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Late Show with David Letterman

  • TV Series
  • 1993–2015
  • TV-PG
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
15K
YOUR RATING
David Letterman, Regis Philbin, Barbara Gaines, Biff Henderson, Alan Kalter, and Paul Shaffer in Late Show with David Letterman (1993)
The Late Show With David Letterman
Play trailer0:22
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyMusicTalk Show

The Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk-show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City.The Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk-show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City.The Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk-show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City.

  • Creator
    • David Letterman
  • Stars
    • David Letterman
    • Paul Shaffer
    • Alan Kalter
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Creator
      • David Letterman
    • Stars
      • David Letterman
      • Paul Shaffer
      • Alan Kalter
    • 53User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 9 Primetime Emmys
      • 16 wins & 127 nominations total

    Episodes6696

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    Videos1

    The Late Show With David Letterman
    Trailer 0:22
    The Late Show With David Letterman

    Photos342

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    David Letterman
    David Letterman
    • Self - Host…
    • 1993–2015
    Paul Shaffer
    Paul Shaffer
    • Self - Musical Director…
    • 1993–2015
    Alan Kalter
    Alan Kalter
    • Self - Announcer…
    • 1995–2015
    Biff Henderson
    • Self - Stage Manager…
    • 1995–2015
    Regis Philbin
    Regis Philbin
    • Self…
    • 1993–2015
    Barbara Gaines
    • Self - Executive Producer…
    • 2004–2015
    Tony Mendez
    • Self - Cue Card Boy…
    • 1994–2012
    Stephen Colbert
    Stephen Colbert
    • Self - Host…
    • 2005–2015
    Al Chez
    • Self - Horn Section Yay-Sayer #2…
    • 1997–2011
    Jack Hanna
    Jack Hanna
    • Self…
    • 1993–2015
    Rupert Jee
    • Self…
    • 1995–2015
    Tom Malone
    Tom Malone
    • Self - Horn Section Yay-Sayer #1…
    • 2005–2015
    Bruce Kapler
    • Self - Horn Section Yay-Sayer #3…
    • 1993–2011
    Pat Farmer
    • Self - Stagehand…
    • 1997–2011
    Johnny Dark
    • Stanley Cronkite…
    • 2006–2010
    Chris Elliott
    Chris Elliott
    • Self - Guest…
    • 1993–2015
    Jeff Altman
    Jeff Altman
    • Self…
    • 1994–2014
    Joe Grossman
    • Self - Staff Writer…
    • 2008–2015
    • Creator
      • David Letterman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews53

    7.014.5K
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    Featured reviews

    pperrone

    Letterman reliably entertaining

    I'm "only" 34 but I've been watching Letterman since I was about 13. He in fact has one of the few shows I can tolerate to watch on TV. I can always count on him to be entertaining. He clearly has it down to a science now and doesn't deviate much from his standard ritual whereas years ago it was always something new and different. That said, his ritual is actually reliably entertaining. Clearly one of the attractions to watching him for so long is the comfortable feeling one has with having the same show play around the same time of night for so many years. Of course, now I use TiVo. The bottom line is that Letterman is truly the best thing going for TV and is a reliably good and entertaining show.
    7mazunderscore

    Good late night entertainment

    As far as American talk show hosts go, I find David Letterman the least pretentious and the least fake out of all of them. He seems to mostly say what he thinks and not JUST for the sake of being shocking or funny.

    Letterman is mostly a likable guy and can at times be very witty, and of course satirical, which is something about him (as indeed his writers) that I enjoy. Yes I know, he is at times cocky and a bit of a show pony, but he's a talk show host and he's meant to have a personality and in my opinion he's the best there is.

    I enjoy the little sketches like "Great Presidential Speeches" and "Will it Float?," I always enjoy watching Biff Henderson's little adventures and of course hearing from the always wonderful, Alan Kalter.

    It's a nice little piece of late night entertainment and while some episodes are obviously going to be better than others depending on the guests - you know you're always going to have a bit chuckle.
    connerg-2

    The Late Show is Better than ever!!!

    If you would have asked me three months ago if I thought that The Late Show with David Letterman was a good show, I would have told you to change the channel to one of the other Late Night shows. But now I have changed my tune, The Late Show with David Letterman is better than ever, and is easily funnier and more entertaining than his competition, and if you have been tuning in to watch the the other Late Night shows (Politically Incorrect - The Tonight Show), then i challenge you, to give Dave a chance and see how much better and funnier he is than those other guys.

