SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
I know that it’s not fair to judge a new series by its very first episode. But Exact Change Today is not fair. So here we go.
Count me as one of the throngs who were heartbroken when “The Colbert Report” went off the air. The high-wire performance art that Colbert managed to pull off every night was, I think, unprecedented in the history of television. To be as nimble and quick-witted while staying totally in character is reason enough for the nine Emmys that Colbert has won through his career. The sad part about it was that the character of right-wing blowhard “Stephen Colbert” was to be retired. It is Stephen Colbert the man who is hosting “The Late Show.”
And he did a pretty good job, based on Tuesday night’s premiere. The “Star Spangled Banner” opening was a little weird, and the opening stand-up monologue was a bit shaky. (Although the running bit where CBS CEO Les Moonves threatens to flip the switch to air reruns of “The Mentalist” if “The Late Show” displeases the network was hilarious.)
Once Colbert got in his comfort zone behind the desk, however, things began to look up. If you ever wondered what “Stephen Colbert” would do with Donald Trump’s candidacy, Colbert offered a little glimpse with his bit with Trump and Oreos that made one miss the “Report” even more.
His first interviewee, George Clooney, is a great talk show guest and managed to keep the conversation moving, but, to be honest, they didn’t have a whole lot to discuss.
He was followed, however, by Jeb Bush and it was in this interview that Colbert shone. He allowed Bush some room to be funny (referring to Colbert’s new set, Bush remarked “You’ve got more pictures of yourself than I thought you’d have”) and set up a bit where Colbert introduced his real-life brother, whom he loves and with whom he disagrees politically, as a way for Bush to diss his brother George. And, in a limited way, Bush took the bait, noting that in the last few years of his term, George did nothing to reign in Republican spending, asserting that his brother should have vetoed more bills (“He wasn’t conservative enough”). With Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as guests in the show’s first two weeks, there may be a little “Report” in the “Late Show” after all.
Winding up with Mavis Staples and an all-star lineup of background vocalists performing “Everyday People” is never a bad way to end a show.
All in all, a promising start. The announced guest list for the show’s first two weeks is an impressive mix of actors, politicians and business leaders, and if Colbert continues to shine as an interviewer, we may have some very good television ahead. Even if the talent roster falls off as the show progresses, Colbert has the chops to have B-list guests make A-list television.
