The Rockist

Does Late Night TV Still Matter? Part 1

[10 September 2009]

With the greatest shake-up in network late-night television since King Carson left his throne, now is a perfect time to ponder where late-night television is today.

By Michael Brett

Heeere's Crrraig!

As long as there has been late-night network television, one network has led the way. NBC’s The Tonight Show completely transformed the way America laughs, the way America views entertainers, and the way America watches television.

The great old studios’ PR departments manipulated the promotional broadcasts of network radio. Movie fans never knew their favorite stars, they only knew the carefully scripted copy aired by the national networks. The Tonight Show changed all of that. Every evening, Steve Allen hosted a swank, adult cocktail party where the stars could break the studio’s mold if they wished. His show kept America awake, and launched the late-night concept: a daily variety show, hip to current events, centered on the personality of the comedian host.

During the years Johnny Carson hosted, a Tonight Show booking became every aspiring comics’ dream. Carson’s largest legacy is the comedic careers his show launched. For over 20 years, every comic who broke into the main stream could trace his or her good fortune to either his show or the late-night format he and his writers perfected.

No television show will ever again leave such a lasting footprint in the pop culture landscape as Carson’s Tonight Show. That, readers, is an absolute fact.

With the greatest shake-up in network late-night television since King Carson left his throne, now is a perfect time to ponder where late-night television is today. In the first of an occasional series, I will seek an answer to the question that will keep many network sponsors on pins and needles: Does late night still matter?

Our series begins with CBS’ Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. CBS created a network 12:30 talker in 1995 produced by David Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants. Letterman clouted talk-show dinosaur Tom Snyder into this slot, and Snyder put viewers to sleep for four years.

In 1999, Snyder left and The Daily Show‘s original host, Craig Kilborn came aboard. Kilborn kept frat guys at home for five years, but really never earned the kind of ratings a Letterman lead-in projected. When Kilborn’s contract came up, he and Worldwide Pants decided to go their separate ways.

Instead of going the young hot-shot route again, they snatched a Scottish comedian from the jaws of obscurity. Craig Ferguson first gained fame as a member of The Drew Carey Show ensemble. When Drew and the gang moved on to UHF-rerun never-never land I, for one, thought we were done with the broad comedic styling of Carey and company. I was wrong.

Ferguson’s Scottish burr and Fozzie Bear comedy aims right at the thick of America’s middling tastes. Until last week, I couldn’t wait to turn off the television after Letterman. Craig’s penchant for appearing RIGHT IN the camera scared the almighty living bejesus out of me. [shiver]

Last week, I made an honest attempt to place my prejudices aside and viewed an entire week’s worth of Late Late Show. First, the good part. I survived. Barely. 

We all know a Craig Ferguson. He’s that obnoxious acquaintance you have who knows he’s the funniest person in the room. The guy who commits to bad jokes like a Mormon to a mission. The guy who will one-up you with eye-rollers until you give the polite laugh and get as far away as socially proper.

I can very much see where Craig appeals to Dave. Craig is the most blatant copy of Dave so far. Make Dave Scottish and his writers dim and there, you have The Late Late Show.

Craig begins each show with at least 20-minutes of Craig time. It starts with four minutes of him invading your television space right after Dave says good night. Sometimes he is accompanied by a puppet. I’m serious. This is a man who believes the best way to kick off an hour of network broadcast time committed to his own personality is to peddle the kind of ‘50s kid show shenanigans lampooned blisteringly well by Pee Wee Herman 20 years ago.

Dave, call Paul Ruebens!

After the commercial break, the puppets give way to nine-minutes of monologue held five inches from your face. When every other host is shortening monologues or cutting them altogether due to their insane level of comedic difficulty and tedious craftsmanship Craig, confident as ever, mugs away with manic glee. By Thursday night, I became fixated on how his haircut spiked into a perfect flat-top. The man was literally square.

Another commercial, and we’re back. Um. A guest. Please? No, Craig launched right into viewer e-mail, which he does daily.

Stop. Please, for the immortal soul of Mr. Carson, please, mix up your segments, Craig. They don’t have to be original. But don’t do what is ostensibly ‘The Late Show Mailbag’ every single night. Not only does it lessen the effect of every joke in the segment, it makes your loyal viewers wonder if they have unread forwards from their incredibly e-mail-impaired aunt in their own inbox.

This goes on for about seven-minutes.

