Late night television in the United States is the block of television programming intended for broadcast after 11:00 p.m. and usually through 2:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (ET/PT), but which informally can include programs aired as late as the designated overnight graveyard slot.

By definition, late night programming begins on the Big Three television networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) at or shortly before 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, after the conclusion of local late-evening newscasts on their owned-and-operated and affiliated stations; late night programming on other broadcast networks, including Fox and PBS, and cable television channels start at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Some streaming services (such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video) have ventured into the late-night talk format at various times in recent years, though these programs are in-format-only, given that episodes are often released before the start of the designated time period.

The following is a list of programs that are currently airing or have previously aired during the late night daypart on American television networks and streaming services.

Current

Broadcast
Network Program title FormatDuration
[note 1]
DaysTime (ET)Current
host(s)/anchor(s)
Debut
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! Talk show 60 minutesMonday–Friday
[note 2]
11:35 p.m.Jimmy KimmelJanuary 26, 2003
Nightline Newsmagazine 30 minutesMonday–Friday12:37 a.m.Byron Pitts,
Juju Chang
[note 3]
March 24, 1980
World News Now Overnight newscast 90 minutes2:30 a.m.
[note 4]
Andrew Dymburt,
Rhiannon Ally
January 6, 1992
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Talk show 60 minutesMonday–Friday
[note 5]
11:35 p.m.Stephen ColbertSeptember 8, 2015
After Midnight Panel/game showMonday–Friday12:37 a.m.Taylor TomlinsonJanuary 16, 2024
CBS Overnight News Overnight newscastMonday–Friday2:00 a.m.
[note 4]
Jericka Duncan (Monday),
Norah O'Donnell (Tuesday–Friday)
September 21, 2015
NBC Saturday Night Live Sketch comedy 93 minutesSaturday11:30 p.m. (coast-to-coast)Varies by weekOctober 11, 1975
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Talk show 60 minutesMonday–Friday11:35 p.m.Jimmy FallonFebruary 17, 2014
Late Night with Seth MeyersMonday–Friday
[note 6]
12:37 a.m.Seth MeyersFebruary 24, 2014
Early Today Overnight newscast
[note 7]
90 minutes 2:30 a.m.
[note 4]
Frances Rivera,
Philip Mena
September 9, 1999
PBS Amanpour & Company World affairs; topical discussion 60 minutes[note 8] Monday–Friday 11:00 p.m. Christiane Amanpour September 10, 2018
Retro TV Off-Beat Cinema Midnight movie showcase 120 minutesSaturday2:00 a.m.Constance Caldwell,
Tony Billoni,
Jeffrey Roberts
October 31, 1993
Cable/satellite
Network Program title FormatDurationDaysTime (ET)Current host(s)Debut
Bravo Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Talk show 22 minutes
[note 8]
Sunday–Thursday11:00 p.m.Andy CohenJuly 16, 2009
Comedy Central The Daily Show News/political satire;
talk show
30 minutesMonday–Thursday11:00 p.m.Guest hosts weeklyJuly 22, 1996
Fox News Gutfeld! 60 minutes
[note 8]
Monday–Friday11:00 p.m.Greg GutfeldMay 31, 2015
Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream Current affairs;
Political commentary
Tuesday–Saturday12:00 a.m.Shannon BreamOctober 30, 2017
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher News/political satire;
talk show
Friday10:00 p.m.Bill MaherFebruary 21, 2003
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver News/political satire;
talk show
~ 33 minutes
[note 8]
Sunday11:00 p.m.John OliverApril 27, 2014
Streaming
Service Program title FormatDurationRelease dayTime (ET)Current host(s)Debut
Netflix My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Talk show 44–58 minutesFridayStreamingDavid LettermanJanuary 12, 2018
Peacock The Amber Ruffin Show 30 minutesStreamingAmber RuffinSeptember 25, 2020

