Late-night hosts with the most

Late-night hosts are always looking for new ways to maintain and attract viewers. A new series delves into the format’s beginnings — and the rivalries we have come to love.

Actor Demi Moore on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1996.

Late-night television is a ­cultural institution in the US. The format – opening comedy monologue, host seated behind a desk, a sidekick or ­announcer, celebrity guests, in-house band, along with skits, games and pranks – has long been a fixture on television.

It started with The Tonight Show, hosted by Steve Allen and later Jack Paar, and was made iconic by Johnny Carson. The formula was reinvented by David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart. A new generation, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, compete for audiences today.

“Late night became this ritual that Americans all gather around,” O’Brien says.

With a traditional timeslot of 11.30pm or later, it is often the last thing people watch before bedtime.

“It’s very intimate to be in somebody’s ­bedroom late at night,” Kimmel says.

James Corden says the shows “inform and ­uplift” viewers.

Australia has its own legends of late night with Graham Kennedy starting in the 1950s and Don Lane in the 60s, Steve Vizard in the 90s, and, in more recent decades, Rove McManus and ­Andrew Denton have had stints behind the desk.

While Kennedy and Lane were regarded as homegrown pioneers, and Vizard pastiche, in truth they all borrowed from the US format.

A new series made by CNN and broadcast on SBS Viceland in Australia, The Story of Late Night chronicles the history of this unique television genre with fascinating clips excavated from archives across networks and cable channels. It is supplemented by interviews with hosts such as O’Brien, Fallon, Kimmel, Corden, Seth Myers and Dick Cavett. Directors, producers, writers and notable guests are also interviewed.

“Late night began as a way to kill time,” O’Brien explains.

TV host Conan O'Brien.

In the early 1950s, NBC was looking for a way to extend its broadcasts beyond the 11pm closing time when, if you fell asleep with the television on, you would wake up looking at a test-pattern or grey static.

Tonight was conceived as a bookend to the Today program in the morning. Allen, a former radio host, was the innovator. His show, which began in 1954, ran live for 90 minutes with a mix of news, sport, weather and comedy. Broadcast from New York City, it was mostly unscripted and spontaneous, and often shambolic.

Late at night, Allen was given latitude to be experimental. He interviewed guests, had stand-up comedians showcase their routines, spoke to audience members and acted out zany sketches, played games and made practical jokes.

When Allen moved to prime time to host a new variety show in 1956, Ernie Kovacs took over the timeslot as host of America After Dark. The format changed and it was not a success. Paar took the helm of Tonight in 1957. It became The Jack Paar Show in 1959.

Paar, more cerebral than Allen, told stories and shared his opinions, which were often controversial. It was riveting to watch, and the ratings exceeded that of Allen’s tenure. It also became an essential campaign stop for politicians, with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon becoming the first of many candidates eager to reach late-night audiences.

Often vulnerable and volatile, Paar famously resigned live on air in 1960 after he told a story that referred to a “W.C.” (water closet) which was censored. He walked off the set. Two months later, he was back. Paar’s late-night legacy is significant: he introduced the opening monologue and the desk, with celebrity guests, comedy and music remaining key elements.

The undisputed king of late night is Carson, who became host of The Tonight Show in 1962 and remained behind the desk for 30 years until 1992. Carson was as much a late-night institution as the show itself. He honed the format with monologue, guests, comedians, sketches and music.

Talk show host Johnny Carson, right, with the show's announcer Ed McMahon during the final taping of the "Tonight Show".

Carson made The Tonight Show his own. It became essential appointment television. His opening monologue was geared to the day’s events but he carefully avoided offending anyone at a time of profound political, social and economic change. Off camera, he was shy, aloof, reserved. But on camera, he was trusted by Americans to inform and entertain them.

While other late-night hosts emerged, such as Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin and Cavett, nobody did more to yet again reinvent the format than Letterman. Starting at 12.30pm on NBC in 1982, Late Night With David Letterman was even more subversive, rebellious and absurdist than any other program.

He introduced the “top 10 list”, threw things off high buildings, interviewed local shop owners, showcased zoo animals and “stupid pet tricks”, and talked to his mother on the phone. Letterman made late night his domain and was primed to take over from Carson whenever he exited The Tonight Show.

There have been two legendary battles for the late-night crown. The first was when Carson announced he would depart in 1992. Bob Newhart, Garry Shandling, Joan Rivers and Arsenio Hall were all, at some point, considered.

But Letterman was the obvious choice, and had Carson’s blessing. But the show went to Leno, the permanent guest host, and Letterman was blindsided.

Jack Paar with the show’s team in 1958.

NBC had hoped to keep both stars, but Letterman soon quit to front his own 11.30pm show on CBS. O’Brien took over Letterman’s show at 12.30pm and later was given The Tonight Show when Leno departed in 2009. But Leno returned to host a new show at 10pm. After just eight months, O’Brien was replaced with Leno, who returned to The Tonight Show desk. O’Brien took his show to cable. Fallon took over The Tonight Show franchise in 2014.

After almost 70 years of late night, the major networks now have Fallon (NBC), Colbert (CBS) and Kimmel (ABC) in the prized 11.30pm slot followed by Myers (NBC) and Corden (CBS) at 12.30pm. The Daily Show, with its deep dive into the news and with sharp views, found a receptive audience helmed by hosts Craig Kilborn, Stewart and now Trevor Noah.

The Late Late Show host James Corden with Paul McCartney.

Cable telvision has provided opportunities for a greater diversity of late-night shows and hosts with Bill Maher, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Andy Cohen, Chelsea Handler, George Lopez, Amber Ruffin, Hasan Minhaj, among others, catering to different audiences. These days, though, late-night hosts compete for eyeballs on social media and podcasts as much as they do on network and subscription television.

Letterman and Leno, once good friends, fought a long battle for late-night supremacy. Leno had more viewers but Letterman had a more devoted following, is the longest-running of hosts and remains a legend. These days, the late-night hosts engage more in cordial competition than fierce rivalry.

Modern late-night hosts are always looking for new ways to maintain and attract viewers. They owe much to Allen, Paar, Carson and Letterman, who assembled the studio furniture and developed and redeveloped the format to keep viewers glued to late-night screens.

The Story of Late Nightis available for streaming on SBS On Demand and airs on SBS Viceland on Sunday night.