Padrino
All-Star
Caught the first episode of The Late Late Show with Jason Corden. It definitely didn't suck. In some ways it's more traditional than Craig Ferguson (there's a house band, for example), but he's also added a couple of spins (such as bringing out the evening's guests together instead of separately). On those nights when I'm just too keyed up to sleep, this show will definitely be a viable alternative.
on the subject of late night talk shows, i wonder about their vitality circa 2015. james corden strikes me as a perfectly acceptable host... and i suppose that's what bothers me about the decision to hire him as a replacement for craig ferguson. "it definitely didn't suck" is an unfortunately low bar for any kind of television programming, particularly given the internet age's massive entertainment landscape. at least ferguson had a unique and acerbic wit to differentiate himself from the pack...
david letterman brought wonderful interiority and self-reflexivity to late night television, and i'm interested to see how stephen colbert will fill those shoes, but corden is basically occupying the same affable nice guy niche that jimmy fallon has already dominated, and i'm just not sure we need another late night show that simply "doesn't suck," not with guys like jimmy kimmel and seth meyers already in the game. goodness, it sure would be exciting to see someone other than a middle-aged white guy occupying one of those chairs. i've long dreamed of sarah silverman taking on such a gig, or amy poehler, or chris rock, or any of a dozen exceptional comic talents who would skew the current late-night line-up away from its stunningly 1950's male whitebread appeal...
that said, i did like corden's decision to bring reggie watts into his house band. watts is a brilliant musician and improviser with a comedic bent that's well-suited to a talk show or variety show atmosphere. loved him on IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang!, and it's nice to see him introduced to a wider audience...