Just past midnight each evening, Craig finally relinquishes the spotlight for a guest. Now, I firmly believe that the interviews on B-level talkers like Craig’s are completely disposable. The guests, for the most part, will continue workmanlike careers just out of the spotlight or fill seats at your local dinner theater in ten years. In short, Craig is not booking Tom Hanks.

That being said, Craig interacts well with the guests. Monday night’s show was their first in HD, and one of their new lights went out. At the time, Craig was in the midst of a chat with the hot Descanel, Emily (Bones). Craig very naturally asked Emily to move over a chair and did the rest of the interview curled up in her old seat. Of course, he was aware of his own comfort level and slapped extra mustard on the ham, but what are you going to do? Craig is who he is.

On Tuesday night, Craig welcomed Rockist favorite, Quentin Tarantino. Always eager to bathe in the attention of a new release, Quentin referred back to the horrid Aquaman sketch Craig was in. Instead of digging at Craig for spoofing a character that he knows nothing about (seriously, it was like my dad spoofing Spider-Man), Quentin talked about how Ted Knight voiced the late ‘60s cartoon Aquaman, while also narrating. Fact check, Mr. Tarantino. Ted did narrate the cartoon, but he voiced Black Mantis. I expected more from you, Mr. Brown.

The Actress Who Once Played Princess Leia visited the set on Thursday night. I don’t know where Craig and Carrie grew close, but my guess is it rhymes with ‘zehab’. Carrie raved about her current electro-shock regiment, claiming you can choose the memories you would like to forget from a menu.

There has to be an electro-shock clinic somewhere that wants to do an infomercial with Carrie Fisher. Please.

That wasn’t even the best part of her appearance. No, she told Craig that Michael Jackson booked her for what turned out to be his last Christmas to recite the Admiral Tarkin Star Wars monologue for his children. He paid her with a cell phone.

I can’t make this up. Watch it.

The only other noteworthy event came during Thursday’s e-mail bag. He blatantly slammed Conan. “Once I lose fifty percent of my audience, I’ll be the King of Late Night! How can that be? ‘Cause the people not watching me will be older!”

[Insert angry cat noise].

Craig, you weren’t in the conversation. The head of NBC thinks you’re a golfer.

I laughed four times while watching Late Late Show for a week. Pretty dismal. Even Johnny couldn’t rely as much on his own mixture of wit and charisma as Craig does.

Craig, you don’t need a sidekick. You don’t need a band. But you do need something to break up the beginning of your show. And stop with the puppets! Unless you know Robert Smigel.

Craig told us he’s currently working out his contract with Worldwide Pants. Dave knows good late-night. It might be time for Craig to update the whole resume.

 
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Michael Brett, the Leper Messiah, resides with his wife in Evanston, Illinois. He enjoys pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and going to bullfights on acid. You can read more of his work at http://Shambollocks.com.
 
 
 

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Does Late Night Still Matter? Part 5: Heeere’s Stephen!

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Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report is a comedic game-changer as culturally significant right now as Letterman or SNL were at their peak.

 
 
Comments

I couldn’t disagree more with you about Ferguson!  He is easily the funniest, most insightful, late night talkshow host on the air. 
I used to be an avid Letterman viewer and have sampled the other talk shows over the years.  The Late Late Show is the only show that’s worth my time every night.  It’s also the only talkshow that I’ve ever watched from the first frame to the last.  Why? Because Craig is unpredictably unpredictable.  You must have missed his full-blown “rant”  this week on the Emmys and not being nominated.  Hysterical!

He also has the talent to make the most marginal of guests interesting.  I used to think that his tearing-up-the-interview-notes was simply a schtick.  But, it’s a great reminder to those self-centered guests that nothing is off limits and “I won’t allow you to simply sit here and sell your movie/book, etc.”

He’s also the most insightful…gasp! He’s done moving monologues on the deaths of his parents.
He’s explained “why everything is crap” (go to youtube…it’s well worth it).  He’s exhibited his humanity when he wouldn’t make fun of Britney Spears during her most troubling period (calling on his own battle with alcohol/drugs and suicide attempt).  He also asked the critics to lay off of Jimmy Fallon when his show first started…telling them to give Fallon a month before they review him.  I won’t even mention his immeasurable talent as an author (check out “Between the Bridge and the River”)...

