In hindsight,Seth Meyerswas the perfect choice to take overLate NightfromJimmy Fallonwhen Fallon landedThe Tonight Show. Not only was Meyers funny and affable, but his work onSNLwas basically a training ground for what would be asked of him onLate Night. He was promoted to Head Writer onSNLafter a few years during which time he shepherded talents like theLonely Islandguys and absolutely killed it on the Weekend Update desk, first withAmy Poehlerand then solo, playing perfectly off “guests” like Drunk Uncle and, of course,Bill Hader’s Stefon.
But few could have predicted just how greatLate Night with Seth Meyerswould become. The show arrived just as the entire late night TV landscape was shifting, and the departures ofJon StewartfromThe Daily ShowandDavid LettermanfromThe Late Showon CBS would leave a void that Meyers and hisLate Nightteam happily filled. With segments like “A Closer Look,” Meyers and hisLate Nightstaff leaned into covering politics with a mix of comedy and well-researched insight, and the show has become appointment viewing during the Trump presidency.
That evolution didn’t necessarily come as part of a grand plan, as Meyers admitted while appearing on our remote interview seriesCollider Connected. During the wide-ranging interview, I spoke to Meyers about first landing theLate Nightgig and how the show evolved—and continues to evolve, as Meyers also detailed the process by which he’s been filming the show from home during the pandemic. We also discussed Meyers’ penchant for highlighting his writers onLate Night, specifically with regards to the incomparableAmber Ruffin. And we talked about how Meyers recently handed the opening of his show over to Ruffin every night for a week, as she soberly detailed a different heartbreaking experience she’s had with the police on each installment.
The conversation also covered Meyers’ time onSNLand how he felt about slipping into the role of Head Writer—and what Hader was like after each one of those uproarious Stefon bits. I also had to ask Meyers about the upcoming season of the delightful IFC seriesDocumentary Now, and if we can expect aTiger Kingepisode in Season 4.
As a huge fan of Meyers and his team’s work onLate Night, it was a blast to dig into what it takes to make what I feel is the best late night show on TV right now. It’s high time this show and these writers were recognized by the Primetime Emmys with a win. Get on it, awards people!
Check out the full conversation above and a rundown of what we talked about below, and for more of our Collider Connected interviewsclick here.
