Anyhow, after thinking about it for a while I’m sort of sadden that Colbert is leaving Comedy Central. He has a unique program on that network which won’t be translatable to the bigger audiences at CBS.
While I don’t begrudge the man the right to earn as much as he can, he’s essentially going into a dying business shortly before its demise and there seems to be little that he can do to save it. He’ll likely be on CBS for a few years until whatever is next in the late night television arena is unveiled.
Hopefully he’ll be able to have some of the same higher quality (IMO) guests that he did before and perhaps he’ll get a “pet guest” like Letterman has with Bill Murray who will liven a slow night. But he’ll most likely get stuck with a house band of frustrated musicians, a tame audience that will grow accustomed to being pandered to and a endless array of celebrity dullards who stop by to flog their latest project which will almost certainly be forgotten within a year or so.
What, exactly, do you think Stephen Colbert will be enjoined from doing due to CC’s alleged ownership of the Stephen Colbert “persona?” Is no longer allowed to use the term “Papa Bear?” Does he have to pronounce the “t” in his last name? Is he prevented from ironically pretending support for right-wing political causes? And what is Comedy Central going to do with the Stephen Colbert “persona” when Stephen Colbert isn’t on the network anymore? Are they going to put Samantha Bee in a dark wig and glasses and have her perform the character?
He’s saying the way Colbert plays the character has changed a bit over time, and I agree. It’s just the way the show has evolved. I think he doesn’t wear the mask as tightly.
I think it’s possible that he won’t be allowed to play that character. It’s academic since we already know he won’t be doing it anyway, and the rest is spelled out by his contract (which we’ll never see).
Nothing. But in theory it means Colbert couldn’t play that character on a network competing with Comedy Central, so there’s that. And the broader point about Colbert toning things down to make sure he didn’t lose the Late Show gig still strikes me as nonsense- especially since he wound up in quasi-major trouble just a couple of weeks before this went down.
There are more “Tonight Show” style talk shows now than ever before. If they’re dying, they have a funny way of doing it. Plus, it could be said that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are just stylistic spinoffs of the standard “Tonight Show” model.
All of those things you say he won’t be able to do are things Craig Ferguson does every night.
How awesome would a recurring Daily Show bit be where the correspondents put on a dark wig and glasses and pretend to be Stephen Colbert: The Persona?
I just don’t see how someone else can own the rights to that character, unless Colbert signed a contract that forbids him to be sarcastic about politics after he leaves Comedy Central. The actor and the character both have the same name, the same general look, the same family history, the same religious background… the “Stephen Colbert” character is just Stephen Colbert pretending to agree with right-wing politics, and it seems really unlikely that Colbert would sign away his ability to use irony.
He called himself “Colbert” (silent “T”) prior to working at Comedy Central so he’s probably safe there.:rolleyes:
Not sure where the problem with understanding this is: The content of his show is own by the company which owns his show. Conan O’Brien wasn’t able to take his skits from his NBC show over to TBS (he’s the most recent person to jump networks) Arsenio Hall cannot use the skits from his 1990s series in the production in which he now is working.
Your creative works developed on your job are the property of your employer unless you work out an agreement to the contrary.
Kimmel, The Tonight Show and Letterman lead the pack, with The Daily Show and Colbert pulling up the rear. The remainder are stragglers awaiting cancellation or in the case of Conan, boutique products kept going by the networks because they have financially committed to keeping them on the air.
And Ferguson’s show is kept on the air primarily due to the lead-in from Letterman. Who knows if that will be the case when Colbert comes onto the field.
