It's a great day for America, everybody!

December 19, 2014 1:40 PM

Tonight Craig Ferguson will host The Late Late Show for the last time and wrap up with an interview with Jay Leno. If you can't stay up late enough to watch it live, you can stream it tomorrow (at least in the USA.)

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

posted by pwb503 (36 comments total)

I kind of figured he'd have to retire soon. It's difficult to juggle being on a late-night talk show host with the responsibilities of being the latest reincarnation of Doctor Who.

(Yes, I know he's not the Scottish guy who's currently playing Doctor Who)
posted by surazal at 1:57 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Geof will now walk the earth.
posted by sammyo at 1:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [10 favorites]

Where's the dislike button on this thing? His retiring is a real loss in Late Night. I was never bored watching.
posted by nevercalm at 2:10 PM on December 19, 2014 [13 favorites]

I'm heartsick. I know he's ready to move on, but I'm not!

Also, I'm very disappointed that there won't be an interview of Peter Capaldi now that he's the new Doctor. The only comfort is my (completely unsupported) belief that Craig will soon be announced as the new companion!
posted by orrnyereg at 2:26 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]

I've rarely watched it -- even the best talk show is still a talk show and that's a big chunk out of a short day -- but I was glad it was on just because it's nice to know that there are things out there that don't suck. He's just a great fellow; his monologue about his father was one of the best and most genuine things I've seen on television.
posted by George_Spiggott at 2:32 PM on December 19, 2014 [10 favorites]

I so wish Kristen Bell would have been his final guest, but oh well. She did have a great last appearance recently and apparently might have a cameo tonight as well.
posted by kmz at 2:33 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]

So good that CBS allowed him to put his shows up on YouTube for the last month of the show. And last night, he showed the real face behind the Robot Skeleton Sidekick (and his remote control).

Still, with Serial, The Colbert Report, Late Late Craig and the Hobbit shouldnthavebeena Trilogy all ending within a few days, it feels like... well...
I should've started an Apocalyptic Cult based on this weekend while I had the chance...
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:42 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

If there is one thing he did that really stands out for me, it was when he scrapped the regular format and spent the show having a very interesting conversation with Stephen Fry, and told with the people that may be offended or upset by whatever topics come up and make a big fuss about two people having a conversation to just change the channel and find something else to do.

It's unfortunate it didn't become a regular thing, though if it did, I'm not sure I could handle the immense amount of commercial breaks.
posted by chambers at 2:45 PM on December 19, 2014 [9 favorites]

I'm heartsick. I know he's ready to move on, but I'm not!

Same here! I'm really, genuinely going to miss him a lot. I've been watching him since high school, and watching his show has always felt like hanging out with a friend. He has such a gift for fostering that sense of intimacy and friendliness. I'm probably going to be a weepy mess tonight when I watch his last show.
posted by yasaman at 3:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Steve Jones tweeted about playing so there is something happening. Who knows, Craig might play drums
That studio looks so much bigger than the old one which was tiny.
posted by stuartmm at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2014

I almost never watch tv, don't even own one, but a few years ago I saw his Desmond Tutu show and it was amazing.
posted by mareli at 3:27 PM on December 19, 2014

I was in LA for the first time this summer, and one of the things I really wanted to do was see the late late show as he really seems to enjoy interacting with the audience (both there and at home). But for a while host of reasons decided against it. Been kicking myself ever since.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 3:30 PM on December 19, 2014

I'm still going to hang on and leave the TV on. We'll do it anyway.
posted by Spatch at 4:11 PM on December 19, 2014 [6 favorites]

Losing this show might not be so painful if his new project weren't so dull
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 5:23 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

George_Spiggott: "I've rarely watched it -- even the best talk show is still a talk show and that's a big chunk out of a short day"

YOU TAKE THAT BACK. NOT HERE. NOT TODAY.

Anyway, this is probably a weird comparison but I love Craig for the exact same reason I love Pacific Rim: He's proof that you can be at the center of hollywood and produce art that appeals to the masses but also have reasonable politics.

I know to most people that isn't a big deal, but it's HUGE for me. One random memorable bit was when he interviewed David Sedaris and Craig made a fat joke, and David Sedaris was like, "You know.. some people genuinely are into fat people. That's just what they're into, and more power to them."

And Craig responded, "Yeah, I think you're right."

And that's not an isolated thing... he has done that many times. It's turned me from a casual watcher to a diehard fan.
posted by yaymukund at 5:28 PM on December 19, 2014 [6 favorites]

Ferguson was always third in his time slot. Neither he nor his network cared for an unreasonably long time by Hollywood standards.

When Jay Leno retired, Craig bought him a broken down Ford Bronco. It wouldn't even start. It was the perfect gift.

I bet Leno buys him a punk band.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:09 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]

Such a f^UH-OH^ing tragedy.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:19 PM on December 19, 2014 [11 favorites]

I so wish Kristen Bell would have been his final guest, but oh well. She did have a great last appearance recently and apparently might have a cameo tonight as well.

