Craig's Last

Ever since David Letterman announced he was retiring and Stephen Colbert was hired as a replacement, it seemed inevitable that Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show, which followed Letterman, was on the way out. Now it's gone from inevitable to official: Ferguson announced he's leaving earlier this this week.  He claims it's his choice, and fine, if he says so, that's good enough for me.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the show, but in recent years I've grown to appreciate it more.  It eschewed a big band (or band of any sort) and a sidekick--unless you count a talking skeleton and performing horse--and was just Ferguson, often talking intimately into the camera. He'd share private jokes with the audience, and would spend at least the first half hour of his show doing whatever it was that interested him.  Only some time in the second half hour would he bring out the celebrities.  But this was my favorite part of the show.  At Ferguson's best he was able to establish a rapport with his guests that other late night shows couldn't match.

Maybe it's time for something new.  I think Seth Meyers is vulnerable, and perhaps a new name could beat him.  Still, I'll miss Ferguson, even if I only watched occasionally.