'The Late Late Show'
Grade: B-
As the game of musical chairs finally comes to a stop, the last seat is claimed and sitting there is James Corden.
Hailing from Britain, Corden is the new host of “The Late Late Show,” replacing Craig Ferguson.
There was a lot of hoopla surrounding CBS’ decision of its new host, which Corden smartly parodies with a riff on Willy Wonka’s golden ticket search. It’s a clever, partially self-deprecating clip jam-packed with celebrity cameos from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Chris Rock to Meryl Streep. It works in introducing Corden’s comedic sensibilities as the straight man while also acknowledging the fact no one seems to know who ?he is.
Corden is first and foremost an actor, from films such as “Into the Woods” and “Begin Again” which may seem like an odd move for CBS, but it is clear from the get-go just why the network wanted Corden.
Unlike Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, Corden seemed to stray away from making topical jokes and quips and instead followed a Jimmy Fallon approach.
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” has been a ratings bonanza, especially with its viral videos. It looks as though CBS is attempting to capture this type of young, fresh Internet persona.
With the always-fantastic guest Tom Hanks, Corden proceeded to run through Hank’s entire filmography in five minutes. This quick, fun, easily digestible content is something Fallon would be wont to do, and it’s clear Corden will attempt to follow in his path.
Another one of Corden’s talents which makes him a Fallon-type host is his singing chops. He’s talented, and as the dozens of programs dedicated to singing and music show, America will eat up anything musical on television.
It seems clear Corden wants to differentiate his show from the others, and he adds and alters a few things to give his program a life of its own.
The first example of this will be Corden’s right-hand man and lead musician, the always-tremendous Reggie Watts. Watts is a stand-up comedian and musician who rose to stardom on “Comedy Bang! Bang!” The best late night shows have stellar backups from Andy Richter to Fred Armisen, and Watts will fill this role perfectly.
The set is much slicker and hipper than those of opposing programs. It has the feel of a nightclub, accentuated with a Bud Light-sponsored bar and a darker set design.
Unlike other shows of its ilk, on “The Late Late Show,” there are peeks into the stars’ dressing rooms as they are ready to go on set, and the celebrities enter through the crowd instead of from the side. It allows for a better fan experience and gives it a more free-flowing feel than the more bland late night entrances.
The one problem with the show is that there doesn’t seem to be one main characteristic that differentiates Corden from the more seasoned veterans of the late night game. Corden can sing and aim to create viral videos like Fallon, be personable and charismatic like Kimmel, act silly and weird like O’Brien or just be the straight man to a cavalcade of stars such as David Letterman or Seth Meyers, however I’m not sure how Corden will draw viewers.
At the 12:30 a.m. spot, Corden won’t have to directly compete with any of these hosts for viewers except for Meyers, yet they’re all in the same boat and, at the end of the day, there’s only a finite amount of room.
What made Ferguson so great at “The Late Late Show” was that he embraced his absurdism. He would routinely stray from his jokes and travel into the bizarre. I don’t see Corden following this mold, as he seems to be taking the conventional path.
All in all, Corden is amusing, a great interviewer and magnetic, however, at the moment, I’m not sure what he will do to truly stand out from the pack.
