Earlier this year, Comedy Central picked "Daily Show" correspondent Larry Wilmore as successor to Stephen Colbert (and his "The Colbert Report"), who is leaving that network to take over for David Letterman on CBS, when he departs in 2015.
Wilmore’s show (previously titled "The Minority Report"), and now called "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore," will air on Comedy Central at 11:30pm nightly, right after "Daily Show," starting on January 19, 2015.
The face of late night TV continues to shift, as the so-called old guard steps aside for those who’ll be settling in for their own multi-decade runs, just like their predecessors.
Although 52-year-old Wilmore certainly is no spring chicken, like newbies Jimmy Fallon, or Seth Myers. Then again, neither is Colbert, as he slides into Letterman’s soon-to-be vacated slot.
Making his debut on "The Daily Show" in 2006, where he was billed as the "Senior Black Correspondent," Wilmore’s name was attached to a number of broadcast network TV serials over the last 2 pilot seasons, although nothing really stuck.
He did find success at Showtime with his hour-long special "Race, Religion & Sex," during election season in the fall of 2012. Showtime initially ordered a single special, with the potential for it to become a series, depending on how well the first one did with audiences. It did well enough apparently, because the network ordered a second.
At the time, in early 2013, I mentioned that it was likely only a matter of time before Wilmore signed up for something permanent – "a weekly show not-so unlike Bill Maher’s on HBO," were my exact words.
Well, Comedy Central isn’t HBO, but I’ll take "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore," as is.
Congratulations Mr Wilmore!
A first look at the upcoming new series is below, and then read Jai’s interview with "Nightly Show" head writer Robin Thede here:
