''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' is a 2015–16 American
late-night panel
Panel may refer to:
Arts and media Visual arts
* Panel (comics), a single image in a comic book, comic strip or cartoon; also, a comic strip containing one such image
*Panel painting, in art, either one element of a multi-element piece of art ...
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
hosted by
Larry Wilmore
Elister Larry WilmoreThe name Elister L. Wilmore is given at This matches the birth date and birthplace for "Larry Wilmore" at (born October 30, 1961) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspo ...
that aired for two seasons on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
. The show was a
spin-off of ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'', which featured Wilmore as a recurring
contributor. It aired Monday through Thursday at 11:30 PM (
ET) following ''The Daily Show''. It served as a replacement for ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...
'', which aired in the same time-slot from October 2005 to December 2014.
The show has been described as a combination of ''The Daily Show'' and ''
Politically Incorrect
''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
''. It featured Wilmore's scripted take on the
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
, followed by a panel discussion and later in most episodes a game with his guests. ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' received a generally positive reception from critics, but ratings fell after Jon Stewart left ''The Daily Show''.
The show premiered on January 19, 2015. It was canceled on August 15, 2016, due to poor ratings performance. The final episode aired on August 18, 2016.
History
The 11:30 PM (
ET) time-slot for Mondays through Thursdays on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
had previously been occupied by ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...
'', hosted by
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
as another
spin-off of ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'', and premiered on October 17, 2005. In 2012, Comedy Central renewed
Jon Stewart's contract to host ''The Daily Show'' through the end of 2015 and Colbert's contract to host ''The Colbert Report'' through the end of 2014. Colbert intentionally had his contract synced up with
David Letterman's contract to host ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, so they would both expire at the same time; in the event Letterman chose to retire, Colbert would be available to take over the show.
On April 3, 2014, Letterman announced on his show that he would retire in 2015.
On April 10, 2014, it was announced that Colbert would leave Comedy Central at the end of 2014 and replace Letterman as the host of ''Late Show'' on CBS beginning in 2015.
The
final episode of ''The Colbert Report'' aired on December 18, 2014.
Jon Stewart pitched the idea to Comedy Central of giving Wilmore a show to air during the 11:30 PM time-slot after his show. According to the network president, Stewart said it would be the ideal time-slot for a show with a different format that would "provide an opportunity for the underrepresented voices out there".
[ ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' was produced by Stewart's production company, ]Busboy Productions
Busboy Productions is a production company that was launched by Jon Stewart in the mid-1990s when he was known for hosting ''The Jon Stewart Show'' on MTV. In addition to Stewart, executive Chris McShane is in charge of development and production ...
. Stewart, Wilmore, and former ''The Daily Show'' showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
Rory Albanese
Rory Scot Albanese (born May 29, 1977) is an American comedian, comedy writer and television producer. He was a showrunner, executive producer and writer for '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', which he joined in 1999 and was with until Octob ...
served as executive producers
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
. Wilmore had been slated to be showrunner on the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
sitcom ''Black-ish
''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...
'' (on which he is now billed as a consulting producer), but had to decline so he would be available to host ''The Nightly Show''.[
On May 9, 2014, it was announced that Wilmore had been selected to host a show to air in the 11:30 PM time-slot for Mondays through Thursdays on Comedy Central beginning in 2015.] Wilmore, like Colbert, had been a long-running cast member on ''The Daily Show'' prior to getting a spin-off. He had worked as a contributor on the show since August 2006; he served as the "Senior Black Correspondent" and also ran " Wilmore-Oliver Investigates" alongside John Oliver
John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention ...
. The original title of the show was going to be ''The Minority Report with Larry Wilmore'', which was suggested by Jon Stewart. It was later changed as a result of receiving backlash from Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
as they intend to use the same title for an upcoming series based on the 2002 film of the same name, Wilmore later stated he was happy with the title change.
