David Letterman

As October approaches a midway, we’ve comfortably settled into a late-night landscape that sees Stephen Colbert taking over The Late Show for David Letterman, and well after Jay Leno finally abandoned The Tonight Show to Jimmy Fallon. That hasn’t stopped the old guard from feuding now and again, as it seems Leno pointedly refused to take part in Letterman’s final CBS sendoff.

The news that Stephen Colbert was going to retire from hosting The Colbert Report after a decade of endearing silliness and scathing satire so he could take over The Late Show from David Letterman sent many comedy fans reeling. How could one of the smartest guys in show business give up on one of the most indelible characters of the 21st century so he could chat with celebrities on CBS? It turns out that this was actually the best case scenario, as Colbert has now revealed that he was going to end The Colbert Report whether he got the new late night gig or not.

Difficult though saying goodbye to David Letterman’s Late Show proved, Stephen Colbert has slowly started to win us over in promotion of his own late-night future. That said, CBS may have nuked the ground from orbit, taking down every single Letterman clip from YouTube and its website, so what gives?

Last night was the final episode of The Late Show With David Letterman. Unlike many televised goodbyes, it was not overly-sentimental, nor was it overly-congratulatory. Yet, watching it from home, it was hard not to feel both emotional as Letterman said goodbye and thankful for everything he has brought us over the years...

There were no scheduled guests on the final episode of The Late Show With David Letterman (minus The Foo Fighters, who closed out the night with a performance of “Everlong”), but that didn’t mean that a few of Letterman’s old friends didn’t stop by to say goodbye one last time. Some of the funniest people alive all came together to present one final Top Ten list, Things I've Always Wanted to Say To Dave.

You don’t have to wait until later tonight to begin saying goodbye to David Letterman (though if you’re like us, you’ve already started that process) — you can do it right now. The venerable, longtime Late Show host is ending his 33-year run with tonight’s episode, which promises to be a fantastic, hilarious and appropriately heartwarming sendoff. But before we get to that, you can watch Letterman’s final Late Show entrance right now.

There have been a lot of tributes to David Letterman this week in honor of the venerable talk-show host’s last episode. (Ours, if you haven’t read it yet, is here.) My favorite so far, though, is this one from Late Night with Seth Meyers. Late Night was the show created by and for Letterman on NBC as a follow-up to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Letterman hosted Late Night from 1982 to 1993, when he defected to CBS to compete with The Tonight Show, now starring Jay Leno.

Tonight at 11:35PM, for the very last time, a new episode of The Late Show with David Letterman airs on CBS. Even though I stopped regularly watching Letterman years ago, I, like a lot of folks of my generation, are approaching the occasion with a heavy, nostalgic heart. David Letterman was a late-night institution for over 30 years; my entire life as a conscious human being. I cannot remember a time before David Letterman. In a changing world, he was a constant, as certain as death and taxes.

Next week, after three final shows, David Letterman hangs up his double-breasted sport coat and retires as the host of the Late Show with David Letterman. Today, CBS announced the lineup for the final episodes. Monday Tom Hanks and Eddie Veder will appear; Wednesday will be “an hour filled with surprises.” In between, in a decision perfect in its own circular way, Bill Murray will join Letterman for the final time.

T-minus one week and counting until the very last Late Show with David Letterman and the tributes are coming faster and faster, and sadder and sadder. I hope on the last installment of Stupid Pet Tricks one of the tricks is a shih tzu shedding a single tear for the end of this venerable late-night franchise, which comes to a close on May 20. It’s only fitting.