Past

Broadcast networks

ABC

  • The Les Crane Show (November 9, 1964 – February 25, 1965) – interview/tabloid talk format with audience questions
    • ABC's Nightlife (March 1–November 12, 1965) – talk/variety series serving as a reformatting of The Les Crane Show; originally featured rotating hosts, before Crane returned as host in June 1965
  • The Joey Bishop Show (April 17, 1967 – December 26, 1969)
  • The Dick Cavett Show (December 29, 1969 – January 1, 1975)
  • Wide World of Entertainment (January 8, 1973 – October 22, 1982, retitled ABC Late Night in January 1976) – originally a block of comedy/variety programs, talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett (The Dick Cavett Show) and Jack Paar (Jack Paar Tonite), concerts, documentaries and specials; reformatted as ABC Late Night in 1976, featuring reruns of ABC prime time shows (such as Soap, The Love Boat and Starsky & Hutch)
    • In Concert (November 24, 1972 – April 25, 1975) – aired Friday nights
    • Good Night America (1973–1975) – hosted by Geraldo Rivera; aired as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment
    • Fridays (April 11, 1980 – April 23, 1982) – sketch comedy series
  • The Last Word (October 1982–April 1983) – hosted by Phil Donahue and Greg Jackson
  • One on One (April–August 1983) – hosted by Greg Jackson
  • Eye on Hollywood (August 1983–July 1986) – entertainment news/interview program
  • Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (July–September 1986) – aired simultaneously on ABC and in syndication
  • The Dick Cavett Show (September 22–December 30, 1986) – aired Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Jimmy Breslin's People (September 1986–January 1987) – aired Thursdays and Fridays
  • Monday Sportsnite (June–August 1987) – sports discussion program; hosted by Al Trautwig; aired Monday nights
  • Into the Night Starring Rick Dees (July 1990–July 1991)
  • ABC In Concert (June 7, 1991 – September 11, 1998) – aired Friday nights
  • Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (January 7, 1997 – July 15, 2002, moved from Comedy Central)
  • Nightline Up Close (July 8, 2002 – January 24, 2003) – ABC News spin-off of Nightline, featuring one-on-one interviews conducted by Ted Koppel; temporary replacement for Politically Incorrect following cancellation due to Maher's comments about the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks
  • The Alec Baldwin Show (March 4–December 29, 2018)

CBS

  • The Faye Emerson Show (October 24, 1949 — June 22, 1951) - 15 minute chat show, began as an east coast program but was on the full network, three nights a week by March 1950. Emerson also concurrently hosted a show on NBC for several months in 1950.[1]
  • The Merv Griffin Show (August 18, 1969 – February 11, 1972)
  • The CBS Late Movie (February 14, 1972 – September 20, 1985) – originally formatted as a weeknight movie showcase; began incorporating reruns of CBS series as well as some first-run British imported series during the block's timeslot in 1977
  • CBS News Nightwatch (October 3, 1982 – March 27, 1992) – overnight topical discussion program; hosted by Harold Dow, Christopher Glenn, Karen Stone, Felicia Jeter, Mary Jo West (1982–84) and Charlie Rose (1984–1990); various hosts were used from 1990–92[2]
  • CBS Late Night (September 23, 1985 – January 6, 1989, October 30, 1989 – March 29, 1991) – reformatting of The CBS Late Movie block featuring reruns of CBS series, imported and first-run programs; block was replaced by The Pat Sajak Show in January 1989, and returned following the reduction of Sajak to an hour-long format (from 90 minutes)
  • The Pat Sajak Show (January 9, 1989 – April 13, 1990)
  • America Tonight (October 3, 1990 – March 28, 1991) – news and interview program produced by CBS News; hosted by Dan Rather, Charles Kuralt and Lesley Stahl
    • America Tonight Friday (October 7, 1990 – March 29, 1991) – Friday edition hosted by Robert Krulwich and Edie Magnus
  • Crimetime After Primetime (April 1, 1991 – January 5, 1995) – weeknight showcase of first-run and Canadian-imported crime dramas
  • Personals (September 1991–December 1992) – dating game show in which a contestant would choose from three potential dates; the final round featured a series of yes or no questions for the winning couple, with a date destination that declined in quality each time their answers were incompatible (ranging from as high as an exotic location to as low as a trip to Pink's Hot Dogs' Los Angeles stand); hosted by Michael Burger
  • Night Games (October 1991–June 1992) – dating show in which three men and three women are asked questions containing sexual innuendo, with the winning contestant choosing whom he or she would take on a date; hosted by Jeff Marder, with Luann Lee as his announcer/assistant
  • Up to the Minute (March 30, 1992 – September 18, 2015) – overnight newscast; replaced CBS News Nightwatch
  • The Kids in the Hall (September 18, 1992 – January 6, 1995, moved from HBO) – sketch comedy series; aired Fridays
  • The Late Show (August 30, 1993–present)
  • The Late Late Show (January 9, 1995 – April 27, 2023)
  • The Talk After Dark (January 12–16, 2015) – nighttime edition of CBS daytime program; temporary replacement for the Late Late Show during transition from Craig Ferguson to James Corden.
  • CBS Summer Showcase (May 21–September 7, 2015) – showcase of CBS drama reruns; temporary replacement for the Late Show during transition from David Letterman to Stephen Colbert as host.
  • Comics Unleashed (September 18, 2023 — January 12, 2024) - with Byron Allen. Limited run of repeats and unaired episodes of the syndicated panel show due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Ran as a temporary replacement for the Late Late Show with James Corden until the premiere of After Midnight.

