"The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" (1999) TV series 1999-2004

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Writers:

Gabe Abelson (writer)
Ross Abrash (writer)

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

31 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Talk-Show

Plot:

Craig Kilborn interviews Celebrity guests, with sketch-comedy thrown in.

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Ram Ord

...

Various (36 episodes, 1999-2004)

Also Known As:

The Late Late Show (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Worldwide Pants

Trivia:

'Craig Ferguson', Adam Carolla, Michael Ian Black, and D.L. Hughley were among the contenders for Craig Kilborn's replacement on show, with all of them having guest hosted episodes. Ferguson was soon hired as the new host.

Quotes:

Announcer: And now it's time for 'Craig Almost Seals The Deal With His Lady Friend, But Blows It On The Very Last Line.'
Craig Kilborn: Honey, why don't we take a trip to New England this weekend. We can watch the spring flowers bloom, shop in the cute little antique stores. And then afterwards you can polish off my junk.
Announcer: And that was, 'Craig Almost Seals The Deal With His Lady Friend, But Blows It On The Very Last Line.'

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)

Brilliantly executed, intelligent humor that puts its competition to shame.

When I was about eight years old, I used to tune in to Letterman or Leno from time to time. While their juvenile antics amused me when I was young, and on rare occasion still do to some extent-- I grew weary of their repetitive, unfunny jokes and stupid skits. In my mid-teens, I started watching Conan. I thought, this guy is succeeding where the others have failed. But I also tired of Conan, and rather quickly, as I found his range as a comedian quite miniscule and his jokes monotonously shallow. I still tuned in occasionally, but not more than a few times a year, because that seemed to be the only way late shows could stay funny and fresh to me.

And then, about a year ago, my friend started nagging me to watch Craig Kilborn. I kept forgetting about it, and so he started taping episodes and making me watch them whenever I was over at his house. At first, though I noted Kilborn to be a skilled comedian with a very diverse portfolio of perfectly executed facial expressions, I didn't understand a lot of his jokes. This is because he has built his show upon a foundation of inside jokes that are sometimes rephrased and repeated a number of times within any given week. As a new viewer, I was unfamiliar with his inside jokes. But now, I feel they are one of the best parts of his show, because for an inside joke to be funny-- the audience has to KNOW what he is talking about. It makes you feel like a part of the show.

I treasure parts of Kilborn's show, such as In The News, Five Questions, and Yambo. Not only are these segments often the highlight of Craig Kilborn, they (more often than not) dwarf the competition in terms of wit, humor, and intelligence.

But the thing that makes The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn succeed more than anything else is Craig Kilborn. He has a style of comedy that is very self-referential, and he puts on the act of a vain man who thinks he is more important than he really is. He'll act like he thinks he's a big star, while in reality, he's really making fun of himself.

You have to hand it to him. This man with no announcer and no band has single-handedly created the greatest late-night talk show of our time.

If you don't like Craig Kilborn, then try watching it for a couple of weeks straight. If you're not converted by the end of those two weeks, then you're simply not American.