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List of late-night American network TV programs

Late-night television in the United States is the block of television programming intended for broadcast after 11:00 p.m. and usually through 2:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (ET/PT), but which informally can include programs aired as late as the designated overnight graveyard slot.

By definition, late night programming begins on the Big Three television networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) at or shortly before 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, after the conclusion of local late-evening newscasts on their owned-and-operated and affiliated stations; late night programming on other broadcast networks, including Fox and PBS, and cable television channels start at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Some streaming services (such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video) have ventured into the late-night talk format at various times in recent years, though these programs are in-format-only, given that episodes are often released before the start of the designated time period.

The following is a list of programs that are currently airing or have previously aired during the late night daypart on American television networks and streaming services.

Current

For the purposes of this page, shows that air after midnight (in the early morning) are considered to have been broadcast late night, the previous day.

Past

Broadcast networks

ABC

  • The Les Crane Show (November 9, 1964 – February 25, 1965) – interview/tabloid talk format with audience questions
  • ABC's Nightlife (March 1–November 12, 1965) – talk/variety series serving as a reformatting of The Les Crane Show; originally featured rotating hosts, before Crane returned as host in June 1965
  • The Joey Bishop Show (April 17, 1967 – December 26, 1969)
  • The Dick Cavett Show (December 29, 1969 – January 1, 1975)
  • Wide World of Entertainment (January 8, 1973 – October 22, 1982, retitled ABC Late Night in January 1976) – originally a block of comedy/variety programs, talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett (The Dick Cavett Show) and Jack Paar (Jack Paar Tonite), documentaries and specials; reformatted as ABC Late Night in 1976, featuring reruns of ABC prime time shows (such as Soap, The Love Boat and Starsky & Hutch)
  • In Concert (November 24, 1972 – April 25, 1975) – aired Friday nights
  • Jack Paar Tonite (January 1973 – November 1973) - hosted by former NBC Tonight host Jack Paar
  • Comedy News (January 1973 – summer 1974) - satirical news program with an ensemble cast including Robert Klein, Mort Sahl, and Joan Rivers
  • Good Night America (1973 – 1975) – newsmagazine hosted by Geraldo Rivera
  • Fridays (April 11, 1980 – April 23, 1982) – sketch comedy series
  • The Last Word (October 1982–April 1983) – hosted by Phil Donahue and Greg Jackson
  • One on One (April–August 1983) – hosted by Greg Jackson
  • Eye on Hollywood (August 1983–July 1986) – entertainment news/interview program
  • ABC Rocks (June 22, 1984 – August 2, 1985) – music video program; aired Friday nights
  • Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (July – September 1986) – reality/documentary series, hosted by Robin Leach; aired simultaneously on ABC and in syndication
  • The Dick Cavett Show (September 22 – December 30, 1986) – revival of his earlier ABC series, aired Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Jimmy Breslin's People (September 1986 – January 1987) – aired Thursdays and Fridays
  • Monday Sportsnite (June – August 1987) – sports discussion program; hosted by Al Trautwig; aired Monday nights
  • Into the Night Starring Rick Dees (July 1990 – July 1991)
  • ABC In Concert (June 7, 1991 – September 11, 1998) – second run on ABC, aired Friday nights
  • ABC In Concert Country (June 4 – August 10, 1994) – country music-focused spin-off; aired Saturday nights
  • Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (January 7, 1997 – July 15, 2002) – topical panel talk show; moved from Comedy Central
  • Nightline Up Close (July 8, 2002 – January 24, 2003) – ABC News spin-off of Nightline, featuring one-on-one interviews conducted by Ted Koppel; temporary replacement for Politically Incorrect following cancellation due to Maher's comments about the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks
  • The Alec Baldwin Show (March 4–December 29, 2018)
  • Celebrity Family Feud (September 17, 2025 — September 22, 2025) - with Steve Harvey. ABC aired repeats of the prime-time game show while Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended due to the controversy over remarks made during Kimmel's monologue following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

