CBS is making a major change in its late-night lineup by bringing back an old Comedy Central series. “The Late Late Show” will be ending its three-decade run. Most recently, host James Corden announced his exit. The network will not be continuing with the late night staple. The 12:30am slot currently occupied by the show will be filled by a reboot of the popular “@midnight” gameshow series.
The new version of “@midnight” will be executive produced by Stephen Colbert, who also hosts “The Late Show,” and is the executive producer of several other late-night shows. Controversial figure Chris Hardwick, who hosted the original “@midnight” series, is not expected to be involved in the reboot.
CBS CEO George Cheeks has been searching for a new, cost-effective format to replace “The Late Late Show.” The network was looking for a modestly priced alternative that would appeal to a younger audience that typically watches late-night shows online or through social media clips.
The original “@midnight” series was a panel game show that featured three guests competing in improv games inspired by the internet. The show was a hit, and ran for exactly 600 episodes on Comedy Central from 2013 to 2017. While the games are expected to change in the reboot, the general format of the show will remain the same.
This change marks the latest move within the Paramount Global company, with CBS rebooting an old late-night format from the Viacom side of the merged company. The arrival of “@midnight” will leave “Late Night with Seth Meyers” as the only talk show in the 12:30am slot, going up against the panel game show.
The move to have Colbert as an executive producer is reminiscent of the days when David Letterman, who hosted “The Late Show” at the time, had control over the show that followed him. However, CBS will retain ownership of its late-night block, unlike the agreement former Late Night King David Letterman had in place.
