Opening Segment Changes
It’s been five days since Craig & Company returned to CBS Television City from a fortnight’s hiatus.  And it’s been five days since things changed in the Late Late Show’s opening segment.  Monday’s lack of monologue appears to have been a one-time thing but the “split” use of the theme song may be a longer-term switch.  As it turns out, there is a bit of a backstory.

Getting Viewers To Stick Around
From the earliest days of Craig’s run on the Late Late Show, the opening segment has been an odd thing.  Most late night shows (and many other television shows) tend to start with the opening theme and a fairly long first segment.  The first segment typically runs ten to twelve minutes in length, with the idea being to “hook” the audience… that is, to pique their interest and retain them for as long as possible.  Many prime time shows have gone so far as to run an opening segment for several minutes before a tiny five to ten-second theme song or even none at all, with the hope of getting viewers too interested in the story to leave.

Ads Before Midnight
But because Craig is on so late (12:37am on the East and West coasts where the bulk of viewers live), advertisers wanted to be sure at least the first commercial break tied to the show would be seen before people went to bed.  The idea was to give some sort of quick tease after David Letterman’s show ended, take a long commercial break for network and local ads and then start the show for real… at about 12:43am.  There was discussion back and forth between the network and the show’s producers and the result, which could have been a negative, was turned into a positive.  Craig and the LLS team came up with what have become trademark opening bits; sometimes a musical number, sometimes a foreshadowing of upcoming guests, an exploration of topics by Craig or a puppet, and sometimes a rambling but charming admission that he has no material for the night.

The Theme Song Moves
Fast-forward to this past week when viewers saw something new:  Craig did his opening bit but then the full theme song played, followed by pictures of the night’s on the screen:

Video courtesy: TVsCraigFerguson

After the long commercial break for network and local ads, the show comes back with a reprise of the theme’s final phrase “Tomorrow’s just your future yesterday!” and the familiar words of announcer Shadoe Stevens, “Ladies and gentlemen, Craig Ferguson!”  From there, the show proceeds as it has been, with Craig entering the studio to the cheers of candy-bribed hobos, teasingly smacking the camera and welcoming the studio and home audiences:

Video courtesy: TVsCraigFerguson

Our Educated Guess
While it is speculation on our part, the reason behind the change may come down to the original goal of having long opening segments:  Retaining audience.  Whether prodded by research or the producer’s gut feeling, we think it makes sense for three reasons:

1. Rather than Craig simply saying, “We’ll be back after this,” the show can use more of the shiny things in its toolbox (the catchy, energetic theme song and the promise of interesting guests) to encourage people to stick around after the commercials.
2. By placing the theme song earlier, the show’s “second start” with Craig’s monologue begins closer to 12:45am. That’s important to the people who track the show’s ratings because 12:45-12:50am is one of the five-minute blocks checked by electronic meters during the show. It’s a technical detail, but perhaps an important one.
3. And finally, the theme at the end of the opening segment allows a prime location for the announcer to say, “The Late Late Show, brought to you by…” We could see a “title” sponsor or two emerge in the coming months.

The Late Late Show and its more traditionally-formatted competitors are in an ongoing effort to draw more viewers.  Perhaps this small change of format, which still manages to keep advertisers happy with their early commercial break, might help the show keep people awake just a little bit longer.  That’s our best guess as to why the changes happened.  What do you think about the way the show begins now?  Let us know in the comment section below. Thanks to the RSA’s General @Malinky2Stoatir for the video clips of Thursday’s show.

Enjoying the Show
Thursday night’s guests each tweeted after their appearances.  Henry Winkler said:

good morning!!! first of all thank you all for your supportive tweets about the CRAIG FERGUSON show ..what a great way to start this day

And astronaut Mike Massimino said:

Taping the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson was a blast! Hope you enjoy it!

Massimino’s appearance make the RSA’s @doxieone1 wonder what Geoff Petersen would look like as a astronaut/cosmonaut/robonaut.  Friday evening, Geoff tweeted:

Tonight, my hilarious dead-on wonderfully accurate impression of @CraigyFerg. And now I’m unemployed. #willsayballsforfood

Tonight’s Guests
Friday on the Late Late Show, Craig’s guests are actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer and actress Moon Bloodgood.

 

 

Updated Guest List

The guest schedule has been updated through July 15th, with actor Tim Daly added to the lineup.  As always, you can see the most up-to-date guest schedule available on our Guests page.  Please give our guest page a “+1” on Google and link to it from you page if you have one.  We appreciate your help in spreading the word.

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