I have become, in the last two weeks, a big fan of Craig Ferguson. Yeah, I know, he’s been on for five years. I think I might have sampled him early on but obviously I must not have been impressed. Until recently I have mentally put him in the same category as all the late shows . . . you know . . wacky lame tired schtick after schtick . . stale monologue jokes, etc. Fallon is an example of what I am talking about. Watch Ferguson for a week and you’ll realize something new is going on at 12:35 on CBS. Sure the set and presentation looks familiar but cheaper. I am sure he prepares for the show but it sure doesn’t look like it. His stuff in front of the camera may be on cue cards/teleprompter but it sure doesn’t look like it. What it looks like is a fresh unique approach based entirely on his personality. And he’s a damn funny guy.
Craig Ferguson is the late-night host you should be watching
Ferguson’s doing something that, while constructed within the recognizable parameters of a late-night American comedy talk show, is all his own thing: personal and free, mindless of rules and yet in control of the medium. It is direct and intimate in a way that harkens back to earlier, less frilly days of television, and it is also hilarious. ● More from: chicagotribune.com
