CBSThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert is going big—again. The late-night chat show is going live—again—following the presidential and vice presidential debates. The three live broadcasts are scheduled to air Monday, Sept. 26, Wednesday, Oct. 19 and on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
The Late Show went live during the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and earned strong ratings and acclaim, according to CBS. The live shows birthed The Late Show's two biggest viral moments: Jon Stewart's guest appearance and Laura Benanti's appearance as Melania Trump. Guests for the upcoming three live shows will be revealed at a later date.
These latest batches of live shows come after the CBS series has been taking big stabs to carve out a footprint in the crowded late-night space. The host brought back his Colbert Report character, Stephen Colbert, for a spell and battled rumors that he would be replaced by James Corden. Howard Stern posed the question to Corden, the host of The Late Late Show. "Never gonna happen," Corden told Stern.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert said it was a valid question, given the success of Corden's late-night series and the viral sensation of Carpool Karaoke his show birthed.
"That's a reasonable question for Howard to ask, I suppose, because Howard asks provocative questions," Colbert said. "I mean, any question is a reasonable question if you think it's interesting, and that's a very interesting question. But, I mean, what can I do about a question? All I can do is the best show I can."
CBS denied the move would happen and voiced support for Colbert.
"We have no plans to flip the two shows," Glenn Geller, president of CBS Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's really easy for people to pit the shows against each other. But they're different kinds of shows, they're different kinds of hosts. One was a known quantity to America, and the other was not. I don't think it's fair to compare the two and say, 'Well, just because one show has this, why doesn't the other?'"
Colbert clearly has the political beat down thanks to his years on Comedy Central with his Stephen Colbert character, but the struggle has been harnessing that for the a larger audience on CBS's flagship late-night series.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights, 11:35 p.m. on CBS.