The show was taped at NEP Studio 54, NEP Broadcasting
NEP Group, Inc. (formerly NEP Broadcasting LLC) is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based and privately owned international production company that provides outsourced teleproduction services for major events throughout the world.
Its facilities a ...
's West 54th Street studio that was also used for ''The Daily Show'' until July 2005 and for ''The Colbert Report'' throughout its entire run.
''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' was the third late-night show to be hosted by a cast member from ''The Daily Show'', behind ''The Colbert Report'' and '' Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'', which is hosted by John Oliver for HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
. Samantha Bee
Samantha Anne Bee (born October 25, 1969) is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host.
Bee rose to fame as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', where she became the ...
followed Wilmore as the fourth ''Daily Show'' alum to host a show with the debut of ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program that aired on TBS from 2016 to 2022. The show was hosted by comedian Samantha Bee, a former correspondent on ''The Daily Show''.
In July 202 ...
'' in February 2016 (although her show airs in prime-time, not late-night).
Bill Nye incident
During a panel on September 29, 2015, about NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
's discovery of water on Mars
Almost all water on Mars today exists as ice, though it also exists in small quantities as vapor in the atmosphere. What was thought to be low-volume liquid brines in shallow Martian soil, also called recurrent slope lineae, may be grains of f ...
featuring Bill Nye
William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...
, comedians Ricky Velez and Michelle Buteau continually interrupted Nye and denied interest in the discovery. Nick Venable of CinemaBlend.com called the telecast "insipid", adding "if anybody out there is watching ''The Nightly Show'' for science information – and that's a long shot since the show's ratings aren't that strong anyway – then you're doing it wrong."
Vox's Alex Abad-Santos described the incident as "the segment that made me stop watching The Nightly Show" and "one of the most unpleasant viewing experiences in recent memory." "Nye’s genuine, earnest explanation is met by Velez yelling," Abad-Santos noted.[ "I’m not worried about Mars. Why would I be excited about Mars? I’m barely excited about Earth," Velez yelled. "Trump is first in polls right now!"
When Wilmore did a ]Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
AMA in February 2016, outrage over the Nye segment dominated most of the discussion, with more than 1,000 comments specifically criticizing the show's treatment of Nye, characterized by ''Adweek
''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...
s David Griner as the moment that many thought the show "turned away from Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
's legacy of intellectualism." In response, Wilmore was surprised by the outcry, "It was just a conversation," he wrote on Reddit. "People are allowed to have a point of view. Bill Nye had a great time on that panel. He's been on the show a couple of times. People are allowed to have opinions. For the life of me, I really don't understand why people are so upset that someone would disagree with Bill Nye. I was on Bill's side of that, but still, who cares? It's just a conversation." Bill Nye has since appeared on the show, making light of the incident.
Otto Warmbier
In June 2017, Wilmore came under fire for comments he had made in an episode of ''The Nightly Show'' originally broadcast on March 1, 2016. When reporting on the case of Otto Warmbier
Otto Frederick Warmbier (December 12, 1994 – June 19, 2017) was an American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 on a charge of subversion. In June 2017, he was released by North Korea in a vegetative state and died ...
, an American college student arrested in North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
for allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda sign, Wilmore had repeatedly ridiculed Warmbier. While showing footage of a tearful Warmbier giving his testimony, Wilmore referred to Warmbier as "Otto Von Crybaby" and suggested Warmbier thought he had " Frat Bro Privilege." Warmbier was subsequently sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He died on June 19, 2017, having been being medically evacuated from North Korea to the U.S. in a comatose state, after 15 months in prison. In a podcast on June 22, 2017, Wilmore offered an apology for his earlier remarks.
Writers and contributors
Jon Stewart was the creator and served as executive producer with Larry Wilmore. Robin Thede
Robin Thede ( ) is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be head writer for a late-n ...
served as head writer for the first season and a half of the show, the first black woman to hold that position on a late-night talk show. Beginning with episode 233, Michael Pielocik served as the head writer. He was one of the writers before that. The other 14 writers of the show were Rory Albanese
Rory Scot Albanese (born May 29, 1977) is an American comedian, comedy writer and television producer. He was a showrunner, executive producer and writer for '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', which he joined in 1999 and was with until Octob ...
