These days, late night talk shows leave a lot to be desired. The Oxford English Dictionary actually more specific descriptors that describe them perfectly: insufferable……abysmal…….snoozefest. In other words, late night talk shows have become nearly unwatchable. There are several reasons for the decline in their ratings. The “monologue-chat” format creaks with age. The hosts are pandering, preachy, and typically not funny, and a nation of laugh-hungry viewers — especially those in the 18-54 demographic — are tuning out. Over the last few years, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has turned political. He banked left……hard left….and it’s destroying his show. Let’s face it, alienating half the country isn’t exactly a winning strategy, and the ratings reflect that. Then there’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which fell off fast. It’s clear that Fallon used to put a legitimate effort into the show, and even people who don’t like him admit that he’s talented. Unfortunately, time has changed, but Fallon hasn’t. His goofy, ADHD-addled persona doesn’t play well behind a desk at 11 p.m. The Celebrity Challenge bits and “gee whiz” interviews are exhausting. Of course, we couldn’t leave The Late Show With Stephen Colbert out of the mix. He’s easily the worst offender of late night’s downfall. Colbert is a cross between Ned Flanders (The Simpsons) and an angry man shaking his fist at the sky. He’s become the very thing he used to mock — an unapologetic, fully captured partisan hack for the Democratic Party. All of these late night hosts leave Americans who need a good laugh wishing there was a modern-day Johnny Carson.
