Top 16 Late-Night Talk Shows of All Time

Network institutions, cable upstarts, and premium-channel satirists all vie for the crown, from monologue-and-couch classics to deep-dive comedy that reshaped the format. Cast your vote!

1

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Carson's 30-year reign that defined American late-night television and set the template every host followed.

1000pts

2

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Fallon's viral-clip-friendly NBC show built around games, sketches, and musical bits.

1000pts

3

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Colbert's sharply political CBS successor to Letterman, a ratings leader in the current era.

1000pts

4

Conan

O'Brien's TBS show that gave him a scrappy, digital-savvy second act after The Tonight Show.

879pts

5

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

HBO's weekly deep-dive comedy show that turned long-form investigative satire into an award magnet.

789pts

6

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Meyers's NBC show anchored by the incisive 'A Closer Look' political segments.

789pts

7

Real Time with Bill Maher

Maher's HBO panel show blending monologue, interviews, and a roundtable debate.

789pts

8

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

ABC's long-running late-night staple known for viral pranks, celebrity bits, and topical monologues.

684pts

9

The Late Late Show with James Corden

Corden's CBS show that spawned the viral Carpool Karaoke phenomenon.

684pts

10

The Colbert Report

Colbert's satirical Comedy Central spin-off skewering punditry in a blowhard persona.

560pts

11

Late Show with David Letterman

Letterman's irreverent, deadpan CBS show that reinvented the genre with Top Ten Lists and Stupid Pet Tricks.

560pts

12

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Conan's absurdist, character-driven NBC show that became a cult favorite for a generation.

410pts

13

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Ferguson's loose, improvisational CBS show famous for its robot skeleton sidekick Geoff.

410pts

14

The Dick Cavett Show

The intellectually curious late-'60s and '70s show famed for its long, substantive interviews.

410pts

15

The Daily Show

The satirical Comedy Central news show that made fake news must-watch, defining under Jon Stewart.

228pts

16

The Arsenio Hall Show

The trailblazing early-'90s syndicated show that brought a younger, more diverse energy to late night.

228pts