I realize comedy is subjective, but you do realize you’re in the minority when it comes to your dim view of his talent.  Critics have been singing his praises for some time in an effort to get more people to discover this “new” American’s refreshing take on the late night world. And more are indeed tuning in.  In fact, his audience is up nearly 10% from last year.  He’s also beating much of his competition on a regular basis.  Imagine what could be accomplished if CBS actually promoted his show.  I guess that won’t happen until he replaces Letterman in a few years.

Comment by Andrea from Denver — September 11, 2009 @ 1:33 am

Exactly, Craig Ferguson IS “the funniest person in the room”!  It seems he works with a very little budget and has to be a one man show.  IMO, a growing number of people are watching his show, more because of him, than for guests or other backup.  I hope CBS quits treating him like “Cinderella” and pays him adequately for what he does. It’s true, his set and props are cheesy, but he makes even that funny! He can make interviews with most any guest fun and interesting.

Comment by Cassie — September 11, 2009 @ 2:58 am

As Craig would say, I need to write a letter, so I take out my fake feather pen and write the following - Dear Michael Brett: So you’re the wet blanket who sits in a slump at the back of the party with the “poor me’s.” Craig Ferguson is brilliant. Don’t let his self-depricating wit fool you. The guy is clever, world wise, well read, and hilarious. As a view I can tell from his interviews that his guests are having a great time, along with the viewers. He doesn’t pander to them. He’s had very big name guests on his show. I don’t know if he’s ever had Tom Hanks on. I bet Hanks and Craig would be magic together. His interview with Desmond Tutu was one of the best interviews I’ve ever seen. Craig’s Eulogy/monologue to his father had me laughing and weeping at the same time. That’s rare television. As for the puppets, I’m over 50, over the demographics that networks enjoy - these cold openings of Craig et al. lip synching to musical numbers have me in stitches, as well as my (much younger) family. Give yourself a lift today - Check out Craig and Company and their version of “Say Hey (I love you)” on YouTube.

Comment by germaine from Canada — September 11, 2009 @ 6:48 am

Ferguson is the only funny host in late night.

Comment by Bob — September 11, 2009 @ 8:44 am

you should check out that show on ABC.

Comment by Kevin from Los Angeles — September 11, 2009 @ 10:14 am

Craig Ferguson is the funniest, most original, and interesting late night talk show host on the air today!  Although you are entitled to your own opinion, maybe you show rethink this one!  Try watching some of the past monologues or interviews on the internet.  I think you will see what alot of people see!  This charming, intelligent and witty comedian doing his own show his own way.  I like tradition that is why I watch Letterman, but when I want something that keeps me guessing, I watch Ferguson.

Comment by rosie from California — September 11, 2009 @ 11:10 am

Give me a break, dude—the Ferguson show is the only original non-animated show on late-night television.  You obviously came into this with prejudice and despite writing that you’d set them aside, you couldn’t and didn’t.

I’m looking forward to your lame analyses of why Kimmel and Fallon are funny, now that you’ve dissed the only truly funny guy in late-night.

Comment by Scott — September 11, 2009 @ 11:14 am

Well, excuuuuuuuse me!  Who is Michael Brett?  What rock have you been living under?  Craig Ferguson NOT funny???  He’s the ONLY one out there who is!!!  Creative, genuine, intelligent, caring, and FUNNY!! I guess because I’m both English AND Scottish and have traveled extensively in BOTH countries, I find his humor extremely hilarious and unpredictable.  I love it when he gets into one of his rants about the issues of the day and either jumps over the desk or shakes his fist at the audience.  I also grew up with a great appreciation for the creativity of Jim Henson, so I will ALWAYS love puppets, and if you don’t like puppets you should just go and join Al-Qaeda! I also appreciate that he is an equal opportunity guy when it comes to politics.  Something Dave could take a lesson on! I must say Mr. Brett, I couldn’t disagree with you more.  I can hardly wait to see how you will glorify those other late night guys with their big bands, huge sets, que card joke presenters that they are, and dry, same old same old, humor(?)!  I believe once you take a good look at those other guys, you may want to take this review back.  I’m voting for Craig!

Comment by Jean Marie from Illinois — September 13, 2009 @ 10:30 am

Jean Marie-

Please, please, please don’t compare someone pushing a decorated sock in front of a camera to Jim Henson. Craig uses puppets. Jim Henson used muppets, way more fully actualized characters with fully realized movement and expressions. Jim Henson is one of my all-time icons.

