Craig Ferguson's Tom Snyder Throwback

Fifty years ago, Johnny Carson began hosting The Tonight Show and established a late night talk show format that lives on to this day; with small variations from show to show, host to host. Of all of the current hosts, only one seems to make any effort at trying new things. While Letterman enjoys a deserved semi-retirement and Leno cruises by, relying on denim shirts and lowest common denominator jokes, Craig Ferguson has taken The Late Late Show to new heights.

Not everything he does works for me (puppets?) but a lot of it does, especially his free-form monologues and occasional musical numbers. Last Tuesday, Craig made one of my dreams come true by returning The Late Late Show to format it held back when Tom Snyder was the host. Snyder was on the air from 1995 to 1999. I was too young then to fully appreciate his intelligent show, but I could tell that I liked it. Snyder's intimate one-on-one interviews were shot without a studio audience and he even took phone calls from viewers. As a person raised on Letterman's brand, Snyder's unique style was intriguing. I've been hoping that after Letterman retires he'll do a show somewhat like this, but maybe Craig will go in that direction first.

Below is Craig's show in seven parts, thanks to some intrepid youtuber. Enjoy!