    Paul Shaffer is on the right key, and Mr. Letterman is definitely still and will always be "King of Late Night". And yes Paul and Dave are a couple of "them guys".
    swat611

    Letterman is king of Late Night.

    David Letterman is the king of Late Night TV. On the air now for 21 years, apporching 10 years as host of the "Late Show" on CBS. Leno is no match to Letterman, nor is Jimmy Kimmel on ABC. I feel like the "Late Show" has more class then other late night talk shows, though you might think not it at times. When Dave retires he will leave BIG shoes to fill.
    weidelman

    great fun!

    "Late show with David Letterman" is in many ways superior to other talk shows in late night television. Even if Letterman is the main focus, and often tends to act a bit egocentric, he still (or perhaps it`s more correct to say that the writing does) includes many of the crew members in the sketches. This gives the show an excellent flavour of diversity, and make it even more outrageous and entertaining. The writing is very original and innovative, and is able to grasp with current events in a clever, and at the same time, plain crazy way that will make you burst out in laughter.

    But of course, the most important person is Dave himself, a highly individual host with his own, unique style. He is by all due respect not a very good stand up comedian, and might sometimes seem quite uncomfortable delivering his jokes in the opening monologue, but he is well aware that this is not his strength, and keep it to a minimum, 3 or 4 minutes (as a comparison, Jay Leno`s monologues last for 10 minutes) Also considered harsh, sarcastic and unpredictable, Letterman is not loved by everyone, and these traits might sometimes make him a bit unhuman, but at the same time, his unpredictability is also his genius, and what makes him stand out from his fellowships.

    His greatest strength is his exceptional ability to ad lib and deliver funny comments to almost any situation, and that is why the writing includes a lot of segments where the camera is capturing the life and people in New York City. In this way, Letterman can easily comment on what he observes and ask silly questions to the people on camera, and the fun will soon appear. Despite his reputation as a bad boy, he is a great ironic, and is able to joke with himself in a way that most comedians can`t. Still, he is just not goofing around all the time, and might appear quite serious when he is interviewing his guests with curios questions, especially those who have something to say.(unfortunately, not many do)

    The music director Paul Shaffer plays a major part in the show, and functions as Lettermans sidekick with his funny, and some times not very well thought comments(and yes, i agree, he sometimes looks as a parody in his flamboyant suits) Their relationship is extremely established, and their chemistry is also fabulous, so it`s unthinkable to imagine anyone else as the music director. So, if you wan`t to watch a very special and imaginative talk show with a touch of pure genius, "The late show" is the right vehicle. And if you haven`t become a regular viewer yet, you better hurry up, because it`s hard to say for how long David will keep going. By all means, im not a prophet, but i will guarantee you that David Letterman is too unique to be replaced. Watch the show regularly, and you will understand what i mean.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Many, including rival talk show host Jay Leno, whom NBC chose over David Letterman as Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show (1962) successor in a bitter competition between the two, saw Carson's Late Show with David Letterman (1993) cameo appearance as a signal that Carson preferred Letterman over Jay.
    • Quotes

      [David is working at McDonald's]

      David Letterman: Welcome to Mc Donald's.

      Customer: Get me a cheeseburger.

      David Letterman: Your order is a cheeseburger?

      Customer: Yep.

      David Letterman: Are you busy right now?

      Customer: I gotta head to work. Why?

      David Letterman: Could you swing by the grocery store and get us a bag of onions?

      Customer: A bag of onions?

      David Letterman: Yeah. We're running low.

      [Later, David takes new customer]

      David Letterman: United 16957, 727. This is Kennedy Ground Control. What's the problem? Power it on in.

      Customer: I have your onions here.

      David Letterman: What?

      Customer: The ten-pound bag of onions.

      David Letterman: You're got the onions? All right. Come on through. We really appreciate it. Thanks for helping out.

    • Connections
      Edited into The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys (1996)

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    FAQ20

    • How many seasons does Late Show with David Letterman have?Powered by Alexa
    • Why is it always daytime during the outdoor scenes?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 30, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Late Show Backstage
    • Filming locations
      • Ed Sullivan Theater - 1697 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Worldwide Pants
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby

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