Photo: Courtesy of Comedy Central.CBS has officially announced that the Big Apple gets to keep The Late Show. "We're thrilled to continue broadcasting CBS' Late Show from New York and calling the Ed Sullivan Theater its home," CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves said in a statement.
The news comes after months of anxiety about the fate of the landmark Broadway theater. Governor Cuomo began lobbying for the show to stay put almost as soon as the news of David Letterman's departure broke. "With East Coast-based host Stephen Colbert taking the reins of The Late Show, it's clear we should keep the show where it belongs — here in New York," he told reporters in April.
Though CBS received $11 million in tax credits to stay in NY (compared to the $5 million it would have received for relocating to L.A.), it was ultimately Cuomo and David Letterman himself who swayed CBS. "David Letterman has graced this hall and city with comedy and entertainment that defined a generation. When Dave decides to pass the baton next year, we look forward to welcoming Stephen Colbert, one of the most innovative and respected forces on TV, to this storied television theater," said Moonves, calling out Cuomo for a wonderful job of keeping New York "a vibrant and attractive location for all forms of television production."
We don't know about you, but we're looking forward to many a midtown Colbert-sighting for years to come. (Hollywood Reporter)