(also Executive Producer), Jordan Carlos
Jordan Carlos (born February 2, 1978) is an American stand-up comedian who played a recurring character on ''The Colbert Report'' and is a co-host on the Nickelodeon kids' show '' Me TV''. He also appeared as a panelist and reporter on '' The Nigh ...
, Lee H. Ellenberg (episodes 213–259), Bobby Gaylor, Jack Helmuth, Franchesca Ramsey
Franchesca Leigh Ramsey (born November 29, 1983), also known as Chescaleigh, is an American comedian, activist, television and YouTube personality, and actress, who has appeared on MTV and MSNBC. She gained media fame quickly after her YouTube ...
(episodes 169–259), Tim Siedell, Owen Smith (episodes 244–259), Wayne Stamps (episodes 225–259), Sasha Stewart, Robin Thede
Robin Thede ( ) is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be head writer for a late-n ...
(also former head writer: episodes 1–159), Jeremy Weiner (episodes 213–259), Colleen Werthmann, Matt Whitaker (episodes 117–259) and Larry Wilmore
Elister Larry WilmoreThe name Elister L. Wilmore is given at This matches the birth date and birthplace for "Larry Wilmore" at (born October 30, 1961) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspo ...
(also Executive Producer). Former writers: Cord Jefferson
Cord Jefferson is a television writer, journalist, and essayist who has worked on the TV series ''Watchmen'', ''Succession'', ''The Good Place'', and ''Master of None''. He is the recipient of an Emmy Award, NAACP Image Award, and two Writer ...
(episodes 1–196), Amy Ozols (episodes 1–236; also former co-executive producer), and Holly Walker
Holly Ruth Walker (born 15 November 1982) is a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014, as a Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, Green Party list MP. She is deputy Director of Helen Clark Foundation, The He ...
(episodes 1–218). Tom Ruprecht is a former writer (episodes 1–159) and head writer (episodes 160–232).
''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' featured a cast of contributors to help add different perspectives to the show and aid in comedy bits. The contributors included Robin Thede
Robin Thede ( ) is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be head writer for a late-n ...
, Rory Albanese
Rory Scot Albanese (born May 29, 1977) is an American comedian, comedy writer and television producer. He was a showrunner, executive producer and writer for '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', which he joined in 1999 and was with until Octob ...
, Holly Walker
Holly Ruth Walker (born 15 November 1982) is a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014, as a Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, Green Party list MP. She is deputy Director of Helen Clark Foundation, The He ...
, Felonious Munk
Arif Bilal Shahid (born August 4, 1972) better known by his stage name Felonious Munk is an Ethiopian-American comedian, writer, actor, playwright, and social commentator. He is best known as Hassan on the ABC show For Life.
Career
After lea ...
, Jordan Carlos
Jordan Carlos (born February 2, 1978) is an American stand-up comedian who played a recurring character on ''The Colbert Report'' and is a co-host on the Nickelodeon kids' show '' Me TV''. He also appeared as a panelist and reporter on '' The Nigh ...
, Ricky Velez,[ ]Mike Yard
Mike Yard is an American stand-up comedian. Yard was a contributor for ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore''. Yard was previously the winner of Comedy Central's ''Get Up, Stand Up'' comedy competition. He has also appeared on ''Inside Amy Schume ...
,[ ]Grace Parra
Grace Parra Janney (born June 27, 1984) is an American screenwriter, presenter, and actress who was a contributor on ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore''.
Career
Born in Houston, Texas, she moved to New York City to attend Columbia Univers ...
and Franchesca Ramsey
Franchesca Leigh Ramsey (born November 29, 1983), also known as Chescaleigh, is an American comedian, activist, television and YouTube personality, and actress, who has appeared on MTV and MSNBC. She gained media fame quickly after her YouTube ...
