LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[CaliCheeseSucks]

The move to pre-taping Friday on Thursdays, though, predates the new showrunner and the pre-credits skit. That taping schedule was already happening when the random repeat on Fridays (during an otherwise new week) first became noticeable, and made it that much more odd. 

As far as Nice, that situation pretty much forced his hand with having three prominent CBS newscasters sitting on the sofa. Without that event having happened, I doubt that anyone would have owned up to the show not being filmed on Friday. 

[Victor the Crab]

FUUUUUUUCK!!!!! I expected Jon to show up tonight. But I did NOT expect to see Old School Stephen, with old school eyeware, and THE WØRD back again laying waste to Donald Drumph! So righteously awesome!!!

[brgjoe]

My word....it's the return of The Word!  The return of "Stephen!"  Truthiness abounds!

That was great!  So much awesome sauce.  Fantastic way to start off my late night viewing week!

[The Luvly Junkie]

GAWD, I don't know how to articulate that is the Almighty Reverend Colbert's Triumphant Return! That segment oozed political lambasting into my veins, making my heart stop when The Word segment appeared, then ripped and renewed it as soon as the commercial break started. Also, if I need to articulate why I would never vote for Trump and Sanders supporters will do it out of spite and grumpiness, I'll link the Youtube clip of the The Word to them and see what conclusions they'll draw upon. Man I'm just glad Stephen took advantage of the RNC with a riveting episode, also rekindling my theory of Jon Stewart and Stephen's character being an immortal couple.

[mtlchick]

I had a feeling that the conventions was exactly what Colbert and the show needed to really break though.  Sure he had to fall back on some old favourites, but dammit, it worked.  (THE WORD!!!!!) My Facebook feed is flooded with his bits this morning. 

And maybe it was due to the live taping and being 1130 PM but that audience was HYPED UP.  The most I've seen since this show premiered.

[ABay]

So much joy at seeing both Jon and the unexpected, but very welcome, return of "Stephen"! I admit I squeed.

[Kromm]

55 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

I had a feeling that the conventions was exactly what Colbert and the show needed to really break though.  Sure he had to fall back on some old favourites, but dammit, it worked.  (THE WORD!!!!!) My Facebook feed is flooded with his bits this morning. 

And maybe it was due to the live taping and being 1130 PM but that audience was HYPED UP.  The most I've seen since this show premiered.

 

1 minute ago, ABay said:

So much joy at seeing both Jon and the unexpected, but very welcome, return of "Stephen"! I admit I squeed.

For all that I agree that "Stephen" and Jon hyped the show up, I have to say that The Hungry For Power Games piece was actually funnier than either of the others skits ("The Word" and the meeting with Jon).

Even the Live aspect, which did help the mood and energy of the show overall didn't really apply to HFPG, because it was pre-taped. But I guess we did get to hear how the live crowd responded to it. 

[Kromm]

BTW: I LOVE how the news reporting of the Hungry For Power thing all talk about how he stayed on stage until "Security forced him off". It's clear that people right there seeing at the convention really believed this to be the case!  Whereas I think we could all see at home that it was an actor/Colbert stooge giving him the bum rush off (the stereotypical sunglasses make it obvious).

[mtlchick]

Quote

I have to say that The Hungry For Power Games piece was actually funnier than either of the others skits ("The Word" and the meeting with Jon).

I was eating a protein bar when he was calling to Chuck Todd to get Matt Lauer for him.  I started to choke from laughing so hard.

[monakane]

So good to see Jon.  That show was terrific but it highlighted what's wrong with the show.  Stephen is a performer and he doesn't get to perform on his new show.  He's not a late night talk show guy, he's an actor.  It was wonderful to see him get to perform and to see "Stephen" and the Word.  I miss Jon and TCR so much during this election cycle.

[Princess Sparkle]

6 minutes ago, monakane said:

So good to see Jon.  That show was terrific but it highlighted what's wrong with the show.  Stephen is a performer and he doesn't get to perform on his new show.  He's not a late night talk show guy, he's an actor.  It was wonderful to see him get to perform and to see "Stephen" and the Word.  I miss Jon and TCR so much during this election cycle.

I think you hit the nail on the head.  There was an excitement and energy for when Stephen was "Stephen", and it's one I haven't seen in a little while on the show.

[purist]

3 hours ago, mtlchick said:

My Facebook feed is flooded with his bits this morning.

Teehee.

[monakane]

2 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

I think you hit the nail on the head.  There was an excitement and energy for when Stephen was "Stephen", and it's one I haven't seen in a little while on the show.

If you  think about Dave, Jay, Kimmel, and Carson, they all come from a stand-up background.  Good comedians connect with the audience in a personal and intimate way.  Actors have the wall of their performance between their true selves and the audience.  Stephen is a brilliant comedic actor, but like a lot of great actors he's not comfortable exposing his true self.  

