Haven't watched yet, but I see Craig had James Corden on the top of the show last night which I'm happy about. I'm the first person to say that Corden will suck and that I'll miss Craig immensely (although this Fuck them all! attitude got dialed up hard in the last few shows), but I thought it was strange and a little petty that Craig wouldn't have James on in some fashion, especially considering the media rounds he's been doing for Into the Woods. Glad to see I was wrong.

Here's to the (rumored) Craig Ferguson Show in 2016.

So sad. And Letterman isn't leaving until MAY?! Ugh.

QUITE the all star guests last night.

So sad to see him go.

Solid send off for Craig last night even though the Newhart ending could of been a little bit better.

I'm sure as hell going to miss the show but this final week was a superb way of going out.

The opening number for Craig was fantastic. Nice to see all the celeb cameos (though I know the majority were filmed when they appeared the last few months). The monologue was heartfelt and perfect. Tweets and Emails was great, especially the Cosby bit. The interview endeared me a little more to Leno. And I liked the ending, an homage not just to Newhart but also The Sopranos and St. Elsewhere. Especially fun to hear Mr. Wick again.

The Late Late Show's two months of guest hosts begins this week with Drew Carey. I'm disappointed that The Talk's takeover will be in their studio. The only way I could endorse them doing a late night version is if they played with the format and not just did the same show at 12:35.

I watched Craig's brief exchange with James Corden from his last week, and my doubts have only grown. He seems like he's just ripping off Ricky Gervais's laugh-like-a-fool-at-anything gimmick, which, unlike Gervais, feels insincere and forced. Not to mention he is almost universally hated in his home country. I have yet to read a positive comment about him.

I think it was unwise to have him start before Colbert. I know Craig's contract was long-past up, but it's going to be an uphill battle for Colbert to start (presumably) in June, like Conan so long ago. That only makes matters worse for Corden, who battles not only an 18-49 challenged network but a legion of naysayers who are pissed that Craig is gone.

Also, The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore (still a bad title) premieres January 19th, 2015.

I'll try again in a few days but I couldn't watch The Late Late Show after the monologue last night especially with them using the same set. Just didn't feel right.

Late Show With Stephen Colbert debuts September 8th.

Wow. Talk about fucking James Corden. I almost feel sorry for him. Two months of Letterman, then three and a half months of repeat lead-ins.

Unbelievable that I have to wait until then for Colbert.

They're smart for Colbert. NBC started off screwing Conan from the start, having his Tonight debut in June.

So Corden starts on Monday. I'm still really unsure if he's going to succeed or not even though I like the guy. Probably won't be able to watch one of his episodes until Wednesday though.

There are a couple of articles out there saying that the test shows have been just shy of disasters. They think Corden is trying too hard and they don't like the two guests at once format.

I'll give him a chance, but I doubt I'll be switching from Seth and his ever changing rotation of band members.

Corden has nothing going for him. He's replacing a universally-loved and tragically-underwatched host, he has poor reviews from his home country, he has absolutely zero recognition from US viewers beyond perhaps "Hey, wasn't he in that Disney movie?", his test shows are tanking, Letterman is only on for two more months then repeats until September. No way does Corden survive. They'll give him until Colbert starts, but unless he's self-aware and can completely change the perception of him (the consensus I get is he's a chubby, giggly, unfunny Ricky Gervais), he's history this time next year.

Not sure if people have addressed this in this thread, but how low-rent and dire and bland is the Celebrity Name Game reboot? What a waste of Ferguson.

The show itself, or did they revamp it since it started in September?

The show itself is painfully bland. Watching Craig on TV every day is the only selling point. I feel bad that a man who basically re-invented the way we think about late night talk shows has been comedically castrated through this show.

However, Craig can't help but shine on the show. One of his many strong suits is interacting with regular people and making it funny. But his talents are tragically wasted and underused.

I hope the beef with CBS was worth it.

Oops, I thought Celebrity Name Game existed in another incarnation before (in the sixties or seventies). This is why I called it a reboot.

So far it's not a disaster. Corden is likable, but the poor guy might have the world's worst laugh.

I don't think the two guests at the same time and no desk during the interviews aspects are going to last long though.

Actually, I just checked and it's based upon a board game. That explains a lot. But I did think it was a remake of a British game show. Oh well.

I watched Celebrity Name Game again yesterday and it's definitely still a waste of Craig although he shines through the drivel constantly. It helps when the celebs are game, like Angela Kinsey and Aisha Tyler. For the most part, the celebs are completely mismatched (Jerry Springer? Really?) or they try too hard to be funny (lookin' at you, Will Sasso).

Will see James Corden's show later on today. The laugh isn't something he'll be able to change. It's like Fallon's hyper giddiness.

I thought Corden did well.

I caught the last half, it was fine for what it was. One of the reasons I love The Graham Norton Show so much is because of the multiple guests at once so I like that Corden incorporated that here and hopefully he fixes the kinks he had last night.

That audience set up though is horrible.

So far I've watched up to the interview. It was good for sure. I hope he takes the opportunity to try different things. No point in going on at 12:35 and not try risky (Seth Meyers' biggest mistake so far).

One thing that's a huge plus is the Graham Norton-style interview segment. He needed to have something new in his format and for American audiences, that's it.

Watched the whole premiere. I have to admit I liked a lot of it. For a first show, Corden put out a great effort. I like two guests at once but it will depend on the guests if it works every time. The same can be said for whether an interview is good.

The interview format may end up throwing certain celebs, but so did Craig's style. He is no Craig Ferguson but who is?

Minor gripe in Reggie Watts, whose question to Tom Hanks seemed painfully snaked from anything Fred Armisen does on Late Night.

Also, someone made the humorous and true point that the budget for last night's show had to have exceeded a year's budget for Craig's LLS.

First night - 1.66 million viewers. 0.4 18-49
Second night - 1.47 million viewers 0.4. 18-49

He retained 88% of the audience and 100% of the demo.

I was expecting his first night viewership to be a little bit higher, but that's a very nice back-to-back for him.

I'm kinda digging Corden so far. I like the interview style, I like that he hasn't completely abandoned Craig's idea of not doing a joke-after-joke monologue and I like him. It's not really edgy, it is basically a mish-mash of other shows (interview style most recognized with Graham Norton; oddball band leader from Seth Meyers; games or skits from Jimmy Fallon). But I like it.