The Late Show was an American late night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-fledgling Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986, under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... Joan Rivers (born June 8, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, talk show host, businesswoman, and celebrity. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

The talk show was a direct attempt at competing against NBC's seminal The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and in fact Rivers had been for the previous few years the permanent guest host on Tonight, substituting for Carson. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Permanent guest host is an oxymoron that likely originated on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ...

Many in 1986, including top executives at NBC, thought it was highly possible that Johnny Carson would retire after reaching his 25th anniversary on October 1, 1987, since it was such a logical cut-off point. The year 1986 in television involved some significant events. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

Rumor has it in the spring of 1986, a confidential memo between top NBC executives, listing about 10 possible replacements in the event of Carson's retirement the next year, was leaked. When Rivers saw it, she was shocked to see that she was nowhere on the list, despite the fact that she had been The Tonight Show's permanent guest host since 1983. // February 8 - Minipops premieres on Channel 4 in the UK. Though a ratings success, it is canceled after the first series due to heavy media criticism. ...

Another rumor is that soon after, when Carson decided to stay beyond 1987, NBC offered him a three-year contract extension, but only offered Rivers a one-year extension as guest host. This is a list of television-related events in 1987. ...

As a result of all of this, Rivers doubted her future at NBC.

FOX was looking for a host for a late night talk show for the network's launch in October 1986 and offered Rivers the job at a massive increase in pay over her NBC salary. She took it. Carson was blindsided by the news when he saw the press conference on television. Moments later, when Rivers called him at home, he refused to take the call. Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Rivers was adamant that her problem was with NBC and not with Carson, who was like a father figure to her. She stated that she didn't want to tell him before the announcement was made because she was afraid FOX would cancel the deal if word leaked out.

Carson was furious. With other proteges who competed against him, such as David Brenner, Alan Thicke, Joey Bishop, and Pat Sajak, Carson always had them on The Tonight Show beforehand to wish them luck, and again after he decimated them in the ratings and their shows were cancelled. Carson said he felt betrayed by Rivers not because she dared to compete with him, but because she wasn't honest with him beforehand about her intentions and didn't ask him for advice and for his blessing. David Brenner (born February 4, 1936) is an American standup comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker. ... Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey on March 1, 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian actor, songwriter, game show host and talk-show emcee. ... Joey Bishop (born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on February 3, 1918 in The Bronx, New York, USA) is a Jewish American actor. ... Pat Sajak (born Patrick Leonard Sajdak on October 26, 1946), is an Emmy Award-winning television personality and one-time talk show host, best known as the host of the popular and long-running American television game show, Wheel of Fortune. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...

Rivers spoke highly of Carson the night he died, January 23, 2005, but she revealed that he never spoke to her again. She also maintained that she handled things the right way by not telling Carson of her plans ahead of time. is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After a moderate start, ratings for the talk show soon sagged, and the behind-the-scenes relations between Rivers and network executives at Fox quickly eroded, and she left the show in 1987. In 1987 and 1988, the show was renamed The Late Show and featured several hosts including Arsenio Hall (who went on to launch his own popular talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show), Ross Shafer, Richard Belzer, and Robert Townsend before it was canceled in 1988. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Arsenio Hall at the 1989 Emmy Awards Arsenio Hall (February 12, 1955) is an American comedian, talk show host, and actor. ... The Arsenio Hall Show was a talk show, which aired on late night in syndication from 1989 to 1994. ... Ross Shafer (born December 10, 1954 in McMinnville, Oregon, USA) is a comedian and television host turned motivational and customer service speaker/trainer, based in Carlsbad, California. ... Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is an American stand up comedian, writer and actor, perhaps best known for his work as Det. ... Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is an African American film director, writer, and actor. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1988. ...

See Also

List of late night network TV programs || There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...