In short, Jean, I knew Jim Henson. Craig is not Jim Henson. You disservice both by even attempting a comparison. And for such an avid Hensonite, you must have completely missed the Henson reference embedded in the column.

Read before we react, people.

And what does nationality have to do with humor? If Craig was on Channel Four, he’d be equally unfunny. The likes of Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, and Ricky Gervais run circles around Craig in every category.

Please explain to me what political side Letterman is on. If you claim he’s liberal, I would like specific examples as to what makes him so liberal. And if you’re answer is “Well, because he made fun of George Bush!!”, then I wonder how much other TV viewing you get in after the fourteen hours of FoxNews you consume.

Finally, I’d join Al Queda in a heartbeat if they only fought the kind of mediocre, borscht belt humor Craig specializes in. With regressive as Afghanistan is, I would argue Craig would have statues of himself made there. Right next to the one of Henny Youngman.

Comment by Michael Brett from Evanston, IL — September 13, 2009 @ 11:37 am

Oh dear. Mr. Brett, you sound like a four year old who can’t get his own way. The previous comment wasn’t a comparison between Craig’s puppets and Mr. Henson. Seriously. You can’t possibly think that.

Jim Henson was brilliant, but if you think that Craig Ferguson actually believes his silly wonderful puppets are in Henson’s league then you just don’t get the humour, or the parody.. or, indeed, his brilliant homage.

You really can’t state any kind of an opinion about this show or Ferguson with just a few episodes under your belt. You didn’t even get the running gag Al-Queda mention from the previous post. You have to do your homework first. Most columnists would do their research. You obviously haven’t, and it shows. You come off sounding more like the old guy in Craig’s monologues - “Hey you kids, get offa my lawn!”

Watch his eulogy to his dad or his reasoning for not getting into the Britney Spears debacle or watch his inter-action with the wonderful Betty White, or his interview with Archbishop Tutu, or any of his ‘puppet’ lipsync numbers, his gentleness and clever manner with some of his more elderly guests, more importantly his ‘respect’ - which is sadly lacking in many late night hosts.

He doesn’t fall all over big name actors and it’s very very refreshing. He doesn’t do ba-da-bing one liners from que cards. He doesn’t take himself seriously. I’ve been watching him since I caught one of his brilliant monologues in 2005. A clever, brilliant, wickedly funny host.

Comment by Donna — September 13, 2009 @ 2:24 pm

Enlightened Ferguson fans-

The word is ‘cue’. As in the sentence- Craig does not read from cue cards because he believes his brilliance should not be sullied by his Letterman-paid writing staff.

Que is what in Spanish and queue is a line of people.

Now, what the heck is his puppetry a homage to? The Battleship Potempkin? If it’s a homage at all it’s to Souply Sales and Shari Lewis- I know, two of the Orson Welles of the last century.

I’m going to give all the hosts the same chance. Five episodes. No more. No less.

Late night is humor people. Except for one show, which I will deal with later. I don’t want to see Craig’s interview with Tutu. Why? ‘Cause it won’t make me laugh. I don’t want to hear him eulogize his father on air. Why? ‘Cause it won’t make me laugh. And I SERIOUSLY don’t want to hear his interview with Betty White. Why? ‘Cause it won’t make me laugh.

But thank you for bringing up even more examples of Craig not making people laugh.

And ladies, if he didn’t have a Scottish accent he’d be creepy Steve at the end of the bar. Accents are to women what breasts are to men, a shallow substitute for character and insight. 

Further, for any of you who honestly believe that CBS will replace Dave (who has no plans to retire anytime soon) with Craig, I have two words for you.

Jon. Stewart.

But hey, don’t stop believing. Fanatics like yourselves keep Laurence Welk re-runs on PBS, which I grant you is a far more bizarre and insidious phenomenon than harmless Craig.

Comment by Michael Brett from Evanston, IL — September 13, 2009 @ 4:23 pm

Michael Brett from Evanston, IL,

Why don’t you just post your opinions on the IMDB message boards if you want to argue with people. You posted an article, and most posters disagree. Deal with it. 

I find it funny that you think the Late Late Show viewers are also fans of Lawrence Welk. Where’d you come up with that one?

