David Letterman to Host Talk Show on Netflix
A TV icon is back. David Letterman, who inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is returning to talk show TV. The as-yet-untitled series will be Letterman’s first since he stepped down as the host of CBS’s Late Show in 2015.
Netflix ordered six episodes of the hour-long series. The show will be produced by New York-based RadicalMedia and Letterman’s Worldwide Pants. Production is set to begin in the fall. Some of the interviews may be filmed in front of an audience. The show is slated to premiere in 2018.
“I feel excited and lucky to be working on this project for Netflix,” Letterman said in a statement. “Here’s what I have learned, if you retire to spend more time with your family, check with your family first. Thanks for watching, drive safely.”
Each episode will be pre-recorded and feature Letterman conducting longform conversations with a singular guest. The show will also feature topics filmed outside of the studio. A guest list has not yet been revealed.
According to Netflix’s announcement , the show will feature “in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, and in-the-field segments expressing his curiosity and humor.”
“Just meeting David Letterman was a thrill; imagine how exciting it is for me to announce that we will be working together,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement.
“David Letterman is a true television icon, and I can’t wait to see him out in the wild, out from behind the desk and interviewing the people he finds most interesting. We’ll have to see if he keeps the beard.”
Letterman is the longest-running late-night broadcaster in American history. He hosted late night TV for 33 years. Before CBS’s The Late Show, he hosted NBC’s Late Night from 1982-1993. Letterman hosted 6,028 episodes of Late Night. Last year, National Geographic Channel’s Years of Living Dangerously sent Letterman to India in an episode examining the real-world impact of climate change. Letterman’s last appearance on The Late Show on May 20, 2015 drew an audience of 13.76 million people. Letterman was nominated for 52 Emmy Awards and won 10. He is a two-time Peabody-Award winner. He was honored at the Kennedy Center. He will receive The Mark Twain Prize in October.
Netflix is moving fast in the comedy world. They recently poached Jerry Seinfeld’s Emmy-winning series Comedians In Cars with Coffee from Sony’s Crackle. Seinfeld will also perform two stand-up specials for the streaming network. Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer and Chris Rock will also perform stand-up specials on Netflix.
SOURCE: VARIETY
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