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

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''), concerts, 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
** ''Good Night America'' (1973–1975) – hosted by Geraldo Rivera; aired as part of ''ABC's Wide World of Entertainment''
** '' 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
* ''Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'' (July–September 1986) – aired simultaneously on ABC and in syndication
* ''The Dick Cavett Show'' (September 22–December 30, 1986) – 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) – 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, 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)

CBS

* '' The Faye Emerson Show'' (October 24, 1949 — June 22, 1951) - 15 minute chat show, began as an east coast program but was on the full network, 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) and Charlie Rose (1984–1990); various hosts were used from 1990–92
* ''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 show featuring rotating hosts (including comedienne Joy Behar, ''CBS This Morning'' weather anchor/co-host Mark McEwen, actor Marc Price, and satirist Bill Maher)
* ''The Pat Sajak Show'' (January 9, 1989 – April 13, 1990)
* ''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
* ''The Kids in the Hall'' (September 18, 1992 – January 6, 1995, moved from HBO) – sketch comedy series; aired Fridays
* '' The Late Show'' (August 30, 1993–present)
** ''Late Show with David Letterman'' (August 30, 1993 – May 20, 2015)
* '' The Late Late Show'' (January 9, 1995–present)
** ''The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder'' (January 9, 1995 – March 26, 1999)
** ''The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn'' (March 29, 1999 – August 27, 2004)
** ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (January 3, 2005 – December 19, 2014)
* '' 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

NBC

* '' The Faye Emerson Show'' (April 15, 1950 — May 20, 1950) - 15 minute talk show
* ''Broadway Open House'' (May 29, 1950 – August 24, 1951)
* '' Fifteen with Faye'' (June — August 1950) - 15 minute talk show
* ''Party Time at Club Roma'' (October 1950–January 1951)
* ''The Tonight Show'' (September 27, 1954–present)
** '' Tonight Starring Steve Allen'' (September 27, 1954 – January 25, 1957)
** '' 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
* '' NBC Nightside'' (November 4, 1991 – September 20, 1998) – overnight newscast
* ''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 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)
* '' Comic Strip Live'' (August 12, 1989 – January 15, 1994) – weekly stand-up comedy series; depending on the media market, it aired on either Saturday or Sunday evening
* '' The Chevy Chase Show'' (September 7–October 1, 1993)
* '' Saturday Night's Main Event'' (February 8–November 14, 1992, moved from NBC) – weekly WWF wrestling showcase
* '' Mad TV'' (October 14, 1995 – May 16, 2009) – sketch comedy series; aired on Saturday nights
* '' Saturday Night Special'' (April 1–May 18, 1996) – sketch comedy/variety series; aired on Saturday nights; produced by Roseanne Barr
* '' Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' (September 16, 2006 – May 16, 2009) – aired on Saturday nights
* '' The Wanda Sykes Show'' (November 7, 2009 – April 24, 2010) – aired on Saturday nights
* ''Animation Domination High-Def'' (July 21, 2013 – March 5, 2016) – aired on Saturday nights
* '' Party Over Here'' (March 12–May 21, 2016) – sketch comedy series; aired on Saturday nights

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)
* ''Charlie Rose'' (September 30, 1991 – November 17, 2017)
* ''Charlie Rose: The Week'' (July 19, 2013 – November 24, 2017)
* '' Tavis Smiley'' (January 5, 2004 – December 13, 2017)
* '' Amanpour on PBS'' (December 11, 2017 – September 7, 2018)
* ''Beyond 100 Days'' (January 2 – September 6, 2018)
* ''BBC World News on PBS'' (January 12 – September 7, 2018)

Telemundo

* '' A Oscuras Pero Encendidos'' (1995–2001) – hosted by Paul Bouche
* ''Mas Vale Tarde'' (November 2007–April 2008) – hosted by Alex Cambert

Telefutura / UniMás

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

United Network

* ''The Las Vegas Show'' (May 1–June 5, 1967) – variety show starring Bill Dana

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.
* ''The Steve Allen Show'' (April 1968–November 1969) – a revival of Allen's original ''Tonight'' format; syndicated by Filmways
* ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' (1973–1981)
* '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' (1975–1978)
* ''All That Glitters'' (1977–1978)
* '' Fernwood 2 Night''/''America 2-Night'' (1977–1978)
* '' The Love Experts'' (September 1978–September 1979) – hosted by Bill Cullen
* ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' (1980–1998) – hosted by Floyd Vivino
* ''The George Michael Sports Machine'' (1984–March 2007) – Sunday night sports highlight and interview show; hosted by sportscaster George Michael
* '' Almost Live!'' (1984–1999) – weekly series; was briefly syndicated in the early 1990s
* ''Nightlife'' (September 1986–June 1987) – hosted by David Brenner; distributed by King World
* ''Ask Dr Ruth'' (January 1987) – sex advice talk show; hosted by sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer
* ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' (1989–1994, 2013–2014) – syndicated by Paramount Domestic Television (original run) and CBS Television Distribution (revival)
* ''The Byron Allen Show'' (1989–1992) – originally formatted as an hour-long weekly program, converted to a half-hour weeknight format in 1992
* ''The Howard Stern Show'' (July 1990–August 1992) – syndicated by All American Television
* ''My Talk Show'' (September 1990–March 1991) – syndicated by MCA Television
* ''The Party Machine with Nia Peeples'' (January–September 1991) – syndicated by Paramount Domestic Television
* ''The Ron Reagan Show'' (August 1991)
* ''The Dennis Miller Show'' (January–September 1992) – following its cancellation, new episodes aired until June 1992; syndicated by Tribune Entertainment
* '' The Whoopi Goldberg Show'' (1992–1993) – syndicated by Genesis Entertainment
* ''The Jon Stewart Show'' (1993–1995) – Season 1 originated on MTV; season 2 was syndicated by Paramount Domestic Television
* ''Last Call'' (1994–1995) – discussion show featuring five panelists (which included, among others, John Melendez and Brianne Leary), syndicated by MCA Television
* ''Lauren Hutton and...'' (September 1995–May 1996) – syndicated by Turner Original Productions
* ''Night Stand with Dick Dietrick'' (1995–1997) – syndicated by Worldvision Enterprises
* ''Kwik Witz'' (1996–1999)
* ''The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show'' (1997–1998) – syndicated by Buena Vista Television

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