Newsmax's List of the Best in Late Night Talk Shows

By    |   Friday, 29 August 2025 10:37 AM EDT ET

One of the biggest items in entertainment news last month was CBS’s decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," with the final episode scheduled for May 2026.

The network stated that the cancellation was a "purely financial decision.” It employed around 200 people and recorded annual losses of approximately $40 million, according to network sources.

This isn't surprising to many viewers, especially conservatives, who say that the state of late night television is deplorable. But it wasn’t always that way.

Here’s our list of the best in late night talk shows, from their inception to the current day.

“The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”:

NBC started "The Tonight Show" in 1954 as an experiment, first with Steve Allen as its host for three years, followed by Jack Paar for the next five. While it was reasonably successful for those first eight years, it really took off under Johnny Carson, who hosted the show for 29 years, along with his sidekick and straight man, Ed McMahon.

When NBC initially offered Carson the spot, he turned it down, doubting his ability to interview celebrity guests for 105 minutes in an entertaining manner, but eventually accepted.

Carson set the standard for late night comedy, which was always good natured and seldom political.

As an indication of his genius, competitor network CBS ran a glowing testament of Carson shortly after they announced Colbert and “The Late Show” were being shelved.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”:

Like Carson, comedian Jay Leno was seldom political, and importantly, took well-natured jabs at both sides — conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats. He was an equal-opportunity jabber.

Leno took it over from Carson in May 25, 1992, and continued until May 29, 2009. He hosted the shoe again for four more seasons, from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing Conan Obrien, for a total of 22 seasons.

His brand of humor, like Carson's, paid off. On Sept. 22, 2006, for example, "The Tonight Show" led in ratings for the 11th consecutive season, with a nightly average of 5.7 million viewers – 31% of the total audience in that time slot — compared to 4.2 million viewers for "Late Show with David Letterman," 3.4 million for "Nightline" and 1.6 million for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.”

"Late Night with David Letterman":

This one aired from Feb. 1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and enjoyed critical acclaim. It was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series 11 times.

It was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series 14 times, winning four, and won one Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series out of seven nominations.

One of the audience favorites was his "Stupid Pet Tricks," where animal owners came on the set to show off their pet’s stupid tricks.

"The Dick Cavett Show":

"The Dick Cavett Show" aired on numerous networks at different time slots, but its late night run was on ABC from Dec. 29, 1969 to Jan. 1, 1975. What set Cavett apart from other late night hosts was the thought-provoking, intellectual nature of his programming.

For example, one of his first airings included an interview with folk singer Judy Collins. Rather than discuss her music, Cavett asked about her experiences as a defense witness at the Chicago Seven trial. Several of Collins' comments were censored at the direction of the ABC legal department.

Another early guest was British playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer

Noël Coward, to honor him on the occasion of his knighthood.

"Politically Incorrect"/"Real Time with Bill Maher":

Comedian Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect," which aired from July 25, 1993, to July 5, 2002, and the current "Real Time," follow the same basic format. Maher gives a brief monologue, then invites a panel of celebrities, pundits, and political operatives, generally of varying views, to discuss the topics of the day.

Although Maher is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, he's also open-minded enough to admit when he's wrong.

Maher conceded this year at his August 15 show that he was wrong (and Trump was right) on tariffs, as well as making other NATO nations pay their fair share on their defense budgets. He also conceded that Trump isn't the war-monger he initially believed.

"I'll tell you one thing about him that I know — I'm not going to tell you how I know — but a lot of people have seen the same thing," Maher admitted.

"He really does hate war. He really does not like it when people die in war."

"Gutfeld!" (Honorable Mention):

This runs late on weeknights at Fox News Channel, and evolved from "The Greg Gutfeld Show" which aired only on Saturday and Sunday nights.

We're giving it an "honorable mention" only because most of the humor is biting satire, which is one-sided — directed against Democrats and the left.

Gutfeld’s regular panelists are Kat Timpf, a libertarian author, columnist, TV personality and comedian; and Tyrus, an author, TV personality and former professional wrestler.

Despite its one-sided political slant, "Gutfeld!" generally soars in the ratings, proving that conservative-themed humor retains a large, consistent audience.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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NBC started "The Tonight Show" in 1954, first with Steve Allen as its host for three years, followed by Jack Paar for the next five. While it was reasonably successful for those first eight years, it really took off under Johnny Carson, who hosted the show for 29 years.
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