LSSC: Season One All Episodes Talk

[peeayebee]

I totally agree with the article that said he seems overly in-character, and thus comes off a little fake, but I didn't think that writer was condemning him, just saying the transition was a work in progress. 

That's how I took it too, and I agree with him.

 

Was it Scarlett Johanson Colbert did this with previously? Because I remember kind of shrugging my shoulders and going "meh." Hanks fully committed to it, and he was wonderful with Stephen. I don't know if it was scripted or improv - but I enjoyed it all. 

 

When Stephen did this with Johanson, I was sure it was ad-libbed. But with Tom Hanks, the jokes were so good that it must have been scripted, right? Maybe the Johanson one was scripted, too.

[Muffyn]

I first read that as he keeps Ed Sheeran warmer than David Letterman.

Letterman would give you a blanket.  I think Stephen is more of a snuggler, especially now that he knows both he and Ed are missing an eardrum.  

[mtlchick]

"I couldn't give less of a shit."  Oh Ollie, I adore you for that. 

[bmoore4026]

But it wouldn't be 20% as funny as Stephen's version!

 

And the jump scare would be Michelle Bachman.

[Ruby25]

Probably, but to me that is less of an indication of Stephen "selling out" and more about him doing a show that is first and foremost a comedy show, rather than the Report which was a political satire.  And I can't blame him for that; after a decade of playing that character and never breaking it, I'd want to change things up too.  Stephen seems to enjoy the chance to actually be more of himself on TV for a change, and the "real" Stephen is more of a comedian who happens to have a political side rather than the other way around.  And I think he's putting on a very good comedy show right now.

I think you're probably right that this is the main thing with the show, and I personally just really miss the hard-edged political humor of TCR, because the thing is there's nothing to replace it. It's a true loss, because I just can't get my fix of the particular brand of humor and satire that he was doing from anyone else. I'm not impressed with Trevor Noah or Larry Wilmore, and Jon Stewart's gone. So, I'm just feeling the loss I think- the old show was truly special and while the new one is funny and good and smarter than your average late night show...at the end of the day it's still just a late night talk show. And The Colbert Report wasn't that.

[roseha]

Another Thursday, another NFL game in overtime.  However, in New York City it looks like they may jump right to Stephen's show after this. 

 

ETA:  Sorry, I think it was just a "coming up" banner I saw.  A lot of news tonight, including, the fears of Hurricane Joaquin coming up the east coast.

Edited October 2, 2015 by roseha

[kib]

A small detail, but it bugged a little...

 

Last night, in addition to there being a non-SC announcer over the main titles (most likely a pre-recorded non-SC announcer), it sounded to me like the theme music was also pre-recorded. In the first couple weeks of the show, I'm pretty sure it wasn't. I.e., I'm pretty sure the main titles were accompanied by the live sound of Jon Batiste's band playing in the theater. One might think there is very little difference between the band playing live and being pre-recorded, but if my ears didn't deceive me, there was a loss of immediacy to the sound and the feel. If I'm right about what I heard, I hope they go back to "live."

Perhaps they should incorporate the day's date in a riff, much like a newpaper is held up proving the hostage is still alive...

[Milburn Stone]

Perhaps they should incorporate the day's date in a riff, much like a newpaper is held up proving the hostage is still alive...

 

They could still pre-record that... :)

[bmoore4026]

Goddamn football causing my show to air late!

 

I'm not a PewDiePie fan, but I've seen pictures of him, and judging from the girly shrieks in the audience, he has a lot of lady fans.

 

But is Stephen doing this because Markiplier and some other Let's Player were on Jimmy Kimmel?

 

Does this mean The Game Grumps will show up on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon?  They can talk about pot and alienating viewers with "you had to be there" stories whilst playing video games poorly.  Yet I still watch.

 

Wonder if Something Awful regrets coming up with the Let's Play concept.  Or are they kicking themselves over not making millions off it?