She and hubby Dax just announced on Twitter the birth of their baby an hour ago, so I'm guessing no cameo from her.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 8:48 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm sad that Colbert's show is ending, and I love him as much as anyone, but for gut-busting silly fun, I am REALLY going to miss Craig Ferguson. For years I have been watching his show EVERY NIGHT, and his irreverent and surreal banter consistently has me in stitches, a great way to wind down after a long day. Most people have heard of him via the occasional Big Insightful Speeches that he occasionally makes (e.g. the Tutu references above), but it's the day to day goofing around that really kills. The guy who does the "gay robot skeleton" sidekick (Josh Robert Thompson) is an absolute improv genius, and they routinely whip themselves (and us) up into a giggly frenzy, especially the last few weeks when they've literally had nothing to lose. They are really loose, working joke callbacks all night. His last show is Friday night, and I'm glad that I still have a small pile of episodes in the DVR to last me a little while longer.
posted by intermod at 8:56 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

There are over 2000 different episodes of Ferguson's show. Unless you twigged to him in the very beginning, and have been incredibly diligent about watching his show, I bet there are a few episodes out there you haven't seen, intermod. I can go down a youtube rabbit hole for hours just watching his interview segments (I find those more interesting than the monologue for old episodes, because the current events being monologued about are now ancient history).
posted by axiom at 9:02 PM on December 19, 2014

I am bereft. He was such a breath of fresh air, and his back-and-forth with Geoff was some of the best improv ever. I'm glad he'll still be working with Josh Thompson in his new endeavors. The WaPo's TV critic has a nice appreciation piece.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:03 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also, he's on twitter (@craigyferg) so you can get small doses that way. This is my favorite of his recent tweets.
posted by axiom at 9:21 PM on December 19, 2014

I think Kristen Bell popped up a couple of times in the opening title music montage.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:40 PM on December 19, 2014

2014: Year of the Ridiculously Large Celebrity Cameo Music Video Finale
posted by Rhaomi at 9:41 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]

Great outro, eh?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:38 PM on December 19, 2014

Great outro, great intro. In between wasn't bad either!

The link to the final episode on the CBS site is in the FPP; it's also [places hands in front of mouth] on YouTube.
posted by Shmuel510 at 7:04 AM on December 20, 2014

If Colbert helped make the Bush Administration a bit more tolerable, Craig got me through the shitshow that was the 2008-2009 economic recession, as I was transitioning from community college to university, and not knowing how well I had it at the time, felt my chances of employment post graduation kind of dwindle.

Hearing "It's a great day for America", whether it was meant to be funny or not, really helped me put things in perspective
posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:06 AM on December 20, 2014

He's the best late night talk show host, in my opinion. Why? Because I like Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel shows for the sketches but the interview parts all seem bog standard. It feels like that they should just be doing sketch comedy shows. Especially Conan. Craig Ferguson, on the other hand, I watch him for the interviews. He doesn't do standard interviews. Instead he just has conversations. Like when you go to a pub that's not loud so you can talk to people and you just start talking to the person next to you. That's what he does but the person next to him is a celebrity but he talks to them not from an "interviewer" to "guest" perspective but from "one random person talking to another" perspective and his open-mindness, knowledge, awareness, and comedic skills make it so much better. He's aware of the awkwardness of some situations and he let's it be known and it makes everybody feel comfortable. It sucks that he's done.
posted by I-baLL at 8:13 AM on December 20, 2014 [4 favorites]

He seemed to flirt pretty well too.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:03 AM on December 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

I got to see a taping in the spring of 2006. It doesn't feel like it was 8 years ago. It was fun, even of the guests were kinda meh. I think the best part was that he spent most of the episode mocking the off camera segment clock. I kept meaning to watch the show, but it only ever happened sporadically.
posted by Badgermann at 1:05 PM on December 20, 2014

Wow I'm much more sad about this than I should be.
posted by humanfont at 1:15 PM on December 20, 2014

I just realized that the ending skit actually puts TLLSwCF into the Tommy Westphall universe. Hell of a joke to end on.
posted by axiom at 2:07 PM on December 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

Even if one accepts the Tommy Westphall Universe hypothesis, I don't think the mere presence of a snowglobe is enough to place a show into it.

On the other hand, if one accepts that hypothesis, one will quickly be led to the conclusion that our own reality is in the Tommy Westphall Universe, and thus it contains all talk shows in which real people appear, Craig's included.

(If you require proof: St. Elsewhere and Homicide: Life on the Street share a continuity; Homicide and the Law and Order series share a continuity; Michael Bloomberg appeared as the mayor of NYC on Law and Order, and also played that role in our world... so by standard Westphallian reasoning, our world is in the Tommy Westphall Universe. Q.E.D.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 4:32 PM on December 20, 2014 [3 favorites]

Finally got around to watching it. Jesus, Leno looks like an death-warmed-over drug addict.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:20 PM on December 20, 2014

I was referring to The Drew Carey Show being in the TWU (bottom right quadrant, here), and thus the skit would pull TLLS in as a dream-within-a-dream.
posted by axiom at 6:24 PM on December 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Well, I cried my way through the first half hour or so! I was not a fan of Leno as the final guest, but on the plus side, it did mean I stopped leaking tears.

The AV Club has a good article here, and the comments are pretty good too. And according to Deadline, apparently Craig, Geoff Peterson, and Secretariat will be moving on to a half-hour syndicated show with Tribune Media.
posted by yasaman at 7:04 PM on December 20, 2014 [1 favorite]