Shark Bytes

"But they never did air that show in its entirety. So basically, NBC penalized a comedian for being too funny."

I actually did see that show and they did air it and on the next night's show Bob explained that they thought he laughed too much.

Bob Costas' "Later" ended far too soon, but it never jumped. Greg Kinnear's show took the name, but it wasn't the same show.

This show jumped once Kinnear replaced Costas. Just when you think this show couldn't sink any lower, the producers decided to hand the reins (eventually) over to Cindy Crawford. Even though Costas forte was sports, you gotta give the guy credit for doing an awesome job interviewing compared with other talk show hosts.

Greg Kinnear, in my opinion, isn't that good of a talk show host. His place is more cable than broadcast (however, when he left, The Daily Show became a much better show, so don't ever rehire him Comedy Central). After him, Cynthia Garrett was easy on the eyes, but thats about the only redeeming quality. Replacing it with the stand-up bit for a while worked. Now with Carson's crapfest, I yearn for a Flowby infomercial whenever I'm up watch at that hour.

It seems pretty clear that once Costas left the show was dead. They should've renamed it, as it was never again anything like the fine piece of work it started off as. Bob Costas was, in my opinion, the finest interviewer I have ever seen on TV - much better than Charlie Rose or any other person doing a similar format. I still mourn the loss of the show....

Bob Costas was the first and best host no question [the most entertaining late night interviews since the days of Tom Snyder and until Jimmy Kimmel came around last year], Greg Kinnear changed the format with comedy skits and a live studio audience but at least it still had the feel of the old show in the interview segments somewhat [at least he had a likeable personality as host],after Kinnear's departure when the revolving hosts took over it lost its focus,later hosts Rita Sever and Cynthia Garrett were both hot numbers[the gorgeous Sever also hosted the comedy/music video variety series Friday Night on NBC ],but were lacking as hosts[the dimbulb Garrett should've kept her job at VH1!],their interview abilities left something to be desired. Later[as the title was eventually shortened to after Kinnear jumped ship] was eventually constantly pre-empted by reruns of NBC prime time sitcoms like In The House and the classic Canadian comedy series SCTV until the abysmal Last Call With Carson Daly premiered,I'd prefer the SCTV reruns,NBC jumped the shark by dumping them and getting MTV dolt Daly to host a show,Adam Curry or Riki Rachtman [or even Jesse Camp] I'd prefer!!

I must add my vote to those who think "Later" jumped the shark when Bob Costas left. The entire format changed from something soothingly quiet and different to the same tired, noisy "talk/comedy" format. I found myself watching interviews with people I would never have sought out to listen to, simply because Bob handled them so well and asked really interesting questions. I don't blame Greg Kinnear for this -- after all, when is it NOT the network's fault? Come back, Bob!!!

In terms of programming time, there was the Tonight Show, which was supposed to be a late show. Then there was Late Night which was even later. Then came Later which was even later. Bob Costas came on and acted like it was after midnight, he would say hello, and sit in a chair and talk to someone for a while, who sometimes was interesting. When Kinnear took over it was like he got a band to play loud brassy music, a studio audience and so forth. It was like he was yelling WAKE UP! The problem is I was more likely to be falling asleep while watching Later. Even Carson Daly seems to understand this more than Kinnear did.

This show was terrific with Bob Costas hosting. The interviews were intimate and intelligent. You weren't just entertained but you learned a great deal from his guest when he was hosting that show. You learned a bit about politics , pop culture and even some acting from guys like Dennis Hopper , Harvey Keitel , and Robert Duvall! Just terrific stuff there! The show was like a more stylish looking version of "Charlie Rose" but just as intelligent. I guess Costas had bigger fish to fry with HBO and his NBC Sports duties and then along comes Greg Kinnear. The second I saw the show going to a much different format I was gone. The Costas interviews were mentally stimulating most of the time and the other host's interviews just didn't measure up. It was like attending Harvard one season then attending community college the next; the show regressed and then it plummeted even lower! The show got an audience and began to convert into the typical late night talk show style. When Bob hosted there was no audience , just him and the guest , in two comfortable chairs , one on one. The interviews were much more intimate and interesting with way more quality and substance. If they had found a host that could've conducted the interviews in the same manner as Costas and kept the show in its initial format then I would've kept watching but in actuality the post-Costas seasons of "Later" made me turn away fast. Greg Kinnear stepping in was definitely the jump the shark moment for "Later".

When Greg Kinnear left and they went to guest hosts...BTW, some of you mentioned that Carson Daly is the show's new host, which is incorrect...Daly's doing a different show altogether, called "Last Call w/Carson Daly", an entry for which can be found elsewhere on the site.

GK did a great job when BC left. CD is silly...

This show basically was like a pregnant mom who got dumped by her man{Bob Costas} and had to raise a child and rely on sugar daddys{guest hosts} to try to survive I mean this show never even had the right host to begin with and it was boring as hell to watch Bob Costas and then Greg Kinnear,followed by the endless hosts who actually where more famous than the people they were interviewing at times.The shows format was just to wishy washy The only funny show is when Greg Kinnear came back and guest hosted once and they had a segment where he was in a stadium full of people and the joke was those thousands of people hosted Later at one time or another{true comedic genious} Rita Sever tried to save this show along with Friday Night but even her fresh ideas and likeable personality couldnt do the trick

The writer above who noted that when Kinnear moved from Talk Soup to Later, both shows jumped, is correct in everything he (or she) says. Though I must admit, I had nowhere near enough patience to actually watch more than a few Kinnear episodes nor any of the revolving-door hosts, nor Cynthia Whatzername, nor Carson Daly ("...and I'm a massive tool."). Bob Costas, I know you love sports, but your true calling is as a one-on-one interviewer. Quit sports forever if that's what it takes, but please, oh please, go back to Later (and no, On The Record is (was?) nowhere near as good -- please note: athletes, as a rule, are as interesting to listen to as traffic, and usually more annoying). Later was a terrific show. I still tell people Mel Brooks' "only scene cut from Blazing Saddles" anecdote.

This show jumped during the Costas years for one reason. NBC was stupid. One episode, he had Richard Lewis on, who made Bob Costas laugh so hard that NBC decided not to air the show. They felt that it would look bad for the serious Bob Costas to be seen literally rolling around in his chair laughing hysterical. So Richard Lewis, a frequent guest and friend of Costas was told that he was 'too funny' on the show and it would have to be scrapped. NBC finally came to their senses a little bit and invited Lewis back on shortly afterwards. They talked about that show and aired clips of it. But they never did air that show in its entirety. So basically, NBC penalized a comedian for being too funny.

Bob Costas was a great interviewer with an encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects. he seemed equally at ease interviewing Mel Brooks, Paul McCartney, a jock like Ken Stabler or Mickey Mantle, or a writer like Martin Amis or Camille Paglia. how often does a real novelist actually appear on TV now days? any? the extended interview format was cool, often extending to multiple episodes. one of the greatest of these was the 3 or 4 part Mel Brooks interview where Mel told related some hilarious anecdotes.Bob was laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair, was out of breath, and had to step outside to regain his composure and stop laughing before he could continue with the interview! i distinctly remember watching Costas' last episode, and then watching Kinnear's first episode. maybe it isn't even fair to compare Costas and Kinnear, because the geniuses at NBC revamped the show completely. they added a live studio audience, which completely changed the dynamic of the show. instead of having unlimited time to conduct a thoughtful and thorough interview, Kinnear came out and did a few lame jokes, sat down a read a few prepared gags, and then did a short canned interview with some B or C list celeb. with Costas' format, commercial breaks were edited in to the middle of an interview, where on Kinnear's version and all subsequent versions, they pause to do a break, the audience applauds, just like every other talk show.