Edited October 2, 2015 by bmoore4026

[Gemma Violet]

Another great show tonight.  Love me some Stephen.  Just one small complaint that I know has been mentioned before:  Stephen really has to reign in his tendency to interrupt his guests.  The interview with John Kerry was interesting and informative, but Stephen interrupted him four or five times.

[Kromm]

Another great show tonight.  Love me some Stephen.  Just one small complaint that I know has been mentioned before:  Stephen really has to reign in his tendency to interrupt his guests.  The interview with John Kerry was interesting and informative, but Stephen interrupted him four or five times.

Are we comparing him to Fallon though? Who interviews people as if he were Chris Farley?

I actually watched back the Michelle Obama interview and came to the conclusion with that one, at least, that even though he apologized for it, he hadn't really been interrupting her. He was directly riffing on something she's said, in what seemed to be a break in her talking, and that's different.

[Gemma Violet]

Are we comparing him to Fallon though? Who interviews people as if he were Chris Farley?

 

 

I've never watched Fallon much...only here and there when he had someone on I liked.  There's no comparison between him and Stephen.  Kind of like comparing luncheon meat to prime rib.

[Kromm]

I will be crushed if the chanting is stopped.  It brings back sweet memories of the old show.  

I also think people are REALLY exaggerating the effect it's having on the show. I've been timing it the past few nights after seeing complaints about how much time it's taking out of the show. It's been about 7-8 seconds. WITH the inevitable Colbert comment/joke about it, perhaps another 5 or 6 seconds (since the joke has tended to be brief). Are people really so attuned to viral video speed with their thinking these days that 12-14 seconds is destroying the experience of a whole show for them?

[futurechemist]

I really liked his interview with John Kerry.  It was intelligent and informative.  I think what impressed me the most was that Stephen started out with a Neville Chamberlain reference and trusted his audience was smart enough to understand what he was talking about.

 

I also thought his post office joke was wonderfully subtle and satirical, and was totally the kind of joke he would have made on the Colbert Report.  But it didn't seem to get much audience response.

[Kromm]

I really liked his interview with John Kerry.  It was intelligent and informative.  I think what impressed me the most was that Stephen started out with a Neville Chamberlain reference and trusted his audience was smart enough to understand what he was talking about.

 

I also thought his post office joke was wonderfully subtle and satirical, and was totally the kind of joke he would have made on the Colbert Report.  But it didn't seem to get much audience response.

Whether you believe in what's the US is doing now there or not, or in Kerry's effectiveness at his job, it was an impressive interview because aside from a few jokes, this was hard news being talked about.  Who else in late night is even TRYING that?  Well... Comedy Central. But Fallon or Kimmel (or Corden, or even Conan)?  I laugh at the very idea they'd do the kind of interview we saw with Kerry.

 

As good as the Kerry part was, and even Clare Danes wasn't too bad, the PewdiePie section was just horrible TV. I have no idea why anyone would even WANT to watch this guy on YouTube, or anywhere. Snooooooooooooore. I mean this isn't exactly Mystery Science Theater. Nothing he says is even remotely witty or funny.  The pure number of views and subscribers he has tells me how terribly out of touch I must be.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Kromm

[Milburn Stone]

Are people really so attuned to viral video speed with their thinking these days that 12-14 seconds is destroying the experience of a whole show for them?

 

I agree it's not that big a deal, but FWIW, the bothersome aspect for me isn't the number of seconds it takes out of my day. It's the hero worship, which is unseemly. The man is an immensely talented and hugely smart comedian/commentator/interviewer. He is arguably the best late night talk show host in television history. He is not a god. If I were he, I'd be uncomfortable about it myself. 

[BusyOctober]

I had to FF thru last half of Claire Danes interview. Her high pitched, squeaky hiccup laugh was too annoying to tolerate.

Add me to the tragically uncool list because I had no idea who Pewdie Pie was, nor did I find him remotely entertaining or interesting. Now get off my lawn, you damn kids!

[Gemma Violet]

He is not a god. If I were he, I'd be uncomfortable about it myself. 

