David Spade is returning to late-night TV, in a bid from Comedy Central that will shake up the way the network does business around midnight.
David Spade, the comedian once famous for delivering the “Hollywood Minute” during the “Weekend Update” segment on “Saturday Night Live,” will devote considerably more time going forward to the Viacom-owned network, where he will later this year launch a new late-night series that will follow the network’s flagship “Daily Show.” At 11:30, Spade will go head to head with opening monologues from NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, CBS’ Stephen Colbert and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.
The series marks the first time in years the network hasn’t sought to follow “The Daily Show” with talent that initially came to light in that landmark program. In recent years, Comedy Central has stocked 11:30 with Stephen Colbert, Larry Wilmore and Jordan Klepper, all of whom first rose to greater renown interacting with either former “Daily” host Jon Stewart or current one Trevor Noah. It’s also the first time that Comedy Central won’t deliberately set out to focus on political themes and national affairs in the time slot (to be sure, the social-media centered “@midnight” took up residence there for a while).
Spade is expected to focus on other areas of discussion, offering a “signature take on the pop culture news of the day,” according to the network. The program, which yet to be titled and will include a rotating group of celebrities and comedians. With this choice, Spade and Comedy Central will be moving against the current grain. Many of the newest offerings in late-night tend to center around national news and a news cycle driven by President Donald Trump.