[catrox14]

Oh this was like manna. "Stephen" was so great. "The Word" had me weepy because I missed it SO much. What a beautiful episode.

[futurechemist]

That was fun, though I kind of wish they had Jon Stewart talk a bit more about current politics rather than just set up elaborate spit takes.  Still it was worth it to see The Word.  And the word Trumpiness makes perfect sense to me, much more than the Trump campaign itself.

I do wonder how people not familiar with the Colbert Report found the "Stephen" segment.

[nowandlater]

1 hour ago, monakane said:

If you  think about Dave, Jay, Kimmel, and Carson, they all come from a stand-up background.

 

FYI: Kimmel went from radio DJ in a bunch of markets to The Sports Guy on a hit L.A. radio morning show to game show sidekick to The Man Show co-host to his own talk show. He wasn't a standup.

[opus]

2 hours ago, futurechemist said:

 

I do wonder how people not familiar with the Colbert Report found the "Stephen" segment.

That's me. I know enough that it's a callback to his old show, but most of it probably went over my head.

[Milburn Stone]

2 hours ago, nowandlater said:

 

FYI: Kimmel went from radio DJ in a bunch of markets to The Sports Guy on a hit L.A. radio morning show to game show sidekick to The Man Show co-host to his own talk show. He wasn't a standup.

Hey, don't forget quiz show sidekick on Win Ben Stein's Money. That was my favorite Kimmel.

[jumper sage]

7 hours ago, Kromm said:

BTW: I LOVE how the news reporting of the Hungry For Power thing all talk about how he stayed on stage until "Security forced him off". It's clear that people right there seeing at the convention really believed this to be the case!  Whereas I think we could all see at home that it was an actor/Colbert stooge giving him the bum rush off (the stereotypical sunglasses make it obvious).

If I may compare:  Remember how long it took Republicans to "get it" that Stephen was making fun of them?  Now look at how long he was up on that stage and he was magnificent!  "I shouldn't be going up there but I'm going". [paraphrase]  "I know I shouldn't be up here but neither should Trump".  Or somewhere close.

6 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I was eating a protein bar when he was calling to Chuck Todd to get Matt Lauer for him.  I started to choke from laughing so hard.

You and me both, you.and.me.both.

Bringing back the word and the energy of the Colbert Report was genius.  I never knew how much I missed it.  I miss it.  He needs to integrate some of this back into the new show.

[madhacker]

I really hope Stephen keeps it going for at least rest of the week. This is exactly the breath of fresh air we need to watch after watching the insanity that's going on at the convention.

[peeayebee]

My long post was eaten. Anyway, loved the show. Great to see "Stephen" again. 

[Hanahope]

I know how much I miss "Stephen", and this episode reminded me a lot.  It was so good to see him again and the Word.  And the HFPG bit is probably the best bit of the new show. He really needs something to take its place when the election is over.

[MisterGlass]

I was so delighted to watch the return of "Stephen" today.  The eagle's cry, the Captain America shield, Sting, even the old glasses!  I think Stephen is a good interviewer and commentator as himself, but I would love it if every now and then the glasses changed and "Stephen" came in to make political commentary.  I really missed the Word!

The HFPG bit is great, though!

[ABay]

Forgot to say: I love that "Stephen" was wearing a Wrist Strong bracelet.

[mtlchick]

Quote

 That show was terrific but it highlighted what's wrong with the show.  Stephen is a performer and he doesn't get to perform on his new show.  He's not a late night talk show guy, he's an actor.

Indeed. When he was doing interviews on the Report, he was doing them on the guise of a blowhard so the guests would play along.  But as himself, I don't think he's that comfortable in doing so.  This is the first time in a decade that he and his staff didn't land an Emmy nod of any kind, so it seems even the Academy is thinking "Well...we're passing on this one."  I do wonder if CBS was the one to clamp down originally as if to say "we're doing a TALK show here.  We're not really interested in the variety stuff."  I hope after the response so far, they loosen the reins. 

Quote

Forgot to say: I love that "Stephen" was wearing a Wrist Strong bracelet.

I had to laugh that Jon had a "Rally to Restore Sanity" sign on his fridge in his cabin. 

 

Side note: Laura Benanti is STUNNING. 

[teddysmom]

A friend of mine was college roommate of one of Colbert's writers, and we were commiserating yesterday about how unfunny Late Show is, esp. compared to Report, and when they see each other in September, how he could delicately bring up that they need to bring back some of the Report stuff. 