 

I don't look at it that way.  It's harmless and fun.  Heck, there's chanting in all kinds of places, i.e. sporting events, political events, etc. It's just a show a support, not worship.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Gemma Violet

[nowandlater]

I had to FF thru last half of Claire Danes interview. Her high pitched, squeaky hiccup laugh was too annoying to tolerate.

Add me to the tragically uncool list because I had no idea who Pewdie Pie was, nor did I find him remotely entertaining or interesting. Now get off my lawn, you damn kids!

 

I don't play video games. I don't care about these YouTube stars at all. But I'm glad Colbert had him on. This guy has 10 billion views. He's probably the most popular guy on YouTube, and I'm glad Colbert tried to explore that. That's what these talk shows are for. And anyways, his interview replaced the musical act, which I (and presuming many people) would've skipped anyway.

[peeayebee]

I haven't heard of Pewdiepie before, but I can see his appeal after seeing those clips of him playing games. It think it might be fun to watch, but I'm not going to do it. 

[Kromm]

I agree it's not that big a deal, but FWIW, the bothersome aspect for me isn't the number of seconds it takes out of my day. It's the hero worship, which is unseemly. The man is an immensely talented and hugely smart comedian/commentator/interviewer. He is arguably the best late night talk show host in television history. He is not a god. If I were he, I'd be uncomfortable about it myself.

You're living in a world where people in this country chant/shout "USA! USA! USA!", however annoying and inappropriate it may be, at the drop of a hat.  

 

It's sad and annoying, but it's part and parcel of the same thing. Stephen has responsibility on in that his fictional character was the type to encourage that, and his real one doesn't want to seem to be stepping on people's enthusiasm now. Crowds do the SAME thing for Larry Wilmore--which is actually shocking if you think about it, because well... let's just say it... he's black (and lets not pretend why we don't know why that makes it far more unlikely!). I bet the Jimmys would get it too, if chanting "Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy!" didn't sound so lame. 

I don't play video games. I don't care about these YouTube stars at all. But I'm glad Colbert had him on. This guy has 10 billion views. He's probably the most popular guy on YouTube, and I'm glad Colbert tried to explore that. That's what these talk shows are for. And anyways, his interview replaced the musical act, which I (and presuming many people) would've skipped anyway.

 

Was it really explored though? Colbert hid his puzzlement, but he hardly knew what to ask the guy, or had any effective jokes about it. Whatever reason there IS for 10 billion views (and now I'm half convinced it's some kind of epic web robot endeavor), it wasn't explored or explained in the least. All we saw was some... guy... and I'd welcome a Pewdiepie fan to post here and explain what we are missing.  Because I admit I (maybe we, if others who haven't posted yet feel the same) might be missing it (in my case it's one of the few things making me feel old lately--and mind you, being a gamer is HARDLY just a young man's endeavor anymore, so it's doubly puzzling if that's the comprehension gap here).

Edited October 2, 2015 by Kromm

[bmoore4026]

Stephen is upping his geek cred by featuring a game designer on his show.  And, admittedly, it did look pretty neat.

 

I hope "Not Orgasm Faces but Very Nearly" becomes a recurring thing.  I rather liked.

 

But, what Stephen said at the beginning.  Was this a response to critics not liking him because he isn't like The Colbert Report Stephen Colbert?  Or did I miss something?

[roseha]

But, what Stephen said at the beginning.  Was this a response to critics not liking him because he isn't like The Colbert Report Stephen Colbert?  Or did I miss something?

 

 

 

I think while the beginning could be taken as an apparent comment to the effect of "We're still figuring this show out" (as in "pretending to know what I'm doing") I think the whole segment, starting with the whole notion of "pretending" came to a perfectly expressed conclusion in regard to the continual out of control shootings in this country, that "pretending" that they will go away is the definition of madness.  It was very Word-like in its way.  At the same time, Stephen expressed the seriousness of this with total commitment.  Well conveyed.

