Bob Odenkirk’s Attempt to Sing Won Late Night This Week

by

We’re mostly back from spring break after a busy awards season. Late-night shows usually take turns going on break, so there’s always one available – you can be sure someone will be there to interview the cast of Euphoria.

With most TV shows back from location shoots, there’s some big news: Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed will be taking over the time slot currently held by The Late Show, but only for a year. While comedians have known Comics Unleashed for years as a platform for their stand-up, most viewers might have seen it in reruns after The Late Late Show. The show features comedians performing stand-up routines as if they’re casual conversations – a great way to showcase comedic talent, which late-night TV really needs. Think of it as a zero-cost version of After Midnight that doesn’t involve the cast of Ghosts. According to George Cheeks, a top executive at Paramount, CBS remains committed to late-night programming. They’re using this year with Unleashed to explore ways to create even more affordable shows.

Comedian Josh Johnson recently appeared on The Late Show and delivered a great stand-up set while seated – a bit like a more relaxed version of a traditional performance. He and Stephen Colbert bonded over their shared experience of guest-hosting The Daily Show. The segment was enjoyable, but it also felt a little bittersweet. Ideally, a thriving late-night TV landscape would mean Johnson was being announced as the new permanent host of The Daily Show, with the current host of The Late Show moving up. Unfortunately, The Daily Show doesn’t have a permanent host right now, and The Late Show will be ending soon. Plus, after another year, Byron Allen’s shows will no longer be on network television. It makes you wonder where comedians will find opportunities to perform in the future.

5.
Stage Stories With Billy Crystal

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=q-o7L1fkrOg

Billy Crystal is a walking encyclopedia of show business history, especially when it comes to remembering classic performers like Milton Berle. In a recent online clip, Crystal and Stephen Colbert reminisced about the Ed Sullivan Theater – recalling its days with David Letterman and Crystal’s own debut on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. Crystal shared amusing stories about meeting Berle both at SNL rehearsals and at the restaurant Spago. Hopefully, CBS will continue broadcasting from the Ed Sullivan Theater after a year, as its history is incredible – from hosting the Beatles and Letterman to Billy Crystal’s impression of Milton Berle imitating Jerry Lewis.

4.
Andy Cohen Loses His Patience

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=-gxUU6CeRwQ

Brittany Cartwright from The Valley seems to be doing better, but she’s still struggling with her long-term memory. During a game on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, she repeatedly failed to identify Elvis Presley, which was surprisingly frustrating for host Andy Cohen. He rarely gets visibly upset, but not knowing the King of Rock and Roll really seemed to bother him! That’s part of the fun of Watch What Happens Live – seeing if someone will finally have a major brain freeze on air.

3.
Jon Stewart’s Art Criticism

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=g6k55WQ5GAk

People often say truly great art allows viewers to see themselves within it. If that’s true, then the AI-generated image of Donald Trump as both Jesus and a doctor is a masterpiece for Jon Stewart. Stewart was particularly amused because the patient being healed in the image bears a striking resemblance to him – a point Colbert also noticed, though Jimmy Kimmel jokingly suggested it looked like Jeffrey Epstein. Stewart quipped that he wasn’t aware he’d aged to the point of looking like someone needing healing. He also highlighted other bizarre details in the AI image, like an eagle delivering his mail and a strange, faceless figure he identified as the lead singer of the band Gwar. While other shows briefly mentioned the AI image of Trump, Stewart was the only one who really took a close look at all its details, demonstrating the value of thoughtful criticism.

2.
Rachel Dratch Gives Practical Advice on The Late Show

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=KOTP-dnIYbo

It’s impressive that The Late Show launched a new, hilarious recurring sketch this late in the season. Host Stephen Colbert and Rachel Dratch played the roles of hotline operators for The Late Show‘s Women’s Hotline, delivering wonderfully silly advice and jokes that CBS actually had to purchase the domain names for. It felt like a playful jab at Paramount! The sketch really worked because of how strange and unexpected Colbert and Dratch’s advice was – I especially loved the bit about a cheap New York haircut: “Satisfaction guaranteed, or we’ll give you a bag of your own hair back!”

1.
Bob Odenkirk Commits to the Bit(s)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1HST_MPcMM?si=I9pzEo9u3XpdI3Nn

As a big fan of a particular Mr. Show episode – the season four premiere, which famously ends with a hilariously bad musical number about TV, performed by Bob Odenkirk – I was thrilled to see a recent Jimmy Kimmel Live! clip featuring… you guessed it, a giant, poorly sung musical number about a boring part of television, also performed by Odenkirk. That alone would have made it a standout. But Odenkirk didn’t stop there. Before the song, he did a bit about his bucket list, literally using a bucket as a prop. What’s even funnier is that the bit actually loses the audience at times, but Odenkirk just keeps going, clearly enjoying the awkwardness. He can do all the action movies he wants, but it’s clear Bob Odenkirk is a sketch comedian at heart.

Read More

2026-04-17 17:58