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At the same time, Seth Meyers launched his own show in Fallons former 12:30 a.m. spot.
Bethy Squires:We come to bury James Corden, not to praise him.
Well, Im here to praise him a little.
Im sad to see this show go.
But Im curious what you thought about Corden, especially pre-pandemic, which I caught a lot less of.
(Beck noted that it was very hot in Tommys house while Tommy fawned all over him.
Beck later performed inTommys dining room.)
I liked how Corden was experimenting with the form and improvising a bit.
1 Thirstiest Theater Kid.
The thing is, thats sort of what he promised CBS executives he would do.
And I miss the real thing, or what at least felt more like the real thing.
I miss that one time Beck played Country Down in a dining room.
But thats definitely how hes most well known by the world at large.
I want to go back to his time in the U.K. panel-show trenches.
As aBig Fat Quizfan, thats how I first knew him.
This stunt highlights both Cordens greatest strength and biggest flaw rolled into one.
Hes not afraid to play the heel when the comedy requires it.
But the commitment to preplanned bits is also there.
Lets talk more about how he and Fallon YouTube-ified late night.
to be consumed as stand-alone content, completely divorced from the concept of late night.
But Corden also pretapes a lot of things that seemingly dont need to be pretaped.
He doesnt eventryto make the viewer believe all these things are happening the same night.
How do you feel about the un-temporality of late night today?
Just one example of many: Chertelling Letterman he was an assholeon national television in 1986.
Generally in those days, things didnt feel quite as overtly scripted.
He also was smart to think about how his show might work in the YouTube era.
Corden especially earned a reputation as a try-hard (among other things).
Like, watchthisand try not to cringe.
It cant be done.
Colberts audience often forces the jam upon him, with all the chanting and the booing.
I can sort of sympathize, as a person whose job security often depends on an interview going well.
Would the loosey-goosey, discursive late-night conversations happen with Charli DAmelio?
Celebs are too media-trained nowadays.
I wonder if being a try-hard is the only way to pierce the PR veil.
JC:Thats right, I only talk about Harry Styles when forced.
And by forced, I mean someone comes up to me and says, Hi.
Their 2019Concert Crosswalksegment is a lot of fun in part because Harry seems so dismissive of the whole concept.
Has the forcing of the jam abated at all?
BS:Gonna have to first sidebar about the Daylight music-video shoot.
I think theMaking the Videoenergy hooks me as a millennial, but also the impish-little-shit energy coming off Corden.
I think what makes Cordens trying here palatable is that he knows its annoying.
Lean into your brand, my guy!
Maybe its the theater kid in Corden, but he always overplays to a studio audience.
It was likeThe Soup, with the crew laughing behind the camera.
Show after show, the crews personas were built up, as well as Cordens specific vibe with each.
If the years pre-COVID were about turning late night into YouTube, lockdown-eraLate Late Showturned late night into podcasts.
Its been frustrating seeing the show devolve back into scripted jokes now that things have opened back up.
Then, for the next few nights, the chair would get higher and higher.
This wasThe Late Late Show(and its CBS exec) at its height.
JC:First of all, I wish I had watched Corden more in the quarantine era.
But like you said, everything slid right back to the normal.
As far as late nights days being numbered, I dont think its immediately going away.
Personally, I still value late-night talk shows.
and more fearlessness in terms of subverting the genre and trying new things.
Im not saying I wantThe Tonight Showto turn intoThe Eric Andre Show.
But Im also notnotsaying that.
As someone who studied his show, how do you thinkThe Late Late Showwill be remembered?
And howshouldit be remembered?
BS:I think Cordens legacy will be Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney.
First, for Cordens immediate predecessor Craig Ferguson bringing some gonzo energy to monologues and really exploring the space.
Then, for Cordens willingness to take the show out of the studio.
Sure, that impulse did block traffic withCorden dressed as a mouse.
But it also gave one random guy a very personal Beck concert.
Trying hard has its place.
