The Writers Guild of America went on strike on May 2, and work on all television and film projects was stopped immediately by guild members. Production was able to continue on some projects that already had completed scripts, but since the nature of late-night talk shows requires timely jokes, they have all been off the air for exactly five months.
But, thanks to last week’s deal between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), all of the late-night shows will return to the air on Monday, Oct. 2 with brand new episodes. As The Streamable noted last week, because these types of shows are generally day-to-day operations, they are able to get back to airing new episodes almost immediately.
That being said, the shows will still have to contend with the fact that they will not be able to have actors on as guests in order to promote current or past projects because of the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike — except for rare occasions when SAG has given individual productions waivers.
Nonetheless, the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, et al. will return tonight with new episodes and a fresh slate of guests. Other talk shows like “Watch What Happens Live!”, “The Daily Show,” and “Real Time with Bill Maher” — and CBS’s reboot of “@midnight” which will eventually follow “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” — are also ramping back up production and will return to the airwaves soon if they haven’t already.
If you want to catch all of the late-night chat, jokes, and inevitable jabs at the AMPTP, there are four live TV streaming services that you could try out tonight. The Streamable would recommend DIRECTV STREAM since it is the only one that offers a multi-day free trial so that you can sample all three of the broadcast network’s late-night laughers.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $94.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
What Guests Will Be on New Late-Night Talk Show Episodes This Week?
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ | ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 2: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Kathy Griffin, Luenell, Glen Hansard
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Wanda Sykes, Cassidy Hutchinson, LANY
Thursday, Oct. 5: Dax Shepard, Nicole Avant, BoyWithUke
‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ | NBC at 11:35 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 2: Matthew McConaughey, John Mayer
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Taraji P. Henson, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Jelly Roll
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Chelsea Handler, Carly Pearce
Thursday, Oct. 5: Maluma
Friday, Oct. 6: Killer Mike featuring Robert Glasper, Eryn Allen Kane
‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ | CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 2: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Louis Cato
Tuesday, Oct. 3: John Oliver, boygenius
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Anderson Cooper, Japanese Breakfast
Thursday, Oct. 5: Bob Odenkirk
‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ | NBC at 12:37 a.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 2: A full hour of “A Closer Look”
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Tracy Morgan, Chris Hayes, Craig Reynolds
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Nick Offerman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Jungle, Craig Reynolds
Thursday, Oct. 5: David Byrne, Craig Reynolds
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live TV streaming service, which is essentially the streaming version of the DIRECTV service. All packages include local channels and at least 31 of the top 35 cable channels. New subscribers can get a free Gemini streaming device from the company, in which case the service is called “DIRECTV via Internet.”