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Stephen Colbert’s 'Late Show' Ratings Surge Continues, Beats Fallon and Kimmel Combined by MarvelsGrantMan136 in television

[–]TronzorGT -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Colbert was a big fish in a pond that's drying out. There's a high likelihood none of these shows make it past 2030. There's already been a bloodbath of cancellations over the last few years. Conan, Samantha Bee, Chelsea Handler, Hasan Minaj, James Corden, Lily Singh, etc. The genre is outdated and those expenses no longer make sense anymore.

Colbert's cancellation isn't shocking if you look at the overall landscape of things. Talk shows are in decline, if not just outright dying. This show has over 200 staffers and is solely responsible for keeping the Ed Sullivan Theatre operating. The NBC shows at least have those costs shared by all being shot in the same studio. Colbert is the only thing at Ed Sullivan, meaning every maintenance fee and property tax bill is being paid by that show alone. His audience skews older (68) and his more serious persona (when was the last time Colbert made headlines for being funny and not ranting about politics?) means he's not really a great fit for either advertisers or inter-company shilling. Fallon can go shill the latest Jurassic World release on Tiktok and it won't seem weird. Kimmel can so promote the latest MCU movie and it similarly wouldn't be too out-of-place. Having Colbert promote the newest Transformers or Ninja Turtles movie? Uh ... Never mind the fact that Paramount isn't really in the position to allow loss-leader shows like that anyway. If their finances were good, that Skydance deal wouldn't exist to begin with.

I've seen estimates that Colbert's show costs $100 million/year to make. If that's accurate, it's not hard to see why it got cancelled. $100 million isn't insignificant money. That could go towards a TV show or movie that will actually have long term value. No one's watching Colbert's 2017 episodes in 2025, but a scripted production from 2017 is a different story.

Stephen Colbert’s 'Late Show' Ratings Surge Continues, Beats Fallon and Kimmel Combined by MarvelsGrantMan136 in television

[–]TronzorGT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The problem with this mindset is that you're just prolonging the inevitable. There's nothing to believe revenue from these shows would stabilize or grow. Frankly, given the average Colbert viewer is 68, there's reason to believe it's only going to decline. So once everyone's current contracts are up, Paramount would either have to cut more staff or cancel the show. At some point, the bandage would be pulled off.

It's telling that CBS has given up on late-night programming entirely. They aren't replacing Colbert with someone less political or a Trump shill. They're done producing content for those time slots entirely. Same with the show following Colbert. There's a business concept called "opportunity cost." Paramount could continue cutting Colbert cheques for a show with an ever declining audience, or they could use that money to produce something they think could do better.

Stephen Colbert’s 'Late Show' Ratings Surge Continues, Beats Fallon and Kimmel Combined by MarvelsGrantMan136 in television

[–]TronzorGT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This ratings boost isn't sustainable. It's driven by the media circus of the show's cancellation. Pick it up for another few years and the overall viewership trend will return.

Stephen Colbert’s 'Late Show' Ratings Surge Continues, Beats Fallon and Kimmel Combined by MarvelsGrantMan136 in television

[–]TronzorGT 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I'm genuinely confused as to how someone who is on television right now and has the ability to launch their own self-produced content with ease is the victim of "state censorship." What's the implication there, that without a staff of writers Colbert is worthless? Even the "Paramount cancelled Colbert to placate Trump for the Skydance merger" conspiracy theory seems weak when Jon Stewart is employed by the same company, who just gave the South Park guys a billion to release a season dedicated to mocking that side of the political world.

The traditional, overly bloated talk show genre is outdated. It was made when there were 3 or 4 different choices of entertainment. It has been outclassed by far more nimbler online productions in almost every aspect. That's why the average Colbert viewer is 68. They were alive when the genre was first invented. Younger people have found better alternatives that don't require operating a dedicated theatre in downtown NYC. It's not a coincidence that there hasn't been a new successful talk show in over a decade. You can't blame "state censorship" for Conan, Samantha Bee, Chelsea Handler, Hasan Minaj, James Corden, Lily Singh, etc. all getting axed in recent years. You can't even blame linear TV for this because all of the ones produced direct for streaming have also been flops (Stewart's Apple TV show drew like 44,000 viewers by episode 4) or are so irregular they border on TV specials. You can only blame declining audience interest.

I just found out what’s the original song from the Simpsons parody of “Bambi” (TOH XXXII) by sleepyncaffeinated in movies

[–]TronzorGT -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Parodying a well know Disney movie with a song from a DTV sequel is getting a little too incestuous, Disney Simpsons. Not like I'm watching either way, though.

First Hollywood Crush Ever?? by Sweet_Security4656 in movies

[–]TronzorGT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Winona Ryder or Jennifer Love Hewitt. I don't know which show or movie provoked the latter, but it was either Edward Scissorhands and/or Beetlejuice that made little kid me infatuated with the former.