Reviewing James Corden's First Week on The Late Late Show: This. THIS Is The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show with James Corden Week 1: "Episode 1," "Episode 2," and "Episode 3"
During his final week on The Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson wandered around during one of the interrogation bits he used to do with his audience, his hands on his lapels and an air of false skepticism and derision about him, and arched his brow at a giggly blonde man who struggled to keep his composure as the bit went on. The gent's presence, accent, and cherubic smile could've been painted on any normal-folk show attendee; there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary about him. Except that he was—and is—extraordinary. The giggly man was Ferguson's successor, British comedian and actor James Corden.
You may've already been familiar with Corden, as he seems to pop up on television fairly frequently; in the United States, Hulu viewers will know him as Phil from The Wrong Mans. But even if you did recognize him as Phil, you might've been wondering how the guy was selected to be a talk show host. "This guy? No, seriously—this guy?" Here's what I will say to that: Corden isn't Craig Ferguson, but he fits right in with the current late-night landscape.
It's no secret that, since the last incarnation of the Late-Night Wars when Jay Leno pushed Conan O'Brien out of The Tonight Show, the whole scene has evolved into something much less cutthroat and much more pleasant. The eternally smiling, laughing, near-sycophant hosts of today (see: Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers) are starting to supplant the swaggering old guard. Stephen Colbert's inheritance of the Late Show once David Letterman makes his exit will only add to that, and Conan has been delivering goofy niceties as part of his schtick for years. Jimmy Kimmel may be the last lovable jerk left in late-night by year's end.
Corden is a perfect match for that paradigm. He's self-effacing, quick to giggle (it's the only way to describe the stage of laughter that precedes his guffaw), and eternally humble. Part of that might due to his rookie status. But the field is full of those guys now.
His first week of shows spanned only three days (it's being truncated by coverage of NCAA basketball for a woeful viewership of pool participants with busted brackets; tough tournament this year), but I'd say we're starting to get the gist of what Corden is working toward. Here's a rundown of the good, the bad, and the in-between:
GOOD: REGGIE WATTS. Corden's bandleader is REGGIE. WATTS. We haven't seen this level of disparity between an unproven host and an under-the-radar super-talent since Fallon made his deal with the devil to land the Roots crew. And Corden has smartly given Watts the latitude to put his stamp on the show: by making up lyrics for guests as they come out on stage, speaking in a French accent when asked for his opinion, staying in character for an entire episode, and questioning guests by formulating strings of words expertly crafted to confuse his hapless victims. Watts is great and he looks great in that smoking jacket.
COULD BE BETTER: I'd like to see more of Watts. Corden sometimes leans on him pretty heavily, but at other times he's basically an extra for 95 percent of what follows the evening's opening sequence. Plus, have you seen the smoking jacket?
INSANE: The hype people who warm up the studio audience before each episode begins taping must be top-notch talent. I've never seen people so whipped into a frenzy for a person they've come to see but have possibly never heard of. Corden's crowd is full of animals.
INTERESTING: The monologue. Rather than fire off a bunch of broad jokes, Corden chooses one topic and discusses it for the duration of the segment. In the two episodes where he performed a monologue this week, he riffed on the California water shortage and gas stations with beer taps. There were no mentions of current events, no bland jokes ripped from the headlines. He says some funny stuff about one subject and then we move on. It's a slightly more refined approach to Craig Ferguson's off-the-cuff monologue, and it's not a bad thing.
INFECTIOUS: The opening credit sequence. Again, I credit Watts, whether he wrote it or not. That tune is still stuck in my head when I wake up in the morning. Also: Corden tosses to the titles by saying, "This? This is The Late Late Show," which I like. It's as if he's introducing everyone to something impressive.
FORMULAIC: For the most part, Corden's Late Late Show is just like what his peers are doing, a little post-monologue segment before going to commercial for the first time. So far, that segment consists of a taped sketch that follows the title sequence: In Episode 1 it was a Golden Ticket introduction to how Corden landed his new gig. In Episode 2 it was a bit where Corden delivered pizzas and challenged their recipients to either take what they'd ordered or roll the dice on whatever was in the box Corden was carrying (a game he called "Meal or No Meal"). And in Episode 3 it was "carpool karaoke" with Mariah Carey. While each "adventure" had it moments, they all seemed to go on for a little longer than necessary.
BRILLIANT: The Graham Norton-style interview. Rather than bringing out each guest one at a time (with an unspoken hierarchy), they come out together while Corden emerges from behind the desk to sit next to them. The questions are still written for each individual visitor and and the conversation is still pointed as if a one-on-one interview is taking place, but everyone can collaborate, resulting in a more enjoyable experience for the audience. The only potential problem I see is, what if the show books two guests who aren't necessarily instigators, or two guests who don't have much on-the-spot charisma? Chris Pine and Patricia Arquette were electric. Tom Hanks and Mila Kunis were a little awkward, but that was Corden's first show. Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell promoting what is probably an embarrassing movie was a best-case scenario. I guess it's just up to the show to not book, like, Kristen Stewart and Marshawn Lynch for the same episode. Although, now that I think about it, they'll probably make up the primary cast for presumably-in-the-pipeline NCIS: Seattle. The culprit is always the 12s. But I digress.
INCONSISTENT: Fallon and Kimmel are experts in crafting sketches that can be repurposed for the internet and leading the charge for the importance of a YouTube presence. Corden subscribes to that philosophy via the taped segment from the first third of each show and a live performance that takes place at the end of his interviews: a sketch that makes use of one or both of the guests doing something outlandish. There's usually some bizarre premise (reenacting all of Tom Hanks' movies; performing a scene from The Young and the Restless, playing a game show where everyone is shouting), and wackiness ensues. Sometimes the jokes land, sometimes the bits go on too long, sometimes Will Ferrell just says funny things really loudly. it just kind of depends on the mix you get.
THE VERDICT: Overall, Corden's Late Late Show isn't as terrible as I thought it would be back when Craig Ferguson was circling James Corden the audience member like a shark sniffing out chum. As I watched that silly man seemingly fall apart in front of the camera, I began to mourn the loss of Ferguson before we even lost him. Corden looked so uncomfortable. But the 12:30am timeslot appears to be in good hands, even if The Late Late Show is totally different than it used to be. I don't know that Corden will launch himself to the heights that Fallon did when he took over for Conan, but the guy has a lot of room to grow. It should be a hoot to watch him do it. And I'll get used to the giggling, I swear.
How do you think Corden's doing so far?
