James Corden’s Late Late Show to be replaced by @midnight reboot with Stephen Colbert producing

James Corden’s replacement is reportedly already set by the time his stint on The Late Late Show wraps up in the spring of this year.

CBS plans to scrap the late-night talk show hosted by the 44-year-old British comic actor in favor of rebooting Comedy Central game show @midnight, Deadline reported on Tuesday.

It was previously reported over the summer that CBS was looking to move from a talk show format in favor of a game show, with @midnight as a possible inspiration.

Now, the network appears to have tried to revive the show rather than create a new property.

Stephen Colbert, who hosts CBS’s flagship late-night talk show The Late Show, will reportedly produce the revival.

Left Behind: Comedy Central aired at midnight from 2013 to 2017 with comedian Chris Hardwick as host. Hardwick, who was accused of sexual assault in 2018, will reportedly not participate in the reboot.

However, Chris Hardwick, who hosted the original @midnight, is not expected to have a connection to the upcoming show, which has agreed to end with the show’s 600th episode.

A year after the show ended, Hardwick’s ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra accused an unnamed ex of subjecting her to sexual and emotional abuse, before blacklisting her from the entertainment industry after their breakup.

Although she did not name Hardwick, the timing and details of her Medium post suggested that she was referring to him.

A report from an investigation into Hardwick’s alleged conduct that was conducted by a law firm retained by AMC, where he hosts the Walking Dead’s later show Talking Dead, concluded that it could not confirm Dykstra’s claims, though it said he had not been involved. in research and did not ‘believe in an eye for an eye’.

CBS’ move to scrap The Late Late Show comes 28 years after the series debuted in 1995. It was originally hosted by Tom Snyder, with Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson and Corden taking the spot as host.

The network is replacing the show as late-night talk show ratings have steadily declined in recent years.

The new version of @midnight will be produced by Funny or Die, which also produced the original series, which ran on Comedy Central from 2013 to 2017.

Colbert is expected to produce as he continues to host The Late Show earlier in the evening. He will also continue to produce the Comedy Central series Tooning Out The News and Hell Of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God.

Increased workload: The Late Show host Stephen Colbert reportedly produces @midnight, along with Funny or Die, which produced the original; seen in January 2022

Have Fun – In the original, Hardwick awarded the three contestants points as they played fun games that tested their knowledge of the internet, social media, and pop culture.

Scrapped: CBS seems to be giving up the 12:30 am talk show timeslot. Corden was the fourth host after the series began in 1995; seen with Gwyneth Paltrow on January 9

Part of CBS’s decision to go with a game show was an attempt to reduce the cost of The Late Late Show’s 12:30 a.m. time slot.

The network reportedly spent just over $60 million for the show as it stands, but now expects to spend around $35 million per year.

Part of the decline of late-night talk shows has been attributed to a lack of interest from younger viewers, who tend to watch clips afterwards on social media.

CBS apparently believed that the long-dormant series format might appeal to some of those younger viewers, and the competition format might add some intrigue as well.

In the original, Hardwick somewhat arbitrarily awarded points to the three contestants as they played humorous games based on their knowledge of the Internet, social media, and pop culture.

Although the individual games are likely to be replaced by updated competitions, Deadline reported that the show’s format should be the same as its Comedy Central incarnation.

Corden currently plays opposite Seth Meyers with Late Night on NBC, his follow-up to the Tonight Show, though he’s set to be the last talk show host in the 12:30 slot after Corden steps down.

End of an era: Corden currently stars opposite Seth Meyers on NBC’s Late Night, his follow-up to the Tonight Show, though he’s about to be the last talk show host in the 12:30 slot after Corden I quit; seen in 2021