CBS

  • The Faye Emerson Show (October 24, 1949 – June 22, 1951) – 15-minute chat show, began as an East Coast program before expanding to the full network, airing three nights a week, by March 1950; Emerson also concurrently hosted a show on NBC for several months in 1950.
  • The Merv Griffin Show (August 18, 1969 – February 11, 1972)
  • The CBS Late Movie (February 14, 1972 – September 20, 1985) – originally formatted as a weeknight movie showcase; began incorporating reruns of CBS series as well as some first-run British imported series during the block's timeslot in 1977
  • CBS News Nightwatch (October 3, 1982 – March 27, 1992) – overnight topical discussion program; hosted by Harold Dow, Christopher Glenn, Karen Stone, Felicia Jeter, Mary Jo West (1982–84), Charlie Rose and Lark McCarthy (1984–90); various hosts were used from 1990 to 1992
  • CBS Late Night (September 23, 1985 – January 6, 1989, October 30, 1989 – March 29, 1991) – reformatting of The CBS Late Movie block featuring reruns of CBS series, imported and first-run programs; block was replaced by The Pat Sajak Show in January 1989, and returned following the reduction of Sajak to an hour-long format (from 90 minutes)
  • Keep on Cruisin (January–June 1987) – weekly variety series produced by Dick Clark; hosted by Stephen Bishop and Sinbad; aired Fridays
  • In Person from the Palace (June–August 1987) – weekly music series produced by Dick Clark, featuring taped concert performances from the Palace Theater in Hollywood; aired Fridays
  • Top of the Pops (September 1987–March 1988) – music series based on the BBC pop music show; hosted by Nia Peeples; aired Fridays
  • Overtime... with Pat O'Brien (August 1990) – interview program; canceled after three episodes
  • The Midnight Hour (July–September 1990) – talk/variety show featuring rotating hosts (including comedienne Joy Behar, CBS This Morning weather anchor/co-host Mark McEwen, actor Marc Price, and satirist Bill Maher) and Patrice Rushen as bandleader
  • The Pat Sajak Show (January 9, 1989 – April 13, 1990) – featured Dan Miller as announcer/sidekick and Tom Scott as bandleader; originally running for 90 minutes, for its second season, the talk show was reduced to 60 minutes and began utilizing guest hosts substituting for Sajak on Fridays (such as Paul Rodriguez and Rush Limbaugh)
  • America Tonight (October 3, 1990 – March 28, 1991) – news and interview program produced by CBS News; hosted by Dan Rather, Charles Kuralt and Lesley Stahl
  • America Tonight Friday (October 7, 1990 – March 29, 1991) – Friday edition hosted by Robert Krulwich and Edie Magnus
  • Crimetime After Primetime (April 1, 1991 – January 5, 1995) – weeknight showcase of first-run and Canadian-imported crime dramas
  • Personals (September 1991 – December 1992) – dating game show in which a contestant would choose from three potential dates; the final round featured a series of yes or no questions for the winning couple, with a date destination that declined in quality each time their answers were incompatible (ranging from as high as an exotic location to as low as a trip to Pink's Hot Dogs' Los Angeles stand); hosted by Michael Burger
  • Night Games (October 1991 – June 1992) – dating show in which three men and three women are asked questions containing sexual innuendo, with the winning contestant choosing whom he or she would take on a date; hosted by Jeff Marder, with Luann Lee as his announcer/assistant
  • Up to the Minute (March 30, 1992 – September 18, 2015) – overnight newscast; replaced CBS News Nightwatch
  • The Kids in the Hall (September 18, 1992 – January 6, 1995) – sketch comedy series, aired Fridays; moved from HBO
  • The Late Show (August 30, 1993 – present )
  • Late Show with David Letterman (August 30, 1993 – May 20, 2015)
  • After Midnight (January 17, 2024 — June 13, 2025) - with Taylor Tomlinson. Comedy panel game show featuring comedians and celebrities competing for fictional prizes. Aired at 12:30 AM in the former Late Late Show slot following The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and produced by Colbert's production company.

