The Late Show is the main late night franchise on CBS. Since its beginnings in 1993, it has originated from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. It was created in 1993 when CBS, a network who has had very little success in late night until that point, gave David Letterman the opportunity to compete against NBC and The Tonight Show, who had chosen Jay Leno to replace the legendary Johnny Carson instead of Dave, at 11:30pm. Although it was not a ratings winner like NBC's Tonight, The Late Show with David Letterman had a loyal fan base from fans and network executives alike. When Dave announced his retirement in 2014, CBS chose Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report fame, only As Himself this time) as the new host.
No relation to the Michael Connelly novel, or the Australian sketch comedy show.
The specific series have their respective pages:
- The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-2015)
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015-present)
