Over the past few years, a younger generation has been taking the reigns of long-time and historic late night shows across major television networks. This week marked the newest transition.

Comedian and media critic Stephen Colbert started his tenure as the host of “The Late Show” on CBS on Tuesday, Sept. 8, replacing long-time comedic icon David Letterman. This makes him the second host of the series that began 22 years ago under Letterman in 1993.

Colbert got his start studying improvisation at the legendary Second City in Chicago. The theater troupe is notorious for developing the comedic talents of alumni such as Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Joan Rivers and Bill Murray, to name a few. Colbert began working at the network Comedy Central on the program “The Daily Show” in 1997 as a correspondent. 

His style received notable attention and from 2005 to 2014, he hosted his own show on the same network titled “The Colbert Report,” where he played a fictionalized version of himself delivering satirical news as an obnoxious, conservative pundit.

With his popularity having rapidly grown over the past decade and Letterman’s retirement inevitably approaching, CBS saw Colbert as the natural choice for the hosting position.

“He is a presence on every stage,” CBS said in its statement announcing the hire in April 2014. “We welcome Stephen to CBS with great pride and excitement.”

Some are already welcoming the changes in the show’s ritual that a new host surely brings.

Critics and fans received Colbert’s first few shows with praise. He so far has interviewed guests such as Vice President Joe Biden, actor George Clooney and actress Scarlett Johansson. He has a traditional house band, cracks monologue jokes and even incorporates elements of his old show by sitting behind a desk reading jokes.

For his new show, Colbert stressed that he won’t be hosting with the character he developed on Comedy Central. Colbert will be hosting the program as himself while maintaining his usual sense of humor.

Some other highlights from his first week include poking fun at GOP election front-runner Donald Trump, discussing the taxi industry with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, debating media relations with Supreme Court Justice Breyer and talking space exploration with Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. Though not all the interviews were focused on being humorous, many proved very insightful and entertaining to viewers.

For Colbert, the idea of hosting one of the iconic late night programs never

seemed possible. 

“Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career,” Colbert told CBS in April. “I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps.”

Colbert’s first show attracted 6.6 million viewers. His segments and interviews were uploaded on YouTube, where the videos received even more viewing attention.

With Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on NBC, Jimmy Kimmel on ABC and now Stephen Colbert and James Corden on CBS, the late night landscape has changed.  The wave of younger talent is helping viewership grow online and fueling comedic styles and subjects that spark interest in a younger audience.

“You have to go with your instincts about what you like, and trust that there is someone out there who feels the same way,” Colbert said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “We are going to have fun.”

Colbert is signed with CBS for the next five years. His first week showed great promise as he proved he could host a show that can both compete and entertain. You can catch “The Late Show” weeknights at 11:35/10:35 Central Standard Time or find clips on “The Late Show” YouTube channel.

Satirical icon and media critic Stephen Colbert kicked off his reign as “The Late Show’s” host on Sept. 8. Colbert stepped into the position after the show’s previous star David Letterman retired following more than 30 years of hosting. “He is a presence on every stage,” CBS said in a statement about Colbert taking the position in April.

Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons/Kimberly Cecchini