When "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" premieres on Tuesday, the late-night turnover will be complete. The old guard of the last 25 years has exited the arena and left the field completely open for a new king.
But audiences shouldn't expect a second "War for Late Night" like the one that broke out between Jay Leno and David Letterman in the 1990s. Colbert has stated adamantly that he shares no animosity toward his fellow hosts of the 11:35 p.m. slot - Jimmy Fallon on NBC and Jimmy Kimmel on ABC - and any late-night war that occurs will be strictly between the networks - not the personalities.
"I think nothing would be more boring than late-night war," the 51-year-old host told Jerry Seinfeld on an episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."
Colbert even invited Fallon out for drinks shortly after CBS named him Letterman's successor in April 2014. Last year, while still hosting "The Colbert Report" for Comedy Central, he appeared on Fallon's first episode of "The Tonight Show," welcoming him to the 11:30 p.m. timeslot.
Ruling out any late-night dramatics, the next question becomes, "Who is the real Stephen Colbert?" It's a question many have asked about the man who they have only known as the ignorant conservative pundit who anchored "The Colbert Report" for nine years.
Even the new "Late Show" host and his staff are wondering who he is and have planned a potential segment called, "Who Am Me?" to find out, James Poniewozik reported in Time. Colbert sent staffers to his hometown of Charleston, S.C. to track down stories from childhood friends. They then wrote up a dossier for their boss to discover "if Past Stephen gave Future Stephen any good material."
But perhaps more important than Colbert's true personality is the approach he will take to stay competitive in this new late-night landscape where audiences are quickly abandoning traditional TV in favor of watching interviews and sketches online the next day.
Fallon and Kimmel have dominated in this respect (as well as James Corden during his first few months hosting "The Late Late Show"). Kimmel got the ball rolling with his 2008 viral videos "F*@#ing Matt Damon" and the follow up "F*@#ing Ben Affleck." Fallon elevated the game with his "Lip Sync Battles" and "History of Raps" featuring Justin Timberlake on "Late Night" and then "The Tonight Show."
Colbert has already proved he can compete for YouTube views, producing a couple dozen online exclusives during the transition. But judging by his early guest list, he seems more focused on featuring a diverse group of interesting people beyond the typical actor plugging his new project.
In his first four shows, Colbert will sit down with politicians Jeb Bush and Joe Biden, businessmen Elon Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and author Stephen King. Of course, he'll also have the Hollywood-types including George Clooney, Amy Schumer and rapper Kendrick Lamar, who was his final musical guest on the "Report."
Personally attending one of "The Late Show" test shows last week, Colbert looked ready to get back on the air. He and his bandleader, Jon Batiste, have already developed a friendly banter and do an incredible "Star-Spangled Banner" duet. "Report" fans will also feel right at home with a few set pieces held over from the old studio.
It all begins on Tuesday night, Sept. 8 at 11:35 p.m. on CBS.
