This week marks the end of two distinctive eras of network television, as CBS\u2019s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air its final episode. The show was created in 1993 by David Letterman after his controversial exit from NBC, and he held the reins for 22 years before retiring and turning the show over to Colbert, who had risen to prominence on Comedy Central as a member of The Daily Show, and then later host of his own political talkshow, The Colbert Report.<\/p>\n
Colbert\u2019s run on the Late Show would last 11 years. Last July, CBS shocked everyone by announcing<\/a> the show\u2019s cancellation, with the final episode to air on 21 May. Although executives claimed the decision was purely financial \u2013 even with Late Show holding the best ratings for any late-night talkshow for nine years running \u2013 many saw it as a political gesture towards Donald Trump ahead of an $8bn merger between CBS\u2019s parent company, Paramount, and Skydance.<\/p>\n
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