NBC

  • The Faye Emerson Show / Fifteen with Faye (April 15–August 1950) – 15-minute talk show
  • Broadway Open House (May 29, 1950 – August 24, 1951) — comedy variety show featuring Jerry Lester, Morey Amsterdam (initially), and Dagmar
  • Party Time at Club Roma (October 1950–January 1951) – variety show hosted by Ben Alexander, described as "part Truth or Consequences-type stunt show and part talent contest".
  • Dagmar's Canteen (November 30, 1951 – June 14, 1952), continuation of Broadway Open House with a military theme in which Dagmar and service members would take part in sketches
  • Mary Kay's Nightcap (June 1951–July 1952) – 15-minute sign-off show in which Mary Kay Stearns would preview NBC's schedule for the following day, with occasional interviews.
  • The Tonight Show (September 27, 1954–present)
  • Tonight Starring Steve Allen (September 27, 1954 – January 25, 1957)
  • Tonight Starring Ernie Kovacs (October 1, 1956 – January 22, 1957), aired Monday and Tuesday nights to relieve Allen who was also hosting a weekly prime-time show, while Allen continued hosting Tonight Wednesdays through Fridays.
  • Tonight! America After Dark (January 28 — July 26, 1957)
  • Tonight Starring Jack Paar (July 29, 1957 – March 30, 1962)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (October 1, 1962 – May 22, 1992)
  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (May 25, 1992 – May 29, 2009; March 1, 2010 – February 6, 2014)
  • The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (June 1, 2009 – January 22, 2010)
  • The Tomorrow Show (October 15, 1973 – December 17, 1981, retitled Tomorrow Coast to Coast in September 1980) – hosted by Tom Snyder and co-hosted by Rona Barrett from October 1980 until mid-1981; aired Monday–Thursday nights following The Tonight Show, with reruns continuing following its cancellation until January 28, 1982
  • The Midnight Special (February 2, 1973 – May 1, 1981) – music series; aired Friday nights
  • Weekend (October 20, 1974–December 1978) – NBC News newsmagazine hosted by Lloyd Dobyns, and co-hosted in its final year by Linda Ellerbee; aired about one week per month in lieu of Saturday Night Live reruns, before being moved to prime time until it ended in April 1979
  • SCTV Network 90 (May 1981–March 1983) – Canadian sketch comedy series; aired Friday nights
  • Late Night (February 1, 1982–present)
  • Late Night with David Letterman (February 1, 1982 – June 25, 1993)
  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien (September 13, 1993 – February 20, 2009)
  • Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (March 2, 2009 – February 7, 2014)
  • NBC News Overnight (July 5, 1982 – December 3, 1983) – overnight news/discussion program; hosted by Lloyd Dobyns (later replaced by Bill Schechner) and Linda Ellerbee
  • Friday Night Videos (July 29, 1983 – May 24, 2002, retitled Friday Night in 1994) – weekly series; originally formatted as a music video showcase, converted to a variety format in 1994
  • Late Friday (January 5, 2001 – May 24, 2002) – reformat of Friday Night focused on stand-up comedy routines
  • Saturday Night's Main Event (May 11, 1985 – April 27, 1991) – World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) wrestling showcase; aired occasionally as filler in place of Saturday Night Live reruns
  • Later (August 22, 1988 – January 18, 2001) – switched between one-on-one interview (1988–1994, 2000–2001) and conventional late-night talk/monologue formats (1994–2000) during its run; reruns of SCTV Network 90 aired under the Later banner for the latter's final year after its talk format was discontinued in January 2001
  • Later with Bob Costas (August 22, 1988 – February 25, 1994)
  • Later with Greg Kinnear (February 28, 1994 – October 10, 1996)
  • Later (various hosts) (October 28, 1996 – January 27, 2000)
  • Later with Cynthia Garrett (January 31, 2000 – January 18, 2001)
  • NBC Nightside (November 4, 1991 – September 20, 1998) – overnight newscast; produced by Charlotte-based video wire service NBC News Channel
  • Poker After Dark (January 1, 2007 – September 23, 2011) – poker tournament program
  • The Jay Leno Show (September 14, 2009 – February 9, 2010)
  • Last Call with Carson Daly (January 8, 2002 – May 24, 2019) – originally maintained conventional late-night talk/comedy format; switched to on-location, documentary-style interview format in 2009
  • A Little Late with Lilly Singh (September 16, 2019 – June 3, 2021) – replaced Last Call with Carson Daly in the 1:37 a.m. ET timeslot; format was a mixture of interviews, comedy sketches, and commentary "rants"