Also, late night wasn’t always about constant manic laugh-a-minute humor. Once upon a time guests came on talk shows not just to promote their latest project, tell a funny anecdote and answer insipid questions. They came on to TALK. And that is what Ferguson’s show excels at.

But whatever, if you don’t find the freewheeling Craig Ferguson funny, it’s no skin off my back.

Comment by Bob — September 13, 2009 @ 5:14 pm

It’s clearly a manner of taste.  I find Leno and even Letterman boring and predictable.  Yes, Ferguson uses a standard routine, but you can tell he bonds with his audience.  He’s like the story-teller at the party that everyone listens to and there is the general feeling that he is genuine and unrehearsed.  (He follows a blueprint for his monologue to act as a prompt, but he doesn’t actually write one out).  If I had to rank the late shows it would be the Daily Show/Colbert Report duo followed by Ferguson then Conan.  Leno and Letterman are a tie.  But don’t dish on Ferguson.

Comment by Setay — September 13, 2009 @ 10:26 pm

“Accents are to women what breasts are to men, a shallow substitute for character and insight.” Nice way to insult women and also show your ignorance regarding Ferguson.  He is indeed attractive.  But, so is Jimmy Fallon (unfortunately not funny and no real substance).  Ferguson’s charm is that he’s incredibly smart, well-traveled, well-read and witty. He regularly drops in literary references that you won’t get anywhere else. Flaubert, anyone? 

As to us “rabid fans”... the other networks wish their late night guys had such a burden.  The NY Times ran an article which can be read here
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/business/media/26adco.html
which discussed a unique survey measuring fans’ love of their favorite talk shows. 
“When asked if they out-and-out loved a show, “The Daily Show” with Mr. Stewart hit 51 percent among those surveyed, with “The Colbert Report” second at 39 percent.  Only one network star came close to generating that much love: CBS’s Craig Ferguson. Among his fans, 35 percent said they loved his show. That may come as something of a surprise to those who don’t often catch Mr. Ferguson, a host who almost always generates boisterous enthusiasm, and big laughs from his studio audience.  Mr. Ferguson fared best of the network hosts in many other of the Harris survey categories (like “fits my entertainment needs perfectly”).”  This simply points out the fact that what he’s doing strikes a far deeper chord among viewers than the other guys.  He stands out…in a good way.

And if you don’t think CBS is seriously considering him for Dave’s slot, then you haven’t been following the trades.  Ferguson’s contract is being renewed as we speak to coincide with Dave’s contract.  Both end in 2012.  Now, whether he really wants to move to Dave’s slot is another matter.  I love Stewart, but can’t imagine him giving up the freedom of speech he has on Comedy Central to move to CBS late night. But, who knows.

I guess my bottom line in all this is that we all know comedy is subjective.  You don’t find him funny.  That’s fine.  But, don’t denegrate him or his fans simply because you don’t like him.

Comment by Andrea from Denver — September 14, 2009 @ 12:34 am

Craig Ferguson is worthwhile TV because it’s positive TV.  In a TV landscape dominated by (and therefore rewarding) mindless celebrities, insult comedy, morons on reality shows and a low level of discourse Craig Ferguson offers a positive change from all that.  He’s exactly what how you describe him—the guy who tells jokes and still laughs at them even if they’re not funny.  It’s a show that hinges on joy instead of degradation for its comedy.  The dancing puppets thing is the perfect example—it’s a simple routine that doesn’t have to rely on bringing someone else down.  Craig’s show provides a positive, happy outlook on the world and I’m glad that it still has a place on network television.

Comment by Al from Los Angeles, CA — September 14, 2009 @ 1:42 pm

— PopMatters sponsor —

You write a column and then jump down the throats of those readers who disagree with you. Classy. Are you not better suited in a Twitter capacity?

And as you’re very quick to correct others, it’s the battleship ‘Potemkin’ and ‘Soupy’ - although what the heck that has to do with anything I have no idea. Your attempt at ‘clever’ falls into that of “Oh yeah? Well you’re a poopey bum.” Good grief.

I enjoy Ferguson very much. Sometimes his stuff works and sometimes not. But he is always entertaining.

It’s also a “Talk” show. As someone else said, he excels in that; clever interviewer who brings out the best in every guest, even the dullest of ACTors.

You don’t wish to watch the Tutu interview betcause you won’t laugh? Tutu found Ferguson pretty funny and Craig was charmed by the man. It was an insightful interview but it also made me laugh out loud.