NBC

Fox

DuMont Television Network

  • Monodrama Theater (May 1952–December 7, 1953) – variety series, aired Monday–Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET, featuring an actress or actor performing plays solo in front of a curtain in a form of monodrama
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show (April 12, 1954 – April 7, 1955) – the DuMont version of the program aired Monday–Friday 11:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ET, ending as the network began winding down operations; Kovacs moved to NBC and hosted the Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays for one season

PBS

  • Soul! (September 12, 1968 – March 7, 1973)
  • Charlie Rose (September 30, 1991 – November 17, 2017)
  • Charlie Rose: The Week (July 19, 2013 – November 24, 2017)
  • Tavis Smiley (January 5, 2004 – December 13, 2017)
  • Amanpour on PBS (December 11, 2017 – September 7, 2018)
  • Beyond 100 Days (January 2 – September 6, 2018)
  • BBC World News on PBS (January 12 – September 7, 2018)

Telemundo

Telefutura / UniMás

  • Noche de Perros (October 31, 2011 – April 20, 2012)

United Network

Syndication

This list does not include the numerous game shows aired during the mid-1980s that often received late-night clearances (such as the 1985 run of The Nighttime Price Is Right) but were not expressly intended for late night audiences, nor does it include talk shows meant for daytime broadcast that air in late night slots in many markets due to either low ratings in their original timeslot, a lack of an available prime daytime slot or as a secondary run.

Metromedia

Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W)

Programs syndicated by Group W Productions aired on Westinghouse-owned stations and were syndicated to other markets; merged with CBS in 1996 to become Eyemark Entertainment, and folded into King World in 2000 by CBS.

Local television

  • Almost Live! (KING-TV/Seattle, 1984–1999) – weekly series; aired as a local program for most of its run
  • Man of the People with Pat Tomasulo (WGN-TV/Chicago, January 2018–July 2019) – weekly series
  • Talk Tonight (KTSF 26/San Francisco, February 13, 2006 – December 27, 2019) – weekly series

Cable/satellite

AMC

Adult Swim

BET

Bravo

  • Kathy (April 2012–March 2013)

CMT

  • The Josh Wolf Show (June–July 2015)

Comedy Central

E!

Freeform

Fox News

  • Red Eye (February 6, 2007 – April 7, 2017)
  • Gutfeld! (May 31, 2015 - Present)

Foxnet

Fuse

  • White Guy Talk Show (March–May 2015)

FX

FXX

G4TechTV

  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May–November 2004; carried over from TechTV)

HBO

History

MSNBC

MTV

National Geographic

  • StarTalk (April 20, 2015 – May 16, 2019)

Showtime

Sundance TV

TBS

TechTV

  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May 2003–May 2004)

TLC

The Nashville Network

TV Land

TV One

TruTV

USA Network

VH1

Viceland

Streaming services

Amazon Video

Apple TV+

HBO Max

Hulu

Netflix

Peacock

  • Wilmore (September 18, 2020 - December 4, 2020) - with Larry Wilmore

See also

Notes

  1. Total duration includes allocated commercial time, unless otherwise noted.
  2. First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes are typically reserved for reruns, although recorded first-run episodes occasionally air on certain Fridays.
  3. Since November 2005, Nightline has maintained a rotating anchor format; presenters listed each solo anchor on assigned nights.
  4. 1 2 3 Transmitted in a continuous tape delayed loop until 8:00 a.m. ET/PT for stations in westward time zones to air at accordant airtimes. Local airtimes may vary (usually to be joined in progress) depending on scheduling of late-night syndicated programs, network early-morning newscasts and, except where inapplicable, local morning newscasts as well as delays caused by overruns from network event programming.
  5. During weeks when the program is in production, Monday–Thursday episodes (except on certain major federal holidays) are taped and broadcast on a same-day basis; Friday episodes are recorded following production of the Thursday episode.
  6. First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes are typically reserved for reruns year-round.
  7. On September 11, 2017, NBC began feeding Early Today to its owned and affiliated stations at 3:00 a.m. ET (since moved to 2:30 a.m. ET). The early morning newscast's shift to an earlier live feed—which replaced the second hour of the overnight block formerly branded as "NBC All Night" (then offering a same-day repeat of CNBC's Mad Money) and intended to accommodate expansions of local morning newscasts into the 4:00/4:30 a.m. slot in some markets—resulted in Early Today doubling as a de facto overnight newscast, of which NBC had not offered since the 1998 cancellation of NBC Nightside.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Running time does not include commercials (note that certain listed cable networks maintain commercial-free programming formats and listed streaming services maintain ad-free tiers, and therefore the program length mentioned alongside this explanatory note is the total running time).

References

  1. Mauk, Maureen (January 2020). "Politics is Everybody's Business: Resurrecting Faye Emerson, America's Forgotten First Lady of Television by MAUREEN MAUK". Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. doi:10.1353/cj.2020.0044. S2CID 226750221.
  2. "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Shreve, Ivan (May 26, 2017). "Happy Birthday, Ben Alexander!". Radio Spirits. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. Genzlinger, Neil (8 January 2019). "Mary Kay Stearns, 93, a Star of One of TV's Earliest Shows, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  5. https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/mary-kay-stearns
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