Fox

  • The Late Show (October 9, 1986 – October 28, 1988)
  • The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers (October 9, 1986 – May 15, 1987)
  • The Late Show (various hosts) (May 18–December 8, 1987; January 11–October 28, 1988)
  • The Wilton North Report (December 11, 1987 – January 8, 1988) – satirical newsmagazine/talk/variety show hosted by Phil Cowan and Paul Robins; aired as a temporary replacement for The Late Show
  • Comic Strip Live (August 12, 1989 – January 15, 1994) – weekly stand-up comedy series; depending on the market, it aired on either Saturday or Sunday evening
  • The Chevy Chase Show (September 7–October 1, 1993) – infamously panned talk show cancelled after a five-week run, which became Fox's last regular weekday late night programming effort to date
  • Saturday Night's Main Event (February 8–November 14, 1992) – weekly WWF wrestling showcase; moved from NBC
  • Mad TV (October 14, 1995 – May 16, 2009) – sketch comedy series; aired Saturday nights
  • Saturday Night Special (April 1–May 18, 1996) – sketch comedy/variety series, aired Saturday nights; produced by Roseanne Barr
  • Talkshow with Spike Feresten (September 16, 2006 – May 16, 2009) – aired Saturday nights
  • The Wanda Sykes Show (November 7, 2009 – April 24, 2010) – aired Saturday nights
  • Animation Domination High-Def (July 21, 2013 – March 5, 2016) – weekly block of adult animated series; aired Saturday nights
  • Party Over Here (March 12–May 21, 2016) – sketch comedy series; aired Saturday nights, as the network's last first-run late night effort to date

DuMont Television Network

  • Monodrama Theater (May 1952–December 7, 1953) – variety series, aired Monday–Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET, featuring an actress or actor performing plays solo in front of a curtain in a form of monodrama
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show (April 12, 1954 – April 7, 1955) – the DuMont version of the program aired Monday–Friday 11:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ET, ending as the network began winding down operations; Kovacs moved to NBC and hosted the Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays for one season

PBS

  • Soul! (September 12, 1968 – March 7, 1973) – syndicated by WNDT–WNET/Newark–New York City
  • Late Night America (January 4, 1982 – December 20, 1985; March 25–December 30, 1989) – talk and viewer call-in program hosted by Dennis Wholey; originally titled PBS LateNight from 1982 to 1984, formatted as a half-hour weeknight program (1982–1985) and later as a two-hour weekly show (1989); syndicated by WTVS/Detroit
  • Charlie Rose (September 30, 1991 – November 17, 2017) – syndicated by WNET/Newark–New York City
  • Charlie Rose: The Week (July 19, 2013 – November 24, 2017) – "week-in-review" program featuring interviews from Charlie Rose, and news and cultural summaries; aired Fridays, and syndicated by WNET/Newark–New York City
  • Tavis Smiley (January 5, 2004 – December 13, 2017) – syndicated by KCET/Los Angeles (2004–2011) and WNET/Newark–New York City (2011–2017)
  • Amanpour on PBS (December 11, 2017 – September 7, 2018) – repurposed version of Christiane Amanpour's CNN International world affairs interview program; syndicated by WNET/Newark–New York City
  • Beyond 100 Days (January 2–September 6, 2018) – rebroadcast of BBC World News world affairs newscast primarily covering the early days of the first Donald Trump presidency; syndicated by KCET/Los Angeles
  • BBC World News on PBS (January 12–September 7, 2018) – late night international newscast; syndicated by KCET/Los Angeles

Telemundo

Telefutura / UniMás

  • Noche de Perros (October 31, 2011 – April 20, 2012)

United Network

Syndication

This list does not include the numerous game shows aired during the mid-1980s that often received late-night clearances (such as the 1985 run of The Nighttime Price Is Right) but were not expressly intended for late night audiences, nor does it include talk shows meant for daytime broadcast that air in late night slots in many markets due to either low ratings in their original timeslot, a lack of an available prime daytime slot or as a secondary run.