His chats with authors are particularly good. He’s genuinely interested and interesting.

Comment by Kerry from Halifax — September 14, 2009 @ 6:09 pm

I assume you consider yourself a journalist, but please do yourself a favor and PROOFREAD, Mr. Brett.  One does not “refer back”...that’s bad grammar and redundant.  And one should not diss his readers…that’s bad form and shows that you lack good manners.  Craig Ferguson is the best thing to happen to late night television since Johnny Carson’s early years and there is a huge number of people who would agree with me!  Get a clue, Mr. Brett.  You are unprepared and presumptuous to “review” Craig Ferguson with just a week of his shows under your belt. Stop with the negativity until you really “know” about Craig Ferguson and what makes him tick.  Get his book on Sept. 22nd…American on Purpose…and read it!

Comment by Tricia Smith from Bel Air, Maryland — September 15, 2009 @ 6:20 pm

It’s seems you like same ole same ole, like the dull ole man with one liners that can make a person yawn and want to go to bed after the 11:00 news. Well you are one in a million. For almost 5 years Craig Ferguson has breathed life into late night. So good for you liking dull ole men. One thing more, if his jokes don’t work he’s not afraid to admit it. Guess to you fresh isn’t funny.

Comment by Chris Geisler from USA — September 15, 2009 @ 6:33 pm

Craig Ferguson is the best host on Late Night TV… i can’t believe you got him so wrong. He is far better than any of his competitors.

Comment by ZJW from Buffalo — September 16, 2009 @ 4:53 pm

i like craig ferguson.
i disagreed with the article but respected the writer’s opinion.
after reading the writer’s comments here, i no longer respect the writer.
his tantrums when somebody disagrees are embarrassing him AND this site.

Comment by dave — September 18, 2009 @ 11:13 am

Late night isn’t supposed to be about just the Funny. It should be well rounded, it has to try and appeal to as broad an audience as possible, and as soon as you rely on a writing staff or scripts, what not, you can lose freedom to get the laugh, Craig is never uneasy in front of the camera even if things go sour. I enjoy his humour more than anyone else on late night except for Conan’s skits, which I’ve loved even in his terrible first year on his old show. Craig is a better host for a talk show than the other hosts.
Now, how could you possibly say you would not want to watch an interview with Betty White? Have you never seen one before? She is hilarious even at her age. I actually did see that interview and it was great. You want to talk about the greatness of Henson and put down someone equally as valid. Also on the Henson rant, the deal with puppetry isn’t in the quality of the puppets, production, or content so much, it lies in the magic that can be created, no doubt that Henson is the all time master save maybe a few ventriloquist acts. Craig is a master his comedy is boundless and smart.

Comment by Reggie — September 19, 2009 @ 6:31 pm

It’s all subjective and personal taste.

Speaking as a male in his 30’s, my take:

JOHNNY CARSON: The best. I loved his dry humor and his very subtle experessions. As an all-around late night host, none have been better since him.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Revolutionary when on NBC. I loved how he was mostly just goofy and silly. The Chris Elliot bits might be my favorite running gags ever. He’s slowly gone downhill since moving to CBS. And now he’s repetitive and getting too political.

CONAN O’BRIEN: Like Lettermen (so far), he shined very brightly on NBC’s Late Night, but seems different on the earlier time. Like Letterman, I think he’s best when he’s just silly and wierd and off-the-wall. He loses me a bit when he does more serious or political material. And he seems more calculated now. I like his long-time writers/actors that appear in various bits…The Interruptor is a classic character. To me, Conan may come the closest to Carson at his all-around TV host abilities.

JAY LENO: I didn’t like him much when he first took over. I always liked his stand-up style and his people skills, but his show seemed way too cheesy in the early days. Some still find that to be true today, but I now like his positivity and his various bits. I like that he doesn’t seem to take anything too seriously and I like how he lets various comedians take over for a remote bit or a funny video bit. Some complain he’s too bland. I say he’s just a good guy who wants to be funny without pissing anybody off. Right now, I’m enjoying his show more than Conan or Letterman.

JIMMY FALLON: His show surprised me. He’s very easy to like. And his off-the-wall bits are very good. If he keeps it up, he might be my favorite current late night host.

JON STEWART and COLBERT REPORT: Both are very funny and very talented, but I just don’t like political humor for the most part, so don’t watch them much. Snarky and smug and sarcastic can be funny, but only in very small doses for me. Unfortunately, both guys are drowning in snarky, smug sarcasm.

Comment by nick — September 23, 2009 @ 8:42 am

I like pretty much all the late shows but Craig is a mile ahead of the rest tbh because he’s genuinely a funny person without needing a great writing team (this shows in his monologues which are a bit lacking at times but he still makes the most of them). You can see how naturally funny he is in his interviews where it’s just a one on one talk with the host. He might not get Letterman’s slot but he’s fine where he is.

This whole series “does late night tv still matter?” is just made to point out that late night TV is unecessary by someone who doesn’t enjoy it anymore I think.

At the end of the day though, no one gives a better rant than Craig Ferguson and I love his puppets….especially the cheeky monkey.

Comment by Peter from Canada — September 23, 2009 @ 10:17 pm

Like another poster stated, Ferguson is the only comic on TV who is not predictable. I like his faux-angry approach. I am not crazy about his interviewing style.

Anyway, it’s really easy to poke fun at other people’s work or taste. Making fun of Ferguson’s looks is really quite lame. See below:

(Michael Brett, the Leper Messiah, resides with his wife in Evanston, Illinois. He enjoys pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and going to bullfights on acid.

Wow! Going to bullfights while on acid! This guy is hilarious. I mean, where does he get this stuff? And he makes fun of Ferguson’s appearance, yet did you see what he looks like? he reminds me of the goofy guy from Freaks and Geeks only 20 years later.)

I am sure the author is a funny guy, and it is fine that he doesn’t like Ferguson’s humor. However, a softer touch and better analysis would serve him well. The piece comes off more of a rant, which is ironically appropriate given Ferguson’s style.

After all, as we Ferguson himself says, his show is “utter crap”.

Comment by Bill — September 25, 2009 @ 1:05 pm

Bill-

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll make sure to tell the professional stylist who’s job it is to make me look just so for the head shot beneath my weekly column published all over America by a major media company, for which I am extraordinarily well-compensated.

Comment by Michael Brett from Evanston, IL — September 25, 2009 @ 2:56 pm

The bullfights on acid is clearly a reference to ‘Caddyshack.’ At least that’s the only other time I’ve ever heard that phrase.

Are the other parts of this series ever going to be posted?

Comment by Bob — September 25, 2009 @ 4:27 pm

Talk about rough treatment!  But if an author is going to make such definitive statements about someone, that person should expect to be similarly scrutinized. 

Having such obvious thin-skin makes me wonder if this is some kind of set-up.  The retort of having a “professional stylist” and being “extraordinarily compensated” rings false. 

As has been stated, many people do like Craig Ferguson immensely, specifically for the types of material that you write off as “square” (while praising Johnny Carson, interestingly enough).  That kind of insight, even for an opinion piece, would have done the author well, possibly avoiding the level of opposing feedback received.

Comment by Marco from Atlanta, GA — September 27, 2009 @ 6:25 pm

Hey Mike, insulting women and the Scottish?  I always knew you would endear yourself to the public once they got to know you!  Great articles, by the way-CB

Comment by Cousin Chris from Chicago — September 28, 2009 @ 2:14 pm

Your cousin thinks this is a great article? What does your mom think?

The 12 year old blog style retaliation on the part of this ‘journalist’ says much about his immaturity. You’ll have to grow a thicker skin, Mr. Brett, if you wish to continue in your field of endeavour. I have a feeling this is new to you so I’ll give you a break. However, you really need to research your subject first before you can really have an informed opinion.

Comment by Josh from Canada — September 28, 2009 @ 7:39 pm

[Sniff sniff]

[Sound of masking tape over box]

[Sniff sniff]

Well, there’s the last of that dream. Might as well pack up the dream.

[Sound of blowing nose]

Comment by Michael Brett from Evanston, IL — September 28, 2009 @ 10:02 pm

— PopMatters sponsor —

Craig Ferguson is really funny.  A LOT funnier than… well… than someone who is presently occupying a certain legendary late night host’s chair as of recent.  Craig’s an amazing, amazing follow up to Letterman, who, in spite of his personal junk, is still genuinely funny.  People who are funny, just are, it can’t be analyzed.  I think they’re just born that way.  And Craig’s one of those people.

Comment by Peter — October 7, 2009 @ 8:21 pm

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