The Late Late Show with James Corden
The final iteration of The Late Late Show on CBS.
The Late Late Show with James Corden is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023, serving as the fourth and final iteration of The Late Late Show franchise. It aired weeknights at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT and was taped at Television City in Los Angeles. The show gained particular attention for its Carpool Karaoke segment and for being the last version of the program.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Late-night talk show
- Variety show
- Political satire
- Writer
- Mike Gibbons and Ian Karmel (head writers)
- Director
- Tim Mancinelli (main show)
- Presenter
- James Corden
- Announcer
- Reggie Watts
- Music
- Reggie Watts and The Late Late Show Band
- Opening theme
- "The Late Late Show"
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Production
James Corden said he was "thrilled and honored" to host the show, and CBS Entertainment chairwoman Nina Tassler described him as a warm, charming and original performer with a diverse range of creative instincts. The show continued to be produced at Television City in Los Angeles. Corden made a surprise guest appearance on predecessor Craig Ferguson's program on December 16, 2014, two days before Ferguson's last broadcast, and also shadowed an episode hosted by Judd Apatow. Unlike earlier hosts, Corden's version had a house band, originally nicknamed "Karen" but later changed to "Melissa" due to slang usage. The band was led by Reggie Watts, who also served as announcer and performed lead vocals, keyboards, beatboxing, and programming. Other band members included Tim Young on lead guitars, Steve Scalfati on keyboards, Hagar Ben-Ari on bass, and Guillermo E. Brown on drums. Watts and the band composed the theme song. The title sequence, originally intended to be directed by J. J. Abrams, was filmed by Trollbäck + Company and showed Corden and Watts traveling around Los Angeles in a lowrider and on LED bikes with light painting. Executive producers were Rob Crabbe and Ben Winston.
Episodes
The debut episode on March 23, 2015, featured Tom Hanks and Mila Kunis, with Corden and Hanks acting and singing through a retrospective of Hanks' career. After a prompt by Hanks, Corden appeared to get Kunis to admit she and Ashton Kutcher were married, though a source later claimed she was joking. That episode drew 1.66 million viewers, the show's biggest Monday rating in over three years. First-run episodes aired every weeknight through May 2015 sweeps, then scaled back to four per week starting May 25, with Friday being a rebroadcast. The May 20, 2015 episode, following David Letterman's finale, was the highest rated in franchise history with 4 million viewers and a 2.5 rating, despite starting 20 minutes late. It featured Corden and Sting singing "Every Breath You Take" outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. On February 28, 2019, Corden helped announce the Jonas Brothers' comeback via a Carpool Karaoke clip, followed by a week-long special called Late Late Jonas. The series finale aired April 27, 2023, preceded by a primetime Carpool Karaoke special, and brought together Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, David Letterman, and Trevor Noah.
Recurring segments
Carpool Karaoke featured James and musical guests singing along to songs while driving a planned route, usually in Los Angeles. Corden said the segment was inspired by a Gavin & Stacey-themed sketch for Red Nose Day 2011, in which he sang with George Michael in a car. He noted that Ben Winston and he thought there was something joyful about famous people singing in ordinary situations. Guests included BTS, Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, Britney Spears, Adele, Paul McCartney, Madonna, and many others.
International broadcast
In the UK and Ireland, the show aired at 11:50pm on Sky Comedy on a one-day delay, and was available on Sky's On Demand service and Now TV. Sky Q customers could access some content in the Online Video section. A weekly compilation, Late Late Show: Best of The Week, aired Friday nights at 10:00pm on Sky One. In Canada, CTV simulcast the show with CBS, having moved from CTV Two on February 8, 2016. In Australia, it premiered on Network Ten's Eleven (later 10 Peach) on May 24, 2015, airing seven days a week to catch up; from September 2020 it moved to 10 Shake, then returned to 10 Peach in 2021. In Asia, it premiered August 3, 2015 on RTL CBS Entertainment, continuing on Blue Ant Entertainment after a rebrand until the CBS deal expired in September 2020. In Hong Kong, it aired on ViuTVsix starting April 5, 2019, initially at 10:30 p.m. HKT on Fridays, later at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. The American Forces Network broadcast the show commercial-free to military personnel overseas on Prime Atlantic and Prime Pacific.
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