Metromedia

  • The Merv Griffin Show (February 14, 1972 – September 5, 1986) – King World assumed syndication rights in 1984, although the show continued to be carried on Metromedia-owned stations until shortly after the group's sale to Fox/News Corporation in 1986
  • Thicke of the Night (September 5, 1983 – June 15, 1984) – hosted by Alan Thicke; aired on Metromedia-owned stations and syndicated by MGM/UA Television to other markets
  • The Jerry Lewis Show (June 18–22, 1984) – aired as a one-week trial run following Thicke of the Nights cancellation

Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W)

Programs syndicated by Group W Productions aired on Westinghouse-owned stations and were syndicated to other markets; merged with CBS in 1996 to become Eyemark Entertainment, and folded into King World in 2000 by CBS.

Local television

  • Night Train (WLAC-TV/Nashville, October 1964—1967), first nationally syndicated R & B show to feature an all-Black cast. Hosted and produced by Noble Blackwell. Aired late Friday nights and featured performers such as James Brown, Joe Tex, BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight, Otis Redding, and Jackie Shane
  • Almost Live! (KING-TV/Seattle, September 23, 1984 – May 22, 1999) – weekly sketch comedy/variety series; aired as a local program for most of its run
  • A Oscuras Pero Encendidos (WJAN-CA/Miami, 1995–1997) – hosted by Paul Bouche; moved to Galavisión in 1997 and finally to Telemundo in 2000
  • Man of the People with Pat Tomasulo (WGN-TV/Chicago, January 2018–July 2019) – weekly series
  • Talk Tonight (KTSF/San Francisco, February 13, 2006 – December 27, 2019) – weekly series
  • The Nite Show with Danny Cashman (WABI-DT2 1997—1999, WSBK-TV 2001—2002, WABI-TV/Bangor, Maine, October 2010—May 17, 2025), aired late Saturday nights. Original version of show aired on Bangor's WB affiliate and then on its UPN outlet. Final version syndicated throughout Maine. Final guest was David Letterman.

Cable/satellite

AMC

Adult Swim

BET

Bravo

CMT

Comedy Central

E!

Freeform

Fox News

  • Red Eye (February 6, 2007 – April 7, 2017)
  • The Greg Gutfeld Show (May 31, 2015 – March 13, 2021)

Foxnet

Fuse

  • White Guy Talk Show (March–May 2015) – pop culture comedy talk show hosted by Saurin Choksi and Grace Parra

Fusion TV

FX

FXX

Galavisión

G4TechTV

  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May–November 2004; carried over from TechTV)

HBO

History

MSNBC

MTV

National Geographic

  • StarTalk (April 20, 2015 – May 16, 2019)

Showtime

Sundance TV

TBS

TechTV

  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May 2003–May 2004)

TLC

The Nashville Network

TV Land

  • ALF's Hit Talk Show (July 7–December 17, 2004)
  • Throwing Shade (January 17–March 28, 2017) – weekly television version of the comedy discussion podcast, hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi

TV One

TruTV

  • The Chris Gethard Show (August 3, 2017 – May 29, 2018) – phone-in comedy/variety talk show; moved from Fusion

USA Network

  • USA Up All Night (January 1989–March 1998) – B movie showcase; hosted by Gilbert Gottfried and, for much of its run, Rhonda Shear; title remained in use after the program's cancellation as an umbrella title for USA's late-night movie presentations until 2002

VH1

Viceland

Streaming services

Amazon Video

Apple TV+

HBO Max/Max

Hulu

Netflix

Peacock

  • Wilmore (September 18–December 4, 2020) – interview and news satire talk show hosted by Larry Wilmore
  • The Amber Ruffin Show (September 25, 2020 – December 16, 2022)

See also

Notes

References