Late Show with David Letterman (1993)
Late Show with David Letterman is a 1993 talk series created by David Letterman. It stars David Letterman, Paul Shaffer and Alan Kalter.
Late night with a wry, needling edge. From August 1993 on CBS, David Letterman ran his desk like a man delighted to poke holes in the whole talk-show format, backed by Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra. The gags became institutions: the nightly Top Ten List, Stupid Pet Tricks, and its spinoff Stupid Human Tricks. Announcer Bill Wendell, later Alan Kalter, set the tone; Letterman's monologue and unpredictable guest chats did the rest. Produced by his own Worldwide Pants, it made ironic detachment the house style of American late night for over two decades.
Quick answers
What is Late Show with David Letterman about?
Late night with a wry, needling edge. From August 1993 on CBS, David Letterman ran his desk like a man delighted to poke holes in the whole talk-show format, backed by Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra. The gags became institutions: the nightly Top Ten List, Stupid Pet Tricks, and its spinoff Stupid Human Tricks. Announcer Bill Wendell, later Alan Kalter, set the tone; Letterman's monologue and unpredictable guest chats did the rest. Produced by his own Worldwide Pants, it made ironic detachment the house style of American late night for over two decades.
When was Late Show with David Letterman released?
Late Show with David Letterman was released on 30 August 1993.
How many episodes does Late Show with David Letterman have?
Late Show with David Letterman has 4252 episodes across 22 seasons.
Who made Late Show with David Letterman?
Late Show with David Letterman was created by David Letterman.
Official site
Cast
- David Letterman as Self - Host
- Paul Shaffer as Self - Musical Director
- Alan Kalter as Self - Announcer
- Bill Wendell as Self - Announcer
- Biff Henderson as Self
- Alec Baldwin as Self - Guest
- Bruce Willis as Self - Guest
- Drew Barrymore as Self - Guest
- Rupert Jee as Self
- Tony Mendez as Self
- Paul Rudd as Self - Guest
- Edd Hall as Voiceover Announcer (voice)
Similar series
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A few thoughts on Late Show with David Letterman
For the backstage story, Bill Carter's book The Late Shift chronicles the network war that surrounded this show's launch. The film Late Night fictionalizes the grind of writing a monologue that has to land every night. And Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up traces the same deadpan, anti-showbiz comic lineage.
Late-night talk shows built on the desk-and-guest rhythm
David Letterman ran his CBS desk like a man delighted to poke holes in the whole talk-show format, monologue then guest then the next gag. These shows keep that late-night rhythm, from the Carson template he grew out of to a star-stuffed British sofa, a celebrity roasted over hot wings, and a comedy podcast turned talk show.
Sketch and panel comedy built on nightly bits
The Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks made Letterman a nightly institution built on recurring bits. These shows deal in the same joke machinery, from live sketch on Saturday Night Live and Key & Peele to the improv and panel mischief of Laugh-In, a British music quiz and Wild 'N Out.
Wry sitcoms set around show business and the workplace
Letterman's ironic detachment shaped a certain kind of comedy about show business and the working world behind it. These sitcoms share that wry office energy, from the radio-station squabbles of NewsRadio and WKRP in Cincinnati to the late-night writers' room of Hacks and the New York deadpan of Seinfeld.
Dry British comedies with a deadpan, ironic streak
Letterman spun off Late Show through his own Worldwide Pants and helped make dry, ironic detachment a house style. If that deadpan streak is the draw, these British comedies do it their own way, from the sitcom scheming of Only Fools and Horses to the sci-fi slobs of Red Dwarf and the sketch grotesques of Little Britain.