Late-night television got its newest addition this week with the debut of The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS.
Whenever a new late-night talk show debuts, the anticipation seems to be for something different. How will this program tweak a familiar model? Will it break any of the supposed rules and formats that have previously been established? And if the show feels like more of the same, critics and fans will often unsheath their knives — especially if the host seems at all awkward in his or her new role.
But how different do we really want it in late-night? Is it unfair to expect something truly new? To some extents, these shows are what they are. Opening monologue, comedy sketch, celebrity interviews, musical guests and good night!
David Letterman tried something different (or maybe tried to make the old new again) when he put Tom Snyder back on the air in 1995, and those who were up past midnight watching TV didn’t want a subdued interview show. Besides, we can get that on PBS with Charlie Rose or Tavis Smiley. Even if the content was compelling, it wasn’t necessarily entertaining.
If there’s one thing that can be said about The Late Late Show with James Corden after its first three programs this week (Thursday and Friday are reruns because of the NCAA Tournament), it’s that late-night’s newest host really wants to be entertaining. On his debut show, Corden was quite honest about how hard he was going to try to be worth our while.
“It really isn’t lost on me what a privilege it is to be given a show like this,” Corden said in his very first opening monologue, “and I will really do my best to not let any of you down.”
It’s kind of difficult not to like a guy like that when he seems so earnest about wanting to entertain us, while also being very conscious and respectful of the legacy he’s attempting to carry on.
Corden could be the middle of the late-night talk show host scale. On one side, there’s Jimmy Fallon, who really wants everyone to like him and to make sure you’re having a good time. Jimmy Kimmel probably represents the other side. Sure, he wants to make you laugh, but doesn’t mind pointing out how stupid and mean people can be. Taking down celebrities a notch can be fun too, most especially when they’re willing to poke fun at themselves.
Corden probably leans more toward the Fallon side of the spectrum. Not only does he seem to enjoy hanging out with celebrities (he’s “in the club,” having acted in movies such as Into the Woods), but he needs them to like him. (Maybe Corden even has to try a bit harder, as his Britishness might be perceived as creating a distance.) Otherwise, sketches like the one he did with Tom Hanks, in which the two performed a medley of Hanks’ movies, probably wouldn’t come off well.
Bits such as this are important, because Fallon has raised the bar for late-night TV by creating content that can go viral, live on far beyond the end of that particular night’s program or penetrate people’s social media circles to draw their attention to the show. Corden seems committed to competing in that arena, producing the Hanks sketch, along with the “Mystery Box” pizza delivery game and “Carpool Karaoke” with Mariah Carey on subsequent nights.
However, Corden and his team of writers and producers also seem determined to offer something different in the late-night TV landscape. Or at least there’s an attempt to tweak familiar tropes within the traditional model. At the end of the opening monologue, that night’s guests are introduced by knocking on the doors of their dressing rooms. Those guests enter the studio and go to the stage through the crowd, getting an opportunity to shake hands with the audience.
Here’s where Corden’s Late Late Show tries to do something we haven’t much before. Both that night’s guests join Corden on stage at the same time, sitting on a couch while the host moves out from behind the desk, supposedly to have a more intimate conversation. It’s a similar set-up to Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens on Bravo or the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, which is presumably what the British Corden is trying to emulate.
Guests are apparently encouraged to drink and loosen up while chatting with Corden, as there is an actual bar in the studio. (Unlike the mistake Kimmel made early on during his show’s run, drinks aren’t going to be served to the audience.) As far as I could tell, none of Corden’s guests have indulged thus far (though who knows what’s in those coffee cups they’re sipping from), but maybe it’s something they’ll warm up to later on. Let’s hope so, as beer and spirits have resulted in some fun, unscripted moments with Cohen and Norton.
Personally — and this is surely me being old — the party vibe that Corden is trying to create feels like a bit much for me at 12:35 a.m. The house band, led by Reggie Watts, is rousing and maybe the best one in late-night besides The Roots. It definitely sets the mood and raises the excitement level, but what if you’re getting ready to go to sleep. (Admittedly, I’m probably not the ideal target audience.)
I suppose I’d become more accustomed to the approach of Corden’s predecessor, Craig Ferguson, who favored a more subdued tone. No band, no sidekick, no introduction to prime the audience. Ferguson also didn’t have much use for the contrived celebrity interview, making a point of tearing up prepared questions (which may have been an act) and trying to have a conversation, rather than set up a story or blatant promotion for something. To me, his show felt like the something different so many people say they want in a late-night program. I was a big fan, so Corden was going to be sort of a tough sell for me.
Yet after three shows, I’m certainly intrigued. Corden seems likable and willing to try anything. Will he be able to attract A-level guests after his first week or two? Maybe not, but those might make the interviews more interesting. (Though having two guests on stage at the same doesn’t really allow for focused conversation.) But with some exceptions, celebrity interviews aren’t really the best parts of these shows anymore.
All of this provides some hope and anticipation for the future, which is really all you can ask for from a new show in its first week. Corden seems like someone who could grow very comfortable in the role of late-night talk show host and comedian, and that will surely happen as audiences become more familiar with him (and maybe he doesn’t have to work quite so hard to get us to like him). That’s become one of the pleasures of watching shows like this, seeing a host develop on screen and establish his or her identity. I’m eager to see what kind of host James Corden becomes.