. Shenaz Treasury
Shenaz Treasurywala (born 29 June 1981) is an Indian actress.
Career
Discovered by a photographer during her first year in college, her first modeling assignment was for the soft drink Gold Spot. She also did advertising work for Akai and ...
was a contributor between January and May 2015.
Format
The show's format has been described as a combination of ''The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'' and ''Politically Incorrect
''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
''. Episodes would begin with a scripted take on the news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
by Wilmore, followed by a panel discussion
A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a ...
led by him, in which he discussed a particular predetermined topic with his guests. In the first three months, there were four panelists. In April 2015, the number of people on the panel changed to three and writers/contributors began appearing more on the panel. Beginning in November 2015, the panel would include two writers/contributors and one outside panelist. The roster changes with each show, but often featured comedians, journalists, politicians, and authors. Sometimes the opening news segment would be omitted in favor of a longer panel discussion. The end of Monday episodes of ''The Daily Show'' used to feature Jon Stewart talking to Wilmore leading into ''The Nightly Show'', a practice also used during the early years of ''The Colbert Report''.
On the format, Wilmore said "I'm not interested in doing a show where I give my opinion and people react to my opinion. Our show is more about the discovery of things. I want people who will teach me something." He also predicted that some people might change their minds on certain issues after hearing the different arguments in depth.
Recurring segments
* Keep it 100 – Wilmore challenges each guest to answer a controversial question completely honestly on the spot. Guests whom Wilmore and the audience believe to be answering honestly receive "I Kept It 100" stickers, even if the panel or audience may not necessarily agree with what was said, while those whom the audience suspects of overthinking their answer, waffling, or being less than honest are presented with a bag of " weak tea", displaying the show's logo. Occasionally Wilmore asks the audience to submit their own "Keep it 100" questions to him via social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, one of which is selected by staff of the show and presented to Wilmore in the following episode, who does not get to see the question in advance before answering on the spot during the taping. During February 2016, the show had a special Keep It 100 – Black History Edition, which highlighted the history of discrimination that black people faced.
* Nightly! Nightly! – Grace Parra reports like an entertainment reporter on serious topics.
* Blacklash 2016: Unblackening – News about the 2016 presidential election.
* Pardon the Integration – Mike Yard (who is black) and Rory Albanese (who is white) debate controversial subjects (for example reparations
Reparation(s) may refer to:
Christianity
* Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation
* Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin
History
*War reparations
**World War I reparations, made from G ...
) and are required to switch sides midway through and advocate the other side's position. At the end, because of the changed viewpoints, Alabanese and Wilmore are convinced that Yard is a racist.
* Carlos Jordanson – Hillary Clinton aide
* #Hash it Out with Franchesca Ramsey
* Resident Blegghead with Felonious Munk – Felonious Munk
Arif Bilal Shahid (born August 4, 1972) better known by his stage name Felonious Munk is an Ethiopian-American comedian, writer, actor, playwright, and social commentator. He is best known as Hassan on the ABC show For Life.
Career
After lea ...
poses as a sesquipedalian academic, confusing both Larry and the audience by using unnecessarily large words to make simple points.
* Mike Yard's The Y Files – Mike Yard's conspiracy theories
* 2 Chainz Explains - Rapper 2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...
tries to clarify a seemingly complicated issue.
Episodes
Reception
Initial reviews
Upon its debut, ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
the first season currently holds a 69 out 100 rating, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Brian Lowry of ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote that the show's premiere "showed promise," commenting, "Wilmore exhibited a quickness and light touch about sensitive topics, yet struggled to bring much coherence or flow to the overpopulated discussion that took up most of the premiere." David Kallison of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' concurred with this sentiment, remarking, "He is more traffic cop than travel guide in this first episode, but his inherent wit and quickness shines through regardless," deeming the debut a "triumph." ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''s Robert Bianco opined that "Wilmore already seemed completely comfortable as the show's host, as well he should be," calling it a "solid start." Don Kaplan of the '' Daily News'' said the program was a "welcome addition" to late-night television, summarizing, "While the program as a whole has room to grow, Wilmore's comedy is sharp, solid and filled with keen observations and strong enough to have earned him the distinction of being the only high-profile black voice in late night television."