[Kromm]

Stephen is upping his geek cred by featuring a game designer on his show.  And, admittedly, it did look pretty neat.

game designer? Who?

Pewdiepie is just a game player, talking OVER games.

The one game that's "his" apparently is just a cash crop based on the success of his name. I doubt he actually created it.

[trow125]

game designer? Who?

Pewdiepie is just a game player, talking OVER games.

The one game that's "his" apparently is just a cash crop based on the success of his name. I doubt he actually created it.

The game designer was on Friday's show. PewDiePie was on Thursday's.

 

As a Swede I was very disappointed that the censors bleeped PewDiePie's Swedish cursewords. C'mon, it's 12:30 AM and it's not even in English. The only one they let through was "helvete" (hell), which is pretty mild. Wish I was better at reading lips so I could have caught the other two!

[Delwyn]

This is probably a weird thing to notice (costume designer, sorry) but was Thursday's show the first time Stephen's suit was not a shade of blue? I always thought it was a nice tie in to his general color scheme and kind of amazing he had so many variations of blue on hand. The graphite was jarring.

I'm worried that the delight of having Colbert back on my TV all the time is not wearing off, because I can't possible devote this much time to watching. Strange to hope I will get a bit sick of him, even as the show improves and finds its stride.

Days later I am still chuckling over Stephen's glee that he found a fellow person who is not "waterproof".

[Milburn Stone]

I'm worried that the delight of having Colbert back on my TV all the time is not wearing off, because I can't possible devote this much time to watching. Strange to hope I will get a bit sick of him, even as the show improves and finds its stride.

 

I hear you. It's a "good problem," in that it's due to the show being so good and interesting that it compels viewing. A boring/mediocre show wouldn't cause this dilemma! But I'm beginning to experience the "wear-out" factor. We generally DVR it and view the next day, skipping over commercials and interviews in which we have no interest; but even reduced to 35 minutes or so, the repetitiveness of the show's formula, combined with its intense energy bordering on mania, is starting to make it feel less like an enjoyable diversion and more like a compulsion. I yield to no one in my awe of Colbert's brilliance. I just don't know how much more of it I can take.

[Gemma Violet]

OK, I'm not into online games, but that new game shown last night with 17 quintillion or something different options blew my mind.

[walnutqueen]

Stephen is my TV husband going through a mid life crisis.  He bought a shiny new red sports car and is flirting with a dumb young intern.  Meanwhile, I'm seriously considering having a guiltless affair with Trevor Noah.

[Kromm]

I'm worried that the delight of having Colbert back on my TV all the time is not wearing off, because I can't possible devote this much time to watching. Strange to hope I will get a bit sick of him, even as the show improves and finds its stride.

Again, it shows the great divide that elsewhere on the net we've got people saying everything from them feeling betrayed by his new show, to them simply being bored/disappointed.

Back in the day I thought the Leno/Letterman fan split was big. But the split on what Stepehen is doing now (not even necessarily comparing to Fallon or Kimmel) is even bigger.

This is probably a weird thing to notice (costume designer, sorry) but was Thursday's show the first time Stephen's suit was not a shade of blue?

I've seen shades of gray a few times (mostly on the dark/charcoal end vs. light gray). Blue does seem to be the fallback (and what's signifying him in the credits with most of those hidden mini-Stephens).

[LADreamr]

I hope he's able to keep it this different and interesting, and doesn't get pressured to become more homogeneous. I love his variety of guests.

No Man's Sky looks fascinating. I bet that would work great with virtual reality.

[roseha]

I think if CBS is okay with the variety of guests this early, I imagine they will not interfere down the road.  I hope they are willing to consider time shifting in the ratings; my only real issue is staying up late for the show, especially on Thursdays ("Football!" as "Stephen" might have ranted).  I am enjoying it a lot, but may watch via Tivo at certain times. 

 

I think the blue suits may be "fall colors"?   He may  go to darker colors in the winter I imagine.
 

