The Real Season The Late Late Show Was Cancelled? CBS Couldn't Afford It Anymore
It seems that James Corden's remuneration was just too large for CBS to keep him on board.
Last week, the iconic Late Late Show was finally cancelled after 28 years on the air, leaving James Corden as the last host of the beloved talk show.
Although Corden was never fully embraced by most of the show's old fans, he undeniably made the show more popular than it had been during the Craig Ferguson years.
Corden attracted massive stars, engaged in silly challenges, and participated in carpool karaoke with them. But if the show was so successful, how come CBS pulled the plug on it?
Corden announced his impending retirement from hosting back in April 2022, but until this year, fans were unaware that CBS planned to shut down the show for good and refuse to hire another host. It looks like the show became far less financially sustainable than before, as Corden demanded a much larger remuneration package than Craig Ferguson.
Various sources claim that the network spent around $60 to $65 million a year to produce The Late Late Show but only made $45 million through commercials and product placement.
As a result, CBS was losing $20 million each year just to keep the show on the air, and James Corden's salary continued to grow. It's no wonder executives grew weary of the downward spiral and shut down the show to cut their losses.
CBS plans to give The Late Late Show's slot to Comedy Central's panel game show @midnight, with production overseen by none other than Stephen Colbert, CBS' biggest star at the moment. Reports indicate that the show will cost around $35 million to produce, significantly less than what Corden was paid.
Of course, @midnight will have to prove itself not only in terms of budget but also in terms of popularity because if no one watches it, CBS will simply be wasting its money. The Late Late Show with Corden averaged close to 1 million viewers last year, setting a challenging benchmark for the upcoming replacement to achieve.
As CBS moves forward with its new late-night lineup, it remains to be seen whether the revived @midnight can fill the void left by The Late Late Show and live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.