https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/is-late-night-dead-a-daily-comedy-news-series--7387330
Is Late Night Dead? is a new series from Daily Comedy News. Host Johnny Mac tells the story of late-night TV through the people who made it matter to him: David Letterman at 12:30 in the morning, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, the Tonight Show wars, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Tom Snyder, Chris Elliott, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

This isn't an encyclopedia and it doesn't cover every host. It's one comedy fan’s soul-searching about where late night came from, who fought over the desk, and whether anything is left worth fighting for.]]>enTV & FilmCaloroga Mediahttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4316a4ba97255b9a24dee35c0075af2b.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/is-late-night-dead-a-daily-comedy-news-series--7387330Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:08:53 +0000Caloroga MediaCaloroga Mediacalorogashark@gmail.comIn May 2026, CBS turned off the lights on The Late Show and filled 11:35 with reruns. The Late Late Show was already gone. The Tonight Show dropped to four nights a week. For seventy years, the late-night desk was the most important seat in comedy, so...
Is Late Night Dead? is a new series from Daily Comedy News. Host Johnny Mac tells the story of late-night TV through the people who made it matter to him: David Letterman at 12:30 in the morning, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, the Tonight Show wars, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Tom Snyder, Chris Elliott, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

This isn't an encyclopedia and it doesn't cover every host. It's one comedy fan’s soul-searching about where late night came from, who fought over the desk, and whether anything is left worth fighting for.]]>false7b69b77e-a985-5fc7-b3bd-72e0edb44ec0episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/4-conan-o-brien-and-the-tonight-show-war--75943051
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75943051Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:08:30 +0000Caloroga MediaSeven months as host of the Tonight Show, a primetime experiment that backfired, and the most public fight in late-night history. Then TBS, a podcast, and the Oscars.
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>1089false14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/3-late-night-with-conan-o-brien-the-guy-nobody-wanted--75688244
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75688244Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:08:55 +0000Caloroga MediaAn unknown writer from The Simpsons takes over David Letterman’s old job in 1993. The critics hate him, and NBC nearly fires him. Then.... the show starts to work...and Conan eventually gets The Tonight Show.
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>852false13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/2-late-show-with-david-letterman-establishment-letterman-and-the-show-he-didn-t-get--75674179
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75674179Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:08:31 +0000Caloroga MediaCarson retires, NBC picks Leno, and Dave takes his act to CBS and the Ed Sullivan Theater. Twenty-two years of The Late Show, and a goodbye in 2015.
Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>1082false12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/1-late-night-with-david-letterman-the-anti-talk-show--75322175
In the premiere of Is Late Night Dead?, Johnny Mac of Daily Comedy News goes back
to the birth of Late Night with David Letterman and the strange path that took Letterman from an Indianapolis weatherman to NBC, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, a failed daytime talk show, and finally the after-midnight time slot that changed comedy.

We look at how Johnny Carson’s restrictions helped shape Letterman’s groundbreaking NBC show, the influence of Merrill Markoe, Paul Shaffer and Chris Elliott, and the creation of classic Late Night comedy including Stupid Pet Tricks, the Top Ten List, Larry “Bud” Melman, the Guy Under the Seats, dropping objects off buildings, and Letterman’s constant war with the conventions of network television.
We also revisit unforgettable David Letterman moments with Bill Murray, Andy Kaufman, Jerry Lawler, Cher, Crispin Glover and Harvey Pekar, and explore why Late Night became a cult phenomenon for a generation of comedy fans.
By 1991, Letterman had transformed the 12:30 time slot and become one of the most influential figures in television comedy. Johnny Carson was preparing to retire. The Tonight Show was about to become the most coveted job in television.
And everyone thought David Letterman was next.

Then came Jay Leno.

Is Late Night Dead? is a series from Daily Comedy News tracing the history of late-night television, from Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson through David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, the late-night wars, and the uncertain future of the format.

