How technology has manipulated the genre
Late-night television has dramatically changed over several decades largely to the integration of technology. From the early beginnings of late-night talk shows with Johnny Carson, to the contemporary social media banter of Jimmy Fallon, the popular subgenre has undergone a tremendous transformation. Many people have outgrown the generic talk-show format of recent years, ultimately welcoming the refreshing changes technology and social media brings. Others may disagree and steadfastly hold that late-night talk shows are best left as organic interactions between physically present individuals.
With the departure of David Letterman after nearly 41 years of hosting The Late Show, a conversation has emerged regarding the shift towards social media related content. Since Letterman’s first episode in 1974, he has maintained a style of comedy that has endured throughout the entirety of his run as host. Letterman’s humour, although not unanimously liked by everyone, was consistent, personal, and almost entirely centered around the interactions between host and guest. While Letterman’s style may seem two-dimensional, it thrived on the communication of the guest—allowing for unique and spontaneous interactions with notable guests.
The emphasis on guest interactions is also extremely prevalent in The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, who flew under the late-night talk show radar, hosted a unique and charming program. Ferguson’s humour was witty, endearing, and painfully awkward at times. Fans of Ferguson’s show tend to agree that his style is unique and unlike any other—the interviews with guests are intimate, entertaining, and hilarious. For those who stuck to their late-night talk show roots, Ferguson served as a prime example of the original formula put to proper use.
With the inclusion of social media and technology into the late-night scene, many viewers and fans are adapting alongside the contemporary programming provided by current hosts. Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon have all, in some form or another, utilized technology to benefit the production of their shows.
As our societal and cultural values change, the rapid advancement of technology into our daily lives largely goes unnoticed. The same claim can be made about our ability to perceive the immense changes brought to late-night television. While the intricacy of technological development has increased over recent years, it is no wonder that television programming must also adapt to the changing times.
Hosts like Fallon and O’Brien have embraced the change with the utmost success, creating a more contemporary and modern feel to late-night television. The integration of technology into late-night talk shows has attracted a new wave of people who have fallen in love with the genre. However, now that Letterman has left and completed his final show, the late-night genre has fully moved into the digital age.
Now that the programs, sketches, and interviews of late-night shows are available online, many viewers don’t even have to stay up late to watch the show. If you’d like, you are able to watch late-night shows at eight in the morning. Something seems off about this—to me at least. There is something inherently essential to the experience of late-night television; staying up late after a hard day’s work and being able to have a few laughs before you head off to sleep. Actually staying up late at night to watch the crude humour and witty banter between guest and host is quintessential to the late-night experience. Sure, many people still tune in late at night to watch Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers, but merely having the ability to watch these programs wherever you’d like on the next day changes the landscape of how we experience the genre as a whole.
A strong example of the quintessential experience of late-night television is Saturday Night Live. With a rich history, talented casts, and brilliant sketch comedy, the long-running show has been a staple of television for many years. I still have fond memories as a young teenager, staying up late to have the chance to watch Saturday Night Live. It was a treat to stay up. It was exciting. If I missed a particular sketch, I wouldn’t have been able to watch it again for a very long time. For me, SNL embodies the late-night spirit. The improvised, off-the-cuff interactions between cast members and the occasional celebrity guest creates an atmosphere that fully encompasses the viewer.
Many SNL alumni, I’m assuming, share similar sentiments regarding the importance of late-night comedy. The nature of improvisation on SNL sets the tone for an entire genre of comedy and even late-night television as a whole.
Famous SNL alumnus Will Ferrell, when speaking about his time spent on the show, said, “Saturday Night Live is such a comedy boot camp in a way, because you get to work with so many different people who come in to host the show and you get thrown into so many situations and learn how to think on your feet.”
As the late-night genre evolves and moves forward, it is important to remember previous shows and hosts. While there were no flashy graphics, or questions from viewers through Twitter, the likes of Johnny Carson and David Letterman remain a staple of late-night talk shows. The influence of technology, however, is not necessarily a negative thing for late-night. As hosts and audiences alike have come to embrace the ways technology has embedded itself into the communication of humour, the opportunity for a new kind of late-night experience is born.