Stephen Colbert won’t have to go too far once he moves over to host The Late Show. The show will be staying put in New York and the Ed Sullivan Theater.
There were numerous cities making plays to steal The Late Show away from it’s current home in the Big Apple, but CBS struck a sweet deal for themselves with the state of New York that will keep the flagship of CBS’ late night offerings at its current home. From The New York Times:
The decision had been widely expected since CBS announced in April that Mr. Colbert, the Comedy Central star, would be Mr. Letterman’s successor. But CBS was able to strike a favorable tax deal to ensure that the show would not move to Los Angeles, the other potential home for a late-night series. CBS will be eligible for at least $11 million in tax credits over the next five years, as well as $5 million more in state grants to cover renovations for the theater.
More significantly, there had been little doubt that the show would stay because Mr. Colbert had privately expressed his strong desire to keep the show in New York, near his home in New Jersey. Like Jimmy Fallon, who moved NBC’s “Tonight” show back to the city in February, Mr. Colbert has long been considered a “New York act.”
The decision will also protect some 200 jobs connected with the production of the show, a bit of good news in these questionable times. It also keeps a considerable New York presence in late night television, I guess taking the whole “city that never sleeps” moniker to the next level.
The only question still lingering is when Letterman will step down as host. The Times reports that May seems like the most obvious choice, followed by Colbert’s premiere in September. Nothing is set in stone though, but I’m sure the news will come fast now that the location is a done deal.
(Via The New York Times / Vulture)
