logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2021
21m 50s

Late Night Wars | Late Night for the Tik...

Wondery
About this episode
Since the disruption of the broadcast viewing experience, late night comedy has gone through some growing pains. It’s no longer must-see TV, but late night water cooler moments remain as fiery political segments go viral online.For more on how the late night landscape has shifted since Johnny Carson’s exit from The Tonight Show, we speak with Meredith Blake, ... Show More
Up next
Mar 2021
KFC vs Chick-fil-A | Guns, Guts, and Gravy | 1
It's the Great Depression, and in one of Kentucky’s toughest corners, Harland Sanders defends his gas station business with sheer moxie and a loaded shotgun. He expands it into a thriving motel and restaurant, but impatient tourists balk at long wait times for his most popular di ... Show More
21m 56s
Mar 2021
KFC vs Chick-fil-A | Fast Fists and Failure | 2
It’s the 1900’s and a young Harland Sanders learns how to cook out of sheer necessity when his widowed mother leaves him at home to care for his younger brother and sister. Crushing poverty prompts his mother to loan him out as a field hand when he’s just twelve, and from then on ... Show More
19m 58s
Mar 2021
KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Birth of the Bucket | 3
It’s the 1950s in Kentucky and Harland Sanders faces bankruptcy once again. 65-years-old, broke, unemployed and desperate, he barnstorms the country, living out of his car, selling his secret fried chicken recipe to restaurant and diner owners. Franchising is a new concept and it ... Show More
24m 41s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
The Future
Late night TV sensibilities crash through the status quo and frame society to expose all that is fun, funny and non-sensical about it. As a diverse new group of hosts ascend, the late night landscape looks less and less like the old white boys club of the past. With the help of A ... Show More
50m 4s
Jul 2025
Brands of the Week: Celebrity Deaths, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Chuck E. Cheese, Dating Sites, Worst Drivers in America, and more.
In this episode, Donny discusses various brands shaping the zeitgeist, including media controversies, political commentary, celebrity news, and societal trends. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by late-night television, the importance of public broadcasting, and t ... Show More
17m 21s
Oct 2024
Seth Meyers on Parenting, Podcasting & Late Night
Has late-night TV passed its peak? Ticket sales for live comedy shows are booming and there’s no shortage of streaming stand-up specials, but the same is hardly true for late-night television. Is it the business model or the divisive nature of political comedy that’s driving view ... Show More
54m 20s
Mar 2020
Late Night Comedy vs. the Outrage Industry
Why do socially liberal comedians clean up in late night television, while social conservatives dominate talk radio? Dannagal Goldthwaite Young is the author of "Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States." She joins Heaton to disc ... Show More
1h 13m
Mar 2021
Let's Go Behind the Desk
More than 60 years ago, the creation of late night TV changed the face of television forever. From Johnny Carson, to David Letterman, to Arsenio Hall, the late night show format continues to endure, evolving to keep pace each new generation. In Behind the Desk: The Story of Late ... Show More
3m 29s
Apr 2021
The Format
The monologue, the desk, the guests, the band. The ingredients of the late night TV formula are familiar, yet fickle. Get them just right and a show can last for decades. Make one mistake and your career is over – fast. In this episode, we explore the alchemy that turns a late ni ... Show More
51m 6s
Mar 2022
Bill Carter Revisits the War for Late Night
Writer Bill Carter (author of The War for Late Night) joins Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell to discuss the significance of The Tonight Show for a generation of comedians, the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding Conan’s short-lived run at the show, the future of late night televis ... Show More
1h 36m
Mar 2022
Bill Carter Revisits the War for Late Night
Writer Bill Carter (author of The War for Late Night) joins Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell to discuss the significance of The Tonight Show for a generation of comedians, the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding Conan’s short-lived run at the show, the future of late night televis ... Show More
1h 36m
Apr 2022
Streaming War Battle Scars: Goodbye to CNN+ 4/22/22
<p>The streaming wars have left big players with some battle scars: Netflix is recovering from a rough year so far, and CNN+ is no more. Axios media reporter Sara Fischer and The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern discuss what went wrong for the service, and why Warner Bros. Disc ... Show More
32m 5s