The Story of Late Night - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Inventing Late Night
At the dawn of the TV era in the 1950s, Steve Allen's zany spontaneity turns Tonight into a hilarious and unexpected hit. But in the early 1960s, it's Jack Paar's captivating, quirky personality and Johnny Carson's impeccably hip humor that transform late night into an enduring television staple.
Carson: King of Late Night
Johnny Carson deftly navigates the turbulent 1960s to elevate The Tonight Show into a cultural touchstone, enshrining himself as the undisputed king of late night. His success begets competition with the emergence of Dick Cavett and Merv Griffin.
Eyes on the Throne
As the 1980s dawn, David Letterman reinvents late night comedy for a new generation, rescuing comedian Jay Leno's nearly flamed-out career in the process. But Johnny Carson's enduring comic appeal spawns endless speculation over his eventual successor.
Letterman vs. Leno
Carson's 1992 retirement touches a nation – and touches off an epic late-night war between Jay Leno and David Letterman.
Late Night Makes The News
As the 2000s unfold, diverse voices like Chelsea Handler and George Lopez get their seat behind the late-night desk, while Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert take the news into their own hilarious hands.
Reinventing Late Night
Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Trevor Noah follow in Leno, Letterman, and Stewart's footsteps, and new hosts James Corden, Seth Meyers, Samantha Bee, Amber Ruffin, and Desus + Mero confront Donald Trump – and COVID-19.
Recently Updated Shows
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers, who is Saturday Night Live's longest serving anchor on the show's wildly popular "Weekend Update," takes over as host of NBC's Late Night — home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy and the best in musical talent.
As the Emmy Award-winning head writer for "SNL," Meyers has established a reputation for sharp wit and perfectly timed comedy, and has gained fame for his spot-on jokes and satire. Meyers takes his departure from "SNL" to his new post at "Late Night," as Jimmy Fallon moves to The Tonight Show.
Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire
Based on Anne Rice's iconic and bestselling novel, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire follows Louis de Pointe, Lestat de Lioncourt and Claudia's epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a Black man in New Orleans in the early 1900s, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat de Lioncourt's offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis's intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat's newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is an Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase.
Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon brought NBC's "The Tonight Show" back to its New York origins when he launched The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Rockefeller Center. Fallon puts his own stamp on the storied NBC late-night franchise with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music with the award-winning house band, The Roots.