Later (talk show)

infobox television
show_name = Later
show_name_2="Later with Bob Costas"
"Later with Greg Kinnear"
"Later with Cynthia Garrett"


caption =
format = Talk Show
runtime = 30 minutes
creator =
executive_producer =
presenter = Bob Costas (1988-1994)
Greg Kinnear (1994-1996)
Guest Hosts (1996-2000)
Cynthia Garrett (2000-2001)

country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = August 22, 1988
last_aired = January 18, 2001
num_episodes =
followed_by="Last Call with Carson Daly"
website =
imdb_id = 0094495
tv_com_id = 10354

"Later" was a nightly half hour-long talk show that ran on NBC from 1988 until 2001. "Later" typically aired for half an hour following "The Tonight Show" and its succeeding program, "Late Night with David Letterman" (1988-1993) or "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993-present).

Nominations and awards

The show won the 1993 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series. It was nominated in the same category in 1992, and in the Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences category (currently called the Main Title Design category) in 1989.

History

The Bob Costas era

Bob Costas hosted "Later" from 1988-1994. This show was something of a break from the typical TV talk show format of the era, featuring Costas and a single guest having a conversation for the entire half hour, without a band, opening monologue or studio audience. On several occasions, Costas held the guest over for multiple nights, and these in-depth discussions won Costas much praise for his interviewing skills. Guests during his first week were Linda Ellerbee and Billy Crystal. Costas occasionally used guest hosts including Chicago DJ Jonathon Brandmeier and Tom Snyder. Snyder's interview with Howard Stern in 1991 was riveting television as host and guest expressed their dislike for each other as Stern tried to plug his videocassettes.

Under Greg Kinnear and Cynthia Garrett

Following Costas' departure, the show became a much more conventional talk show, hosted first by Greg Kinnear and later by Cynthia Garrett. The show was more conventional, although it continued to have a low budget compared to other late night shows and often performed in front of an empty audience. Dated reruns of the show were also very frequent-- shows from three years prior often played, with stars promoting movies that had long since been forgotten.

Cynthia Garrett's departure

Some speculation exists that Cynthia Garrett was canned due to a major editorial misjudgment on Garrett's part - by inviting adult film actress Jenna Jameson on as guest (in 2000) and billing her as a "Successful Millionaire Hollywood Actress and Businesswoman". Both the fact of putting a pornographic performer on as a guest, and attempting to equate her with mainstream celebrities, and extol her as a 'Successful Hollywood Actress and Businesswoman' brought a stream of protests and complaints to NBC, suggesting it had degraded the name and image of both the show and NBC. Chris Kellund of the adult celebrity agency BookCenterfolds said "Even I was greatly shocked to see that episode on NBC's "Later". There's a place in media for adult celebrities, but they are certainly not what you'd expect to see on the show Bob Costas launched to be the latter day version of Ed Murrow's "Person to Person"."

"SCTV" and "Last Call with Carson Daly"

Following Garrett's departure in 2000, the time slot was used for repeats of the Canadian sketch comedy "SCTV". In 2001, NBC announced that MTV VJ Carson Daly would be the new host of "Later". When Carson took over in 2001, the show was renamed "Last Call with Carson Daly".

ee also

*"Last Call with Carson Daly"
*List of late night network TV programs