He thinks it's two pronged - Colbert's desire to not do that character, and CBS not wanting to anger more conservative viewers.  The thing is, conservatives watched Report, and if it's older conservatives, do they really think they stay up til 11:35 pm to watch Late Show?  No matter what Stephen likes or doesn't like doing, Late Show is not getting any better.  The audience reaction to him coming out as conservative Colbert and doing The Word should be indication that CBS and Colbert need to figure out what they want - to risk pissing off a few viewers by doing edgier commentary, or to make Late Show so boring that no one watches.  It's not like he only has to go after conservatives, the Democratic Party gives him plenty of ammo. He thinks Mike Pence is boring?  Wait til Hillary announces Tim Kaine is her running mate.  

Politics and commentary on current events put Stephen on the map.  Instead of Midnight Confessions, bring back Stephen Gets All Up In Your Faith, which was a descendant of This Week in God.  It was hilarious.  Burn that Big Furry Hat.  No more cold opens.    

Letterman got to where he was by not listening to everything the suits at CBS told him.  Colbert is letting the suits turn him into just another boring lame talk show. 

Edited July 20, 2016 by teddysmom

[possibilities]

The thing is, Colbert stopped doing his old show because he didn't want to keep doing it. It's not like he got cancelled. I think he genuinely wanted to do a "variety/talk" show, where he could sing and dance with the guests, and interview a few scientists and other intellectuals, and stop being "in character". Unfortunately, his interests do not match his talents, so he's making a subpar show that bores viewers. The network seems to be pushing the usual bland celebrity guests who neither he nor his previous fanbase are interested in, so he's now neither pleasing himself nor his fans, nor the people who tune in for those guests that other shows already have.

I don't know what the answer is. If he really doesn't want to do what he used to do, he needs to find something else he's good at. Whether it will fly at CBS, I don't know.

[teddysmom]

I couldn't recall if he announced the end of Report before getting tagged to host Late Show. 

Maybe he could still do similar bits as he did on Report just not in character.

 As far as the boring guests, I don't know how to solve that either. 

[Hanahope]

1 hour ago, teddysmom said:

 

I couldn't recall if he announced the end of Report before getting tagged to host Late Show.

 

I'm pretty sure we all knew he was going to be the new Late Show host while he was still doing TCR.

I'm sure he's getting paid more, but I bet he has less real freedom to do what he really wants.

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

The thing is, Colbert stopped doing his old show because he didn't want to keep doing it. It's not like he got cancelled. I think he genuinely wanted to do a "variety/talk" show, where he could sing and dance with the guests, and interview a few scientists and other intellectuals, and stop being "in character". Unfortunately, his interests do not match his talents, so he's making a subpar show that bores viewers.

I agree with the first part, and it's a good reminder. But I don't agree that it's inevitable that his interest in doing a variety/talk show is a mismatch for his talents, because for the first two weeks of LSSC, I thought he was absolutely brilliant--the best thing in late-night for many a moon. Somehow either A) that level of brilliance proved unsustainable for him and his writers over the long haul, or B) CBS interfered too much and destroyed his confidence. But it was a glorious two weeks.

[mtlchick]

I posted an article in the media thread that refers to a lot of the stuff mentioned in this thread.

 

Quote

I couldn't recall if he announced the end of Report before getting tagged to host Late Show. 

When Letterman announced his retirement, Colbert was long considered a front runner.  I think it was announced that he got the gig, it was a matter of when he would end the Report.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

21 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

I'm sure he's getting paid more

Nope; actually, according to this article he was getting $6 million per year for The Colbert Report and is getting $4.6 million per year for The Late Show.  It wasn't about the money: http://www.cinemablend.com/television/How-Much-Money-Stephen-Colbert-Left-Table-By-Joining-CBS-84347.html

[ABay]

This is probably too obvious, but to me the answer to the various problems raised by folks upthread is to stop watching the show if you aren't mostly enjoying it. And the equally obvious parallel that I apply to participating on PTV is to use the ignore feature as necessary.

Edited July 20, 2016 by ABay

[Hanahope]

21 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

It wasn't about the money

At least in the short term.  In the long term, he has more exposure and the potential to earn significantly more, if it works out.

Overall, I enjoy about half of his shows.  Colbert is a gem, its just that sometimes its diamond, and other times is quartz (whereas he was the diamond on TCR probably 80% of the time).  But this is why I either watch the show on-line or on my DVR the next day.  that way I can fast-forward through the parts that aren't working for me that day.  And tbh, its that way for me with all the late night shows, when I opt to watch them.

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's take further conversation about how LSSC could be changed over to The LSSC Wishlist topic, please, and keep it on the episode discussion here. We're getting off topic in here. Thanks!

[peeayebee]

Laura Benanti as Melania was absolutely perfect! I love her anyway, but she was stunning, which I mean in a talented way. (Yes, she's also attractive.) That whole segment was hilarious.

I also loved Stephen's monologue, starting with the shadow bird and... was that a 007 homage? It kind of reminded me of the old Avengers tv show. (I just checked, and they did have a shadow part in the intro and ending credits.)

Stephen's observation that "Over the Top" could mean the direction Trump combs his hair was great. Also, Trump having a Freudian slip saying "vote turtle" because he was going to introduce the next speaker, Mitch McConnell, was beautifully clever. 

Love that clip of Paul Ryan letting out a heavy sigh before starting his speech.

I also loved the whole setup with Keegan-Michael Key being one of the few black guys at the convention leading to the revelation that he just came by because he was looking for Pokemon.

Edited July 20, 2016 by peeayebee

[jumper sage]

13 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Love that clip of Paul Ryan letting out a heavy sigh before starting his speech.

I also loved the whole setup with Keegan-Michael Key being one of the few black guys at the convention leading to the revelation that he just came by because he was looking for Pokemon.

Keegan-Michael Key is on fire these days.  I actually laughed WITH Paul Ryan instead of at him.

[futurechemist]

I would have laughed more at Keegan-Michael Key's bit about being the only black guy at the RNC if the Daily Show hadn't done the EXACT SAME BIT 30 minutes earlier, except with Roy Wood Jr. actually at the convention.

That being said, while I usually skip the interviews, I did watch this one, since it was clear that Stephen and he were having a blast just chatting about stuff.  I think Stephen's interviews are better when he doesn't feel he needs to shoehorn in whatever the guests are promoting.

I wonder why they changed the opening credit announcer for the live episodes.  Instead of the usual guy, it's the woman who does the quick promo going into the 1st commercial ("The Late Show is sponsored by ...") though I do think her voice sounds more real rather than the guy, who sounds more like fake excitement.  

[mtlchick]

I am cracking up at the name of the seating sections: Jeffs are next to the Midwestern Tourists, and the Hipsters are located on the balcony next to the Nerds.

Edited July 21, 2016 by mtlchick

[mtlchick]

Cuban "dropping the gloves" was WEAK (though I want his shirt.)  Colbert bopping in and out of frame was worth it. 

[peeayebee]

Quote

Colbert bopping in and out of frame was worth it

That was a highlight of the entire ep.

I can't believe those of those delegates hadn't heard the true Trump quotes before.

Lewis Black seemed really off.

[ABay]

Lewis was so off I thought he really had come directly from a hospital bed. I'm not his greatest fan but he's usually coherent.

[Kromm]

Laura Benanti is made of win.

[SeanC]

Ah, Jon Stewart, great to have you back (even if only for a few minutes).

[Victor the Crab]

Epic show tonight. Stephen dismantling Drumph's scary acceptance speech, Elizabeth Warren dismantling scary Drumph, and VINTAGE JON!!! Him taking apart "Lumpy" Hannity and the rest of the Drumph bootlickers on the right was like seeing an old friend that you missed.

[ABay]

What this country needs is Jon and "Stephen" on TV at least once a week, like Sam Bee and John Oliver.

My DVR cut out after Elizabeth Warren. What happened after that?

[teddysmom]

Quote

My DVR cut out after Elizabeth Warren. What happened after that?

That was the end of the show. It went to James Corden.  I had to manually record Late Late Show as I figured the speeches would run long. Thank god I did, Jon had just started right before 12:35 am. 

Critics are saying this caps off the week Colbert needed. So what does that tell us?  Politics and edgy? 

And no I was getting teary eyed by the end of Jon's rant. Shut up!! 

[sadiegirl]

32 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

That was the end of the show. It went to James Corden.  I had to manually record Late Late Show as I figured the speeches would run long. Thank god I did, Jon had just started right before 12:35 am. 

Critics are saying this caps off the week Colbert needed. So what does that tell us?  Politics and edgy? 

And no I was getting teary eyed by the end of Jon's rant. Shut up!! 

I think Billy on the Street guy came out after Warren, so there's was still some time left on the show.  I don't usually like Billy (too yell-y), but he was OK last night. Had some funny things to say.  I think the show ended after that (but it was late, so maybe I'm misremembering).

[teddysmom]

Quote

 think Billy on the Street guy came out after Warren, so there's was still some time left on the show.  I don't usually like Billy (too yell-y), but he was OK last night. Had some funny things to say.  I think the show ended after that (but it was late, so maybe I'm misremembering).

You are correct and I totally forgot about Billy.  I like him in small doses. I'm on such a high from Jon and Elizabeth I totally blanked on Billy. 

[Deanie87]

Wow, great show!  But I'm a member of the Jon/"Stephen" fan club.  I can't imagine that it played as well everywhere, so how is this going to work?  Will the show go back to "just" a talk show after the DNC?  Will next week be a continuation of this week?  It will be interesting to see where it goes from here and what CBS will allow going forward.  I'm kind of surprised that they allowed what they have so far.  Although it was live...