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Colbert is back!

Having been a long-time viewer of both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, it was incredibly tough seeing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert leave their respective shows this past year. Larry Wilmore's The Nightly Show has improved in recent weeks, but it still lacks the biting satire and goofy charm of The Colbert Report, and it's unknown at this time just how well Trevor Noah will be able to fill in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Fortunately, Stephen Colbert returned last night as host of CBS' The Late Show, taking over the reins from David Letterman.

Supposedly the show lasted two hours and had to be condensed to slightly over an hour, so there were some bumps and bruises along the way, but that's to be expected in a show's debut. It featured guests George Clooney, Jeb Bush, and around fifty musicians performing their rendition of Sly & the Family Stone's classic tune, "Everyday People." Colbert's introduction and monologue were decent. His comedy bits following the monologue were a combination of strange and hilarious, the latter of which included Colbert engorging himself with Donald Trump video clips and Oreo's. The show's band, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, was excellent. The conversation with Clooney wasn't the smoothest of interviews, but their made-up film was entertaining. The discussion with Jeb Bush was the better of the two interviews. Unfortunately, not all of it was aired, but I was able to find the extended interview online without much problem. Bush went on a couple of same-old-same-old-talking-point-tangents, but was caught off guard a couple times by Colbert, which made for some rather entertaining reactions on the former Florida governor's part.

Overall, while the show definitely wasn't without its flaws, I couldn't help but smile seeing Stephen Colbert back and hosting a late-night talk show again. There's just something about his personality, spirit, and demeanor which is contagious, and tends to prompt smiles even if a joke misses the mark. From his silly dance moves to his singing to his look which suggests he's happy to be there, it's difficult not to like Stephen Colbert. He's always been a personal favorite of mine, probably one of my biggest writing influences, and I sincerely hope he fills Letterman's shoes admirably, and hosts the show for a long time to come. Welcome back, Stephen! The (Colbert) Nation missed you!
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