 

As a Swede I was very disappointed that the censors bleeped PewDiePie's Swedish cursewords.

 

 

Stephen definitely got away with a French curse word on TCR, I wondered at the time if Comedy Central had noticed it.

[bluepiano]

As someone of the (older) generation who has never played a video game in his life (if you don't count "Pong" at bars in college), video game guests two nights in a row seems to me a weird choice. Did CBS got ratings demographics that said the show is not doing well with under 25s, and they are now scrambling to attract younger viewers? Like I said, it's not my world, so maybe I have my own prejudices, but two nights in a row seems questionable, consider everything that's going on in the world today. 

 

I do work in the online industry, and my inclination is to not trust any data on hits, page views etc. when there is a commercial (or political) incentive to claim huge numbers. I know how easily these things can be manipulated.

Edited October 3, 2015 by bluepiano

[Kromm]

As someone of the (older) generation who has never played a video game in his life (if you don't count "Pong" at bars in college), video game guests two nights in a row seems to me a weird choice. Did CBS got ratings demographics that said the show is not doing well with under 25s, and they are now scrambling to attract younger viewers? Like I said, it's not my world, so maybe I have my own prejudices, but two nights in a row seems questionable, consider everything that's going on in the world today. 

I still don't get Pewdiepie and his questionable zillions of views that make no sense to me.

 

But No Man's Sky is something even I've seen coverage of before and read stories about. About once per decade there's been a game that's gone SO far outside what's come before it's revolutionary and that's what this one seems like to me.  It's a shame I don't have the hardware to play it--it's the first time in years I've felt that lack (since I gave up most gaming years ago).  But I've always been a sucker for the huge exploration games, and something that in a very literal sense is unlimited?  Come on.  I well can understand (unlike Pewdiepie) why that might have mass appeal to the larger audience.

[MisterGlass]

Gaming has been in a renaissance for a while now, and there are ardent fans who would rather play than go to movies or watch TV.  Gaming has become a major source of entertainment for a part of the populace, so it is probably fair to include celebrities from that particular world.

 

I am not watching this show with the regularity of TCR, though I am enjoying it, and I think it is a good late night talk show.  I think it has more to say than its direct competitors with regard to social commentary.  Shows like TCR and Last Week Tonight are much more niche.  They appeal to the people who are already looking for them.  With the Late Show, I think they have a chance to say something to a casual viewer that might get them thinking.  It's like a gateway show.

[Kromm]

I think while the beginning could be taken as an apparent comment to the effect of "We're still figuring this show out" (as in "pretending to know what I'm doing") I think the whole segment, starting with the whole notion of "pretending" came to a perfectly expressed conclusion in regard to the continual out of control shootings in this country, that "pretending" that they will go away is the definition of madness.  It was very Word-like in its way.  At the same time, Stephen expressed the seriousness of this with total commitment.  Well conveyed.

I think that bit WAS in part about all of the reactions he's getting to the show (which we've mentioned here before) which often outright conflict each other. But he folded that into a very serious statement at the same time about the shootings. I think Letterman was occasionally able to make a statement like this, and Craig Ferguson, and maybe even Conan.  But the Jimmys would look like fools doing it--and I'm not so sure about Cordon or Meyers either.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Kromm

[walnutqueen]

I don't game (and have NO game) but that No Man's Sky thing looked totally awesome.  I doubt I could even check it out on this bare bones old laptop, but I sure did appreciate the first look.

[LADreamr]

I thought Skyrim's expansive world was fascinating, but this blows everything out. It's nowhere near a release date and will probably be for the PS5, but I may break down and get the whole system just to play with this one.

My daughter is a champion gamer, so this stuff has been interesting to me for years, but I don't really think it's a matter of age. It's an incredible testament to the power of imagination. I would love a version of it that lets the player explore our own solar system.

[Kromm]

The joke I've heard about No Man's Sky is that it's kind of the final gateway to Skynet.  I mean if you have an entire universe stored somewhere, then taking over one mere planet would be a cakewalk.