''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''s Tim Goodman wrote that the show's premiere was: "predictably strong ..the slight nitpicking should not obscure the fact that overall Wilmore was funny; his show was smart and thoughtful, has a bright future and seems an excellent fit with Stewart and the Comedy Central brand."
Wilmore paid a special tribute to Colbert during the closing of the first episode by thanking him for "making 11:30 special." Following the debut of the first episode Stephen Colbert praised ''The Nightly Show'' on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, saying he was impressed, and using the hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
"keepingit100."
Ratings
The debut episode was watched by 963,000 viewers in its original broadcast in the United States. The show averaged 417,000 viewers a night in the key demographic of viewers ages 18 to 49 within its first three months. In March, the show's total viewings were down 38% from the average total of 1.24 million viewers received by ''The Colbert Report''.
By June 2015, the show's total 676,000 viewers average was down 45% from the average total of 1.24 million viewers received by ''The Colbert Report''. The show's average 230,000 viewers in the key demographic of ages 18 to 49 a night was down 45% from the 417,000 viewers its first 3 months averaged.
In August, ''International Business Times'' reported that ''Nightlys ratings were in a "freefall" due to losing its ''Daily Show'' lead-in audience (''Daily'' had gone on a seven-week hiatus before Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah (born 20 February 1984) is a South African-born comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and former television host. He was the host of ''The Daily Show'', an American late-night talk show and satirical news progra ...
's debut as host) and lacking online viral hits.[Willens, Max.]
Larry Wilmore Ratings Struggle: 'Nightly Show,' Lacking Viral Hits, In Freefall Following Jon Stewart’s Finale
" International Business Times. August 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-09. Nielsen showed Wilmore's ratings down 40% since Stewart's departure as ''Daily Show'' host.
Average live viewers:
* January 2015: 885,000
* February 2015: 849,000
* March 2015: 726,000
* April 2015: 634,000
* May 2015: 615,000
* June 2015: 708,000
* July 2015: 773,000
* August 2015: 605,000
* September 2015: 405,000
* October 2015: 489,000
* November 2015: 489,000
* December 2015: 516,000
* January 2016: 511,000
* February 2016: 564,000
* March 2016: 548,000
* April 2016: 527,000
* May 2016: 532,000
* June 2016: 547,000
* July 2016: 541,000
* August 2016: 548,000
See also
*List of late-night American network TV programs
Late night television in the United States is the block of television programming intended for broadcast after 11:00 p.m. and usually through 2:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (ET/PT), but which informally can include programs aired ...
*'' The Rundown with Robin Thede'', a late-night talk and variety show hosted by a ''Nightly Show'' head writer/co-star.
*''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper
''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'' is an American late-night talk and news satire program that aired on Comedy Central from September 25, 2017, to June 28, 2018. The show was hosted by comedian Jordan Klepper, a former correspondent on ''The ...
'', which took The Nightly Show's timeslot after its cancellation.
*''Lights Out with David Spade
''Lights Out with David Spade'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by David Spade. Premiering on Comedy Central on July 29, 2019, the series features discussions on popular culture topics between Spade and a rotating panel of guest come ...
'', which took The Opposition's timeslot after its cancellation.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, The
2010s American black television series
2010s American late-night television series
2010s American satirical television series
2010s American television news shows
2015 American television series debuts
2016 American television series endings
American news parodies
English-language television shows
Comedy Central original programming
Comedy Central late-night programming
The Daily Show
Television shows filmed in New York City
American television spin-offs
Television series by Busboy Productions
Criticism of journalism