too.
When Corden debuted, in 2015, he was averaging around 1.6 million viewers.
A question hovers in the air: Was anyone watching?
Was it worth getting dressed and manicured and made up?
Another question: After Corden is gone, is there any reason for late-night TV to continue?
Or has the culture, like Corden himself, moved on?
But on Friday nights I got to stay up and watch him.
Plus he always brought on comics and made superstars out of some relative unknowns.
Andhis monthly sitdowns with Jay Leno were appointment viewing.
And I became a fan.
But that was a long time ago.
Now the whole late night comedy thing feels about 20 years past its Sell By date.
To the point you wonder how it’s even still in existence.
Or in your car.
Or your ear pods at the gym.
Those ratings numbers don’t lie.
No one would ever come up with a business plan that looks remotely like that.
Essentially the networks realized they could hold an audience past 11pm instead of going off the air.
And it’s barely changed since.
But here’s the most damning part of the article:
Some previous hosts are skeptical.
And now its even a stronger feeling.
It seems late-night is becoming more and more obsolete, Kilborn says.
Ive talked about it with my comedy-writer friends, and we simply dont watch late-night anymore.
Havent watched them for years.
As the data confirms, Kilborn (and I) are not alone.
And the timing of this is key.
By the time the strike ends, you might not see another late night talk show again.
That is, if you haven’t stopped already like most of us.