[BookThief]

 

No Man's Sky looks fascinating. I bet that would work great with virtual reality.

Hearing about it reminded me in some ways of the virtual world in the book Ready Player One.

 

I think Stephen's show has improved since the first few weeks. I'm not thrilled to have another TV show to watch (and yes, of course I know I could choose not to watch it, but I've been watching Stephen on TV for so many years now, and I enjoy him so I will continue to watch (though always the next day, without commercials)). Though I could do without that last joke before the band starts playing his theme. But I do like that he's comfortable enough to be like "yeah, Trump, you're not going to be president." He's not as hard on people as he might have been on The Colbert Report, but he's not completely hiding his own opinions, and each week I think he's a little looser in that regard (which I appreciate--makes it more Colbert Report-ish which, to me, is never a bad thing).

[LADreamr]

Hearing about it reminded me in some ways of the virtual world in the book Ready Player One.

I wanted to read Ready Player One, but I heard such polarized reviews of it, I wasn't sure about it.

[Arcey]

Did anyone else notice that SC came out to the stage relatively subdued, no dancing, no jumping, no kicking? He just walked out from backstage and greeted the audience, without his usual beaming smile and sparkly eyes. I thought right away it was in response to comments from folks like us. I myself don't like the way he's been doing the opening til now, but I hate to see our dear Stephen subduing his outright joy. :( it might have had something to do with Oregon, but I don't think so.

Speaking of Oregon, I think he handled that so beautifully. And his segue to the funny was smooth as silk. Love ya, Stephen!

[nowandlater]

Did anyone else notice that SC came out to the stage relatively subdued, no dancing, no jumping, no kicking? He just walked out from backstage and greeted the audience, without his usual beaming smile and sparkly eyes. I thought right away it was in response to comments from folks like us. I myself don't like the way he's been doing the opening til now, but I hate to see our dear Stephen subduing his outright joy. :( it might have had something to do with Oregon, but I don't think so.

Speaking of Oregon, I think he handled that so beautifully. And his segue to the funny was smooth as silk. Love ya, Stephen!

 

After I saw Colbert's show where he was dancing and happy, I saw James Corden's show, where he started with a somber heartfelt response to the Oregon shootings.

 

Apparently, it was taped after Corden's show, which may have been taped before the shootings.

 

Anyways, Corden's message stood in stark contrast to Colbert dancing and pretending nothing  happened. Colbert taped his show about 3-4 hours after the shootings, so he could've had a response, as Trevor Noah did. Or maybe he wanted to write something special for Friday's show.

 

I'm not saying he was wrong. Kimmel did his show without mentioning the shooting and I assume Fallon and Seth Meyers did, too.

 

So that's why I think Colbert was more subdued on Friday.

 

(The thing is, there have been so many mass shootings lately that, unfortunately, I saw the Oregon shooting as not really a big deal. So I was taken aback by Corden's statement. I mean, 9 people were shot to death in a church in June because they were black and I don't recall there being a late-night response. I think many shows might've been on vacation at the time, though.)

[peeayebee]

When Stephen came out and didn't dance, I figured it was because he was going to talk about Oregon. I was surprised when he didn't do so immediately.

[Hanahope]

I didn't know who Pewdiepie was, but my daughters did.  They love to watch Minecraft videos of people playing the game, so while they don't watch Pew (as apparently he doesn't do Minecraft), they know who he was and watch others like him.  It was a great way for me to have a conversation with them, to understand more of what their interests are.  I also really enjoyed the interview of the game designer of the very expansive space game.  Its not really my cup of tea as far as video games go (old WoW and Everquest player here), but I can certainly appreciate it and am a bit in awe as to how big it is and now it was made.  I do like that Colbert is interviewing a lot of these newer media/entertainment people.  Not every worthwhile interview has to be an actor or politician.

 

I do miss the Word incredibly, but agree that his monologue on "pretend" was very Word-like and agree whole-heartedly.  Just as insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, so is it changing absolutely nothing and pretending that this scenario won't happen again.

