The Late Late Show is no more, having aired its final episode last night.
To most it’s not much of a loss. After all, CBS didn’t cancel the show because its ratings were fantastic.
But it’s more of a loss to stand-up comedy than might be readily apparent.
Vulture magazine research found that thus far in 2023 the five major late night television shows featured only 25 stand-up comedy sets. Nearly half of those sets came on The Late Late Show. Today’s Stand-Up Spotlight leads with Vulture’s interview with Late Late Show host James Corden.
It’s no secret that comedians are finding new ways to market themselves to larger audiences. It’s a shame that appearances on late night television – once a reliable measure of a comedian’s talent – are nearing extinction. Is this progress?
The final Spotlight of the April includes a features about Rory Scovel and Chris Estrada, along with Chris Kattan discussing his new movie “Angel City.”
Is everyone ready for a funny weekend?
STAND-UP SPOTLIGHT – April 28, 2023
The Late Late Show Was a Stand-up Hot Spot
Late-night stand-up spots are no longer the guaranteed career catapults they once were. Long gone are the days of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, when a young comedian could go from a relative unknown to a future sitcom star overnight with a great five-minute set. But the prestige of these opportunities remains. They’re recognizable credits that help comedians get booked at clubs and festivals, impressive clips that circulate online to build a fan base and offer lifelong bragging rights. They’re also disappearing: Since the start of 2023, there have been just 25 stand-up-comedy sets across the five major U.S. late-night shows — one on Late Night With Seth Meyers, 12 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and 12 on The Late Late Show With James Corden. With the latter of these shows coming to an end on April 27, this trend is poised to only get worse.
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The Fearless and Peerless Rory Scovel
The first time I saw Rory Scovel do stand-up was on Conan in 2012. He came out with a bowling jacket, tucked-in plaid shirt, a bottle of beer, and a thick Southern accent. His five minute set of jokes about it still being legal to hide in public was just absurd enough to intrigue me. So a few months later when I saw he was playing the events room of the Grand Stay Inn in Apple Valley, Minnesota—a way-outer exurb of Minneapolis—I went to go see him live. I bought a ticket to the 8pm Sunday night show, eager to see who I thought (based on the Conan set) might be a fresh new voice in the Southern comedy scene. Except he wasn’t a Southern guy. That night, for the nine of us who were there, he did his entire set with a German accent—delivering 60 minutes of his regular material that never really acknowledged or pointed to the accent. From that night on, I got it. I understood what it meant to be a Rory Scovel fan.
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Chris Kattan of ‘Saturday Night Live’ talks about ‘Angel City’ film
Acclaimed actor and stand-up comedian Chris Kattan (“Saturday Night Live” alum) chatted about his new movie “Angel City,” as well as his engagement, and his forthcoming comedy shows in Buffalo New York.
He shared that he is filming the movie “Angel City,” which was written and directed by Noel Braham. “Angel City is great, it’s a refreshing change of pace to do a drama,” he said. “It is nice to play a character that’s real. It’s different than how you play [characters] in a comedy.”
‘This Fool’s Chris Estrada compares his hit Hulu series to stand-up comedy
“For me, it’s important for people to see me as a stand-up comedian, which is a different experience than watching the show,” Estrada told MySA during an interview last week. “I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.”
Inspired by Estrada’s real life, This Fool follows Julio Lopez (Estrada), a gang rehabilitation employee who takes his ex-con cousin Luis (Frankie Quiñones) under his wing after he gets released from prison.
