‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ official; NBC hires ‘Saturday Night Live’ star / writer
If you want to someday host your own late-night comedy show on NBC, the network is giving you a very clear trajectory of how to do it. Join “Saturday Night Live,” stay on the staff for a while, and then consistently make fun of the network in your comedy act. (Okay, we’re joking about the last one.) This strategy first worked for Conan O’Brien, who replaced David Letterman as the second host ever for the “Late Night” franchise two decades ago. Then, it worked for Jimmy Fallon, who is now trying to do what Conan tried to do in taking over “The Tonight Show.”
Now, it is working officially for Seth Meyers. In a statement on Sunday leading up to their upfront presentation, NBC confirmed the long-discussed rumor that the head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor, who rarely appears in any other sketch, will succeed Fallon as the new host of the “Late Night” franchise beginning in the spring of next year. The new Meyers-hosted show will be at 30 Rock, the same exact building as “The Tonight Show” and “SNL,” and will be executive-produced by Lorne Michaels (who is practically the president of the network at this point without holding the title).
In a statement, the real programming head of NBC in Robert Greenblatt had the following to say about the decision:
“We think Seth is one of the brightest, most insightful comedy writers and performers of his generation … His years at SNL‘s Weekend Update desk, not to mention being head writer of the show for many seasons, helped him hone a topical brand of comedy that is perfect for the Late Night franchise.”
We will get personal on this for a second, since we did first see Seth all the way back in 2006 at a comedy show, and thought he was absolutely brilliant at the time when it came to making the audience feel comfortable, and then ruthlessly mocking himself and others. He should be a great pick that appeals to the masses, and is already used to interviewing crazies, so we couldn’t be more excited about this.
What’s your take: Good choice or bad? Also, be sure to check out some details for “Weekend Update” on “SNL” this weekend.
Photo: NBC