Late-Night Hosts Return: Writers On The Mind

The five major late-night talk shows returned to the airwaves Wednesday night, with the striking writers never far from their thoughts. David Letterman and Craig Ferguson returned with writers, as Letterman's production company struck a deal, but Leno, Kimmel and O'Brien did not. Evidence of the strike was everywhere, from a strike-themed Letterman Top Ten list to NBC hosts taking questions from the audience (Leno) and ring spinning on a desk (O'Brien).

Read more about how the hosts filled their shows:

Watch the five hosts address their return:

Late night shows returned from the strike last night, and evidence of the strike was everywhere, from a strike-themed Letterman Top Ten list to NBC hosts taking questions from the audience (Leno) and ring spinning on a desk (O'Brien). http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1358314195http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

From CBS, NBC, ABC 1/2/08

Comments

[unionworker2]

12:43 PM on 01/06/2008

A writer has no more claim to downstream income than a set designer or a caterer, they are all just components in a complex business process that involves many people in many roles, from Janitor to Financier...

[anywho]

11:50 PM on 01/05/2008

Support the friggin' writer strike.

[anywho]

11:47 PM on 01/05/2008

Ass holes.

[Kane]

05:07 AM on 01/04/2008

Ironically, Leno was at his best when he used to appear on Letterman's old Latenight show. He has never looked comfortable on his own show, and it's painful to watch. I think he has a form of Dennis Miller disease.

[degjack]

06:49 PM on 01/03/2008

Both dudes look great with a beard!
Jay -- join the club!

[OPNelson]

05:32 PM on 01/03/2008

DAVE don't SHAVE !!!
It looks great !
@ least not until all the writer's have a contract !

[ImpeachmentNOW]

05:17 PM on 01/03/2008

.
I watched a little of both Leno and Letterman:

Leno was about the same - which isn't saying much - as when there were writers; which seems to suggest the writers aren't worth sh*t.

Letterman had the usual adolescent imbecile antics of stupid face grimaces and nonsensical noises. He did, however, have a great line about there really being people that write the crap that constitutes his show.

Meanwhile, I'll wait for the networks to do something good for viewers and just bring back the classics of the past decades.
.

[WilliamWallace]

04:34 PM on 01/03/2008

And it appears to be a Beard-Fest ;) Jay's fell off ;)

[AlienLifeForm]

04:27 PM on 01/03/2008

Leno is a scab and Huckabee is slime for crossing a picket line. Nice representives for the warmongering child molesters and closet self-loathing gays that make up the GOP these days. Union busting has been part of the platform since Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. The only surprise is that it took so long. I mean, the strike's been going on for a while now, hasn't it?

And NBC would be off the air with its crappy programming if it wasn't for its backup (GE) defense spending windfalls. They give Faux News a run for the title of most blatant state-run media in this country. Shame on them all.

ALF
http://mishkabear.blogspot.com

[hope4theflowers]

04:19 PM on 01/03/2008

I would have liked to hear what Robin Williams really had to say about the Iraq war last night.He came close,but alas,he held his tongue.
Rehab,shmehab.

[We]

04:04 PM on 01/03/2008

What's the deal with Ellen? The striking Writers Guild has declared her a "scab" for continuing to work - but AFTRA, the actors union, defends her.

[msfiskvletterman]

04:03 PM on 01/03/2008

1/3/08
4:03pm
Library of Congress

I missed the first half of the Late Show. What did Hillary say?

[Pyfagorus]

02:50 PM on 01/03/2008

Yes, I did notice there was a slight amount of "filler" in last night's shows.
I'm sure we'll all be relieved when the writers return, so we can once again be tickled silly by the comedy-packed genius of "Will It Float?"

[FogBelter]

02:38 PM on 01/03/2008

Kimmel has a show? What Studio idiot thought that was a good idea?

Kimmel's comments on SAG members working on movies but not going on his show was an act of spin that was quite interesting. As I understand it, if the script was finished before the Strike began the production could go forward. The late night talk show hosts' problem is they need writers daily to provide fresh material. So SAG actors working on a project where no further writing is taking place aren't crossing a picket line, where as SAG talent that appear on a talk show is a different story, unless there is a waiver, as in Letterman's case, where a deal was reached.

Kimmel was only stating part of the story.

[Kane]

02:26 PM on 01/03/2008

Letterman Rocks!

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/

Tonight's guest:
Bill Maher
Ellen Page
Broadway's "Young Frankenstein"