David Letterman Set to Dethrone Johnny Carson as the King of Late Night

It's hard to imagine late night TV without David Letterman. It's been thirty years since the gap-toothed gabber came to after-hours television back in 1982 with 'Late Night with David Letterman.' And now thanks to a new deal with CBS, Letterman's 'Late Show' will continue through 2014, meaning he'll surpass Johnny Carson's thirty-year run on 'The Tonight Show.'

Both Letterman and 'Late Late Show' host Craig Ferguson are signed on to continue their late night gigs through 2014. While rival Jay Leno pulls slightly better ratings than Letterman, you could chalk it up to CBS' older skewing audience. Still, it sounds like network president, Nina Tassler will sleep better knowing Letterman and Ferguson are covering the late shift.

"David Letterman is a late night legend with an iconic show and Craig Ferguson continues to evolve the genre in exciting and innovative ways. These new agreements deliver ongoing high-quality entertainment for our audience and continued strength and stability for CBS in late night," said Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment.

Tassler and company are so thrilled to have the duo signed on, they even threw in a bigger stage for Ferguson, whose 'Late Late Show' will now tape at L.A.'s CBS Television City.

As for Letterman, no other details are available about his deal with the Eye, but surpassing his mentor, Johnny Carson as longest-running late night host in TV history may just be reward enough.