viva colbert!

[Photo: Ryan Carver]

In October 2005, a show premiered on Comedy Central that I never expected to survive. It was the strangest sort of spin-off show, because it was a comedy news show that split from another, bigger comedy news show. Unlikely as it seems in hindsight, we needed both of them all along. They fed off each other. The next ten years were nothing short of revolutionary.

I’m not sure why I’m playing coy. I mean, you read the headline (I hope?). Stephen Colbert has come a helluva long way from being Jon Stewart’s sidekick; a role I’m not sure he ever really accepted. As soon as The Colbert Report premiered, right after The Daily Show every night, they hit the ground sprinting. The world never stood a chance.

But tonight he takes a much bigger challenge. Even though I don’t think he was ever really in Stewart’s shadow (they were pretty much the Yin to the others Yang from the get-go), Colbert’s new roll on The Late Show is definitely his biggest challenge to date. He’s stepping into the twenty-two year old shoes of the now legendary David Letterman.

The Late Show with David Letterman @ Ed Sullivan Theatre

[Photo: Broadway Tour]

But that’s not what I’m looking forward to. While I’m sure that he’ll have plenty of fun during the remainder of 2015, election year is about to kick off. What a better time to give Stephen Colbert the biggest platform of his career?

Political pundits are probably shaking in their million dollar suits at the thought of it. You could put a Stephen Colbert / Donald Trump interview on Pay Per View, and I promise we would totally pay for it stream it illegally.

But really, you can tell from his (wonderful) interview with the New York Times that he’s excited to say the least. A reinvigorated, passionate Colbert is a dangerous beast. Put a microphone (and a good writing team) behind him and watch the magic happen.

I’m sure the show won’t be all politics, but at the same time it would genuinely surprise me if it they totally ignored his comedy news roots. Sure he won’t be playing over the top conservative Stephen. I’m sure he’s eager to reclaim his own voice. All I know is that I can’t wait.