List of late-night American network TV programs

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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

More information Broadcast, Network ...
Broadcast
Network Program title FormatDuration
[note 1]
DaysTime (ET)Current
host(s)/anchor(s)
DebutLength of run
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! Talk show 60 minutesMonday–Friday
[note 2]
11:35 p.m.Jimmy KimmelJanuary 26, 200323 years, 122 days
Nightline Newsmagazine 30 minutesMonday–Friday12:37 a.m.Byron Pitts,
Juju Chang
[note 3]
March 24, 198046 years, 65 days
World News Now Overnight newscast 90 minutes2:30 a.m.
[note 4]
Andrew Dymburt,
Rhiannon Ally
January 6, 199234 years, 142 days
CBS Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Comedy panel30 minutes x 2Monday–Friday11:35 p.m.Byron AllenSeptember 22, 2025 248 days
Funny You Should Ask Comedy panel/game show30 minutes x 2Monday—Friday12:37 p.m.Jon KelleyMay 22, 2026 6 days
CBS News Roundup Overnight newscast60 minutesMonday–Friday2:00 a.m.
[note 5]
[note 4]
Jessi MitchellMay 29, 20241 year, 364 days
Fox FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden sports recap; comedy 30 minutes
Monday–Sunday 12:00 a.m. James Corden,
Rio Ferdinand,
Ian Karmel
June 11, 2026−14 days
NBC Saturday Night Live Sketch comedy 93 minutesSaturday11:30 p.m.
[note 6]
Varies by weekOctober 11, 197550 years, 229 days
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Talk show 60 minutesMonday–Friday
[note 7]
11:35 p.m.Jimmy FallonFebruary 17, 201412 years, 100 days
(Franchise: 71 years, 243 days)
Late Night with Seth Meyers12:37 a.m.Seth MeyersFebruary 24, 201412 years, 93 days
(Franchise: 44 years, 116 days)
Early Today Overnight newscast
[note 8]
90 minutesMonday–Friday 2:30 a.m.
[note 4]
Frances Rivera September 9, 199926 years, 261 days
PBS Amanpour & Company World affairs; topical discussion 60 minutes
[note 9]
Monday–Friday 11:00 p.m. Christiane Amanpour September 10, 20187 years, 260 days
Retro TV Off-Beat Cinema Midnight movie showcase 120 minutesSaturday2:00 a.m.Constance Caldwell,
Tony Billoni,
Jeffrey Roberts
October 31, 199332 years, 209 days
Cable/satellite
Network Program title FormatDurationDaysTime (ET)Current host(s)DebutLength of run
Bravo Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Talk show 22 minutes
[note 9]
Sunday–Thursday10:00 p.m.Andy CohenJuly 16, 200916 years, 316 days
Comedy Central The Daily Show News/political satire;
talk show
30 minutesMonday–Thursday11:00 p.m.Jon Stewart (Mondays), guest hosts (Tuesdays–Thursdays)July 22, 199629 years, 310 days
Fox News Gutfeld! 60 minutes
[note 9]
Monday–Friday10:00 p.m.Greg GutfeldMay 31, 201510 years, 362 days
Fox News Saturday Night Saturday 11:00 p.m. Jimmy Failla June 3, 20232 years, 359 days
Fox News @ Night Current affairs;
Political commentary
Monday–Friday12:00 a.m.Trace GallagherOctober 30, 20178 years, 210 days
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher News/political satire;
talk show
Friday10:00 p.m.Bill MaherFebruary 21, 200323 years, 96 days
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver News/political satire;
talk show
~ 33 minutes
[note 9]
Sunday11:00 p.m.John OliverApril 27, 201412 years, 31 days
Streaming
Service Program title FormatDurationRelease dayTime (ET)Current host(s)DebutLength of run
Netflix My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Talk show 44–58 minutesFridayStreamingDavid LettermanJanuary 12, 20188 years, 136 days
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney 57–59 minutesWednesday10 p.m.,
Streaming
John MulaneyMarch 12, 20251 year, 77 days
Close

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
  • 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.[2]
  • 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[3]
  • 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)
  • 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 – May 21, 2026)
  • The Late Late Show (January 9, 1995 – April 27, 2023)
  • The Talk After Dark (January 12 – 16, 2015) – nighttime edition of CBS daytime program; temporary replacement for the Late Late Show during transition from Craig Ferguson to James Corden.
  • CBS Summer Showcase (May 21 – September 7, 2015) – showcase of CBS drama reruns; temporary replacement for the Late Show during transition from David Letterman to Stephen Colbert as host.
  • CBS Overnight News (September 21, 2015 – May 28, 2024) – overnight newscast; replaced Up to the Minute
  • 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

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) Arsenio Hall's 13 weeks hosting the show in 1987 led to his being offered The Arsenio Hall Show by Paramount.
  • 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. Canceled due to Fox launching The Late Show with Joan Rivers.
  • 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 Night's 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

Cable/satellite

AMC

Adult Swim

BBC America

BET

Biography Channel

Bravo

  • Kathy (April 19, 2012 – March 28, 2013) – hosted by Kathy Griffin
  • Bravo's Chat Room (2020 - 2021)

CMT

CNN

Comedy Central

Discovery Channel

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

IFC

Lifetime

  • The Conversation with Amanda De Cadenet (2012)
  • Undone with Amanda De Cadenet (2014)

MSNBC

MTV

MTV2

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

  1. Total duration includes allocated commercial time, unless otherwise noted.
  2. First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes typically reserved for reruns, although recorded first-run episodes occasionally air on certain Fridays.
  3. Since November 2005, Nightline has maintained a rotating anchor format; presenters listed each solo anchor on assigned nights.
  4. Transmitted in a continuous tape delayed loop until 8:00 a.m. ET/PT for stations in westward time zones to air at accordant airtimes. Local airtimes may vary (usually to be joined in progress) depending on scheduling of late-night syndicated programs, network early-morning newscasts and, except where inapplicable, local morning newscasts as well as delays caused by overruns from network event programming.
  5. CBS News Roundup is also broadcast on co-owned streaming network CBS News 24/7 starting at 1:00 a.m. ET, one hour before the loop feed is made available to local CBS stations and aired in partial simulcast with them.
  6. Since 2017, Saturday Night Live is broadcast live across the contiguous United States and Alaska. Because the show airs outside of the safe harbor outside of the Eastern and Central Time Zones, a brief broadcast delay is implemented to meet FCC indecency regulations in the event that fleeting expletives or other objectionable material occur during the broadcast.[1]
  7. First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes are typically reserved for reruns year-round.
  8. On September 11, 2017, NBC began feeding Early Today to its owned and affiliated stations at 3:00 a.m. ET (since moved to 2:30 a.m. ET). The early morning newscast's shift to an earlier live feed—which replaced the second hour of the overnight block formerly branded as "NBC All Night" (then offering a same-day repeat of CNBC's Mad Money) and intended to accommodate expansions of local morning newscasts into the 4:00/4:30 a.m. slot in some markets—resulted in Early Today doubling as a de facto overnight newscast, of which NBC had not offered since the 1998 cancellation of NBC Nightside.
  9. Running time does not include commercials (note that certain listed cable networks maintain commercial-free programming formats and listed streaming services maintain ad-free tiers, and therefore the program length mentioned alongside this explanatory note is the total running time).

References

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