A few months ago I forced myself to watch Kilborn because a friend of mine had sent in a short video that was going to be used as a bumper when the show went to commercial. Not only did the show renege on showing my friend's short, I didn't laugh once the whole time I was watching the show.
It's been several years now since Kilborn jumped from "The Daily Show" to CBS to take over the timeslot that was once held by the venerable Tom Snyder. All in all, Kilborn should have stayed on cable. Now, the only thing keeping the network from cancelling this show is the fact that Kilborn draws about the same ratings as Snyder did, and CBS doesn't want to lose face by firing him. With the aging Letterman's tired irony shtick and "The Late Late Show"'s sorry writing which drags down Kilborn's otherwise incisive and entertaining on-screen personality, it should come as no surprise that NBC can claim the title of "America's Late Night Leader" with its virtuoso trio of Leno, Carson Daly, and especially Conan O'Brien, who, as Kilborn's competitor, will continue to succeed in his part of the network hot clock.
People say the same pejorative things about Kilborn now as they said about Conan when he first started, but the difference here is that "Late Night" kept getting better, while the "Late Late Show" goes on stagnating. I wish Craig Kilborn all the best, but this show is need of a new producer and writers; otherwise, when Letterman finally checks out, CBS will be up a creek without the proverbial paddle to resuscitate their faltering late night schedule.
It's been several years now since Kilborn jumped from "The Daily Show" to CBS to take over the timeslot that was once held by the venerable Tom Snyder. All in all, Kilborn should have stayed on cable. Now, the only thing keeping the network from cancelling this show is the fact that Kilborn draws about the same ratings as Snyder did, and CBS doesn't want to lose face by firing him. With the aging Letterman's tired irony shtick and "The Late Late Show"'s sorry writing which drags down Kilborn's otherwise incisive and entertaining on-screen personality, it should come as no surprise that NBC can claim the title of "America's Late Night Leader" with its virtuoso trio of Leno, Carson Daly, and especially Conan O'Brien, who, as Kilborn's competitor, will continue to succeed in his part of the network hot clock.
People say the same pejorative things about Kilborn now as they said about Conan when he first started, but the difference here is that "Late Night" kept getting better, while the "Late Late Show" goes on stagnating. I wish Craig Kilborn all the best, but this show is need of a new producer and writers; otherwise, when Letterman finally checks out, CBS will be up a creek without the proverbial paddle to resuscitate their faltering late night schedule.