Questions this episode answers: How did David Letterman get his start in television? When did Late Night with David Letterman begin on NBC? Why did Johnny Carson have control over Letterman’s 12:30 show? What rules did Carson impose on Late Night? How did those restrictions help create David Letterman’s comedy style? Who were Merrill Markoe, Paul Shaffer, Chris Elliott and Larry “Bud” Melman? Where did Letterman’s Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks come from? Why was David Letterman so influential on late-night television? Why did Letterman expect to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show? And how did Jay Leno become part of the battle to succeed Carson?


Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75322175Sun, 04 Oct 2026 04:31:34 +0000Caloroga MediaBefore David Letterman became a late-night television legend, he was the guy at 12:30 in the morning reinventing what a talk show could be. In the premiere of Is Late Night Dead?, Johnny Mac of Daily Comedy News goes back to the birth of Late Night...
In the premiere of Is Late Night Dead?, Johnny Mac of Daily Comedy News goes back
to the birth of Late Night with David Letterman and the strange path that took Letterman from an Indianapolis weatherman to NBC, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, a failed daytime talk show, and finally the after-midnight time slot that changed comedy.

We look at how Johnny Carson’s restrictions helped shape Letterman’s groundbreaking NBC show, the influence of Merrill Markoe, Paul Shaffer and Chris Elliott, and the creation of classic Late Night comedy including Stupid Pet Tricks, the Top Ten List, Larry “Bud” Melman, the Guy Under the Seats, dropping objects off buildings, and Letterman’s constant war with the conventions of network television.
We also revisit unforgettable David Letterman moments with Bill Murray, Andy Kaufman, Jerry Lawler, Cher, Crispin Glover and Harvey Pekar, and explore why Late Night became a cult phenomenon for a generation of comedy fans.
By 1991, Letterman had transformed the 12:30 time slot and become one of the most influential figures in television comedy. Johnny Carson was preparing to retire. The Tonight Show was about to become the most coveted job in television.
And everyone thought David Letterman was next.

Then came Jay Leno.

Is Late Night Dead? is a series from Daily Comedy News tracing the history of late-night television, from Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson through David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, the late-night wars, and the uncertain future of the format.

Questions this episode answers: How did David Letterman get his start in television? When did Late Night with David Letterman begin on NBC? Why did Johnny Carson have control over Letterman’s 12:30 show? What rules did Carson impose on Late Night? How did those restrictions help create David Letterman’s comedy style? Who were Merrill Markoe, Paul Shaffer, Chris Elliott and Larry “Bud” Melman? Where did Letterman’s Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks come from? Why was David Letterman so influential on late-night television? Why did Letterman expect to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show? And how did Jay Leno become part of the battle to succeed Carson?


Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>926false11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/is-late-night-dead--75320848
Is Late Night Dead? is a new series from Daily Comedy News. Host Johnny Mac tells the story of late-night TV through the people who made it matter to him: David Letterman at 12:30 in the morning, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, the Tonight Show wars, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Tom Snyder, Chris Elliott, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

This isn't an encyclopedia and it doesn't cover every host. It's one comedy fan’s soul-searching about where late night came from, who fought over the desk, and whether anything is left worth fighting for.



Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75320848Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:13:06 +0000Caloroga MediaIn May 2026, CBS turned off the lights on The Late Show and filled 11:35 with reruns. The Late Late Show was already gone. The Tonight Show dropped to four nights a week. For seventy years, the late-night desk was the most important seat in comedy, so...
Is Late Night Dead? is a new series from Daily Comedy News. Host Johnny Mac tells the story of late-night TV through the people who made it matter to him: David Letterman at 12:30 in the morning, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, the Tonight Show wars, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Tom Snyder, Chris Elliott, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

This isn't an encyclopedia and it doesn't cover every host. It's one comedy fan’s soul-searching about where late night came from, who fought over the desk, and whether anything is left worth fighting for.



Is Late Night Dead? is a Daily Comedy News series, hosted by Johnny Mac.If you like this series, you’ll like the show it comes from. Daily Comedy News covers the comedy business seven days a week: the specials, the tours, the podcasts, the late-night shakeups, and the deals and feuds behind them. It’s one comedy insider giving you everything that happened in comedy today, in about the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Follow Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac/id1474309028

More at https://www.dailycomedy.news]]>82falsetrailer