# What is the best late-night talk show of all time?

> Which late-night talk show is the greatest of all time? From Johnny Carson's Tonight Show institution to John Oliver's HBO investigative comedy, vote for the show that best defined what late-night television can be.

*By YPB Team · Published May 12, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-late-night-talk-show-of-all-time*

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## Current results (0 votes)

1. **The Tonight Show (Carson)**
   Johnny Carson's 30-year Tonight Show reign from 1962 to 1992 that defined late-night television and set the template every host since has followed.
2. **Late Show with Letterman**
   David Letterman's iconic CBS run from 1993 to 2015, where his sardonic wit and reinvented talk-show format influenced an entire generation of hosts.
3. **Late Night with Letterman**
   Letterman's original NBC late-night run from 1982 to 1993, where he shattered the traditional talk-show formula with surreal humor and Top Ten Lists.
4. **The Daily Show (Stewart)**
   Jon Stewart's 16-year tenure at The Daily Show from 1999 to 2015, which revolutionized political satire and became appointment television for millions.
5. **Late Show with Colbert**
   Stephen Colbert's acclaimed CBS tenure that became the no. 1 late-night show, blending sharp political commentary with genuine celebrity interviews.
6. **The Colbert Report**
   Stephen Colbert's 2005-2014 satirical alter-ego show on Comedy Central, a brilliant long-form character study that skewered cable news culture.
7. **Late Night with Conan O'Brien**
   Conan O'Brien's inventive and surreal NBC Late Night run from 1993 to 2009 that pioneered absurdist comedy and beloved recurring characters.
8. **Jimmy Kimmel Live!**
   Jimmy Kimmel's long-running ABC franchise that produced viral cultural moments, celebrity pranks, and the beloved Celebrities Read Mean Tweets segment.
9. **The Tonight Show (Fallon)**
   Jimmy Fallon's high-energy NBC Tonight Show era known for viral games, musical parodies, and A-list celebrity chemistry.
10. **Last Week Tonight (Oliver)**
   John Oliver's HBO deep-dive weekly show that transformed long-form investigative comedy journalism into an art form and spurred real-world change.
11. **Late Night with Seth Meyers**
   Seth Meyers's NBC show known for sharp political A Closer Look segments and a welcoming, writerly sensibility that attracts literary and political guests.
12. **The Late Late Show (Ferguson)**
   Craig Ferguson's wildly creative CBS run from 2005 to 2014, featuring his robot sidekick Geoff Peterson and a refreshingly unscripted, intimate style.
13. **The Tonight Show (Leno)**
   Jay Leno's dominant 22-year NBC run that consistently won the late-night ratings race, making him the most commercially successful host of his era.
14. **Conan (TBS)**
   Conan O'Brien's 2010-2021 TBS show that evolved into a travel-heavy, experimental format and built a passionate global fan community.
15. **The Tonight Show (Conan)**
   Conan O'Brien's brief but beloved seven-month Tonight Show hosting stint in 2009 that ended in the notorious NBC-Leno controversy.

Tags: usa, celebrities, tv shows, classics, performances