 

 

[bluepiano]

Stephen saying that they are still trying to figure the show out seemed like a pretty startlingly honest thing to say on network television. It felt like Stephen was "pulling back the curtain" and talking directly to his long--term fans that followed him here from TCR. I think one of the things that made Colbert and Jon Stewart special was that they treated their audience as a part of the show, in almost a collaborator role. Very different from the usual gulf between "star" and "audience."

 

I was also trying to figure out why Stephen didn't see anything about the Oregon shooting on Thursday night. Maybe it happened too soon to taping for them to come up with any kind of cogent response. But I think they should have dispensed with high kicking dancing opening.

Edited October 4, 2015 by bluepiano

[SlackerInc]

Well, that was hugely disappointing. Silly me for thinking Stephen wasn't gonna give Trump a simple softball interview, but I guess he's just chasing ratings like everyone else. This and the Cruz interview the other day gives me my answer as to whether he would ever be as biting or edgy as he was in character, and the answer is a definite no.

 

 

My sense of things is that Colbert is over-compensating by holding back on commentary because he's trying to overcome the image he got from The Colbert Report. I think he thinks if he does anything remotely as hard hitting as what he used to do, he'll lose the milquetoast audience share, and he's probably right about that. But since his reputation was made and his diehard fans come from a totally different point of view, it sets up a situation where the people who want to see him are disappointed with the new outlook, and the people who will like the new outlook haven't all gotten on board yet.

 

My impression from Friday's show was that they are actually starting to tack in a new (old) direction.  Next week will be interesting to watch, to see if I'm right.  I have zero insider knowledge, but just from what I saw on screen, this is what I suspect has happened over the weeks since launch:

 

(1) They came out at first and absolutely played it safe, aiming for that milquetoast middle of the road.  Republican candidates come on, and Stephen treats them with kid gloves, not wanting to potentially turn off viewers who supported them.  Etc.

 

(2) Way beyond just checking the Nielsen overnight ratings and the DVR+3 numbers, they went into overdrive doing a detailed analysis of the audience.  First, polls and detailed questionnaires, from which representative samples were invited to participate in focus groups to talk about what they do and don't like about the show.

 

(3) From all this research, they determined two fundamentally important things:

(a) Conservatives and middle of the road (or apolitical) viewers were not tuning in in significant numbers.  They either were unfamiliar with Stephen and thus uninterested in him, or already had an active dislike of him in the case of conservatives.

(b) Young progressives were watching, but were (just as we see here) getting increasingly frustrated with his overcautious approach and are therefore threatening to abandon the show in droves.

 

(4) So in response to the above, they gave Stephen and his staff the green light to go in more of a "Daily Show" or "Last Week Tonight" type direction, and live and die with the progressive audience (which tends to be younger and more desirable to advertisers, so doesn't have to be as big in pure numbers anyway).

 

After writing the above, I took a look for some info on how the ratings have been doing, and found an article which hints that I might be on to something: 

 

"Although Fallon's lead is pretty comfortable, Colbert's falloff after the typically strong first week isn't as great as it could have been, and the audience is younger than Letterman's," said Brad Adgate, an analyst for ad firm Horizon Media.

 

[roseha]

I can't help remembering Stephen's recounting of what happened to the Dana Carvey Show, which lost millions of people in the first few minutes and never got them back on a broadcast network.  I think letting a wider audience get to know him before becoming more open or hard hitting at times isn't really a surprising approach on a major network.  I think the good thing is that CBS seems to support him as being himself.

Edited October 5, 2015 by roseha

[Milburn Stone]

I can't help remembering Stephen's recounting of what happened to the Dana Carvey Show, which lost millions of people in the first few minutes and never got them back...

 

Can you refresh our memories as to how Carvey accomplished that?

[Kromm]

Can you refresh our memories as to how Carvey accomplished that?

It's infamous, and Stephen himself has described it thusly...