Late-night TV returning as best as it can amid coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest disruption to hit television since the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike that ground Hollywood to a halt for three months.
As with that turmoil, when they tested the waters with “writer-less” episodes, late-night shows are among the first to recover with some sense of normalcy.
After a couple of weeks of producing whatever online content they could, most late-night hosts are returning to television in the coming days with full episodes produced from their homes.
Here’s a roundup:
— “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m. weekdays, CBS) returns Monday with all new episodes.
— “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (12:04 a.m. weekdays, ABC) returns Monday in its new time slot following coronavirus-related broadcasts of “Nightline.”
— “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (11:35 p.m. weekdays, NBC) is continuing its “At Home Edition,” a mix of new material and “Best of Fallon” moments.
— “Conan” (11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, TBS) returns Monday with episodes recorded via an iPhone and videoconferencing. “The quality of my work will not go down,” Conan O’Brien said in a statement, “because technically that’s not possible.”
— “The Late Late Show With James Corden” will keep airing reruns, but the host can be seen in “Homefest: James Corden’s Late Late Show Special” (10 p.m. Monday, CBS). The broadcast will feature BTS, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa performing from their homes.
— “Desus & Mero” (11 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, Showtime) returns Monday with new episodes.
— “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (11 p.m. Sunday) and “Real Time With Bill Maher” (10 p.m. April 6) are both expected to return, but there’s been no official word from HBO.
Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.