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EXCLUSIVE: David Letterman Shakeup In ‘Late Show’ Head Writers As Stangel Brothers Snag Multi-Year Development Deal

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday January 18, 2013 @ 11:36am PSTTags: Big Deals TV, Late Night With David Letterman, Worldwide Pants

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve just learned that one of the longtime writers and producers of Late Show With David Letterman, Matt Roberts, is becoming the new head writer effective immediately. The previous head writers Justin and Eric Stangel will remain as writers and producers with the show but also get a fat new multiyear development deal with Worldwide Pants, the production company run by Letterman and Rob Burnett. ”The Stangel brothers are going to remain with the show as part of the deal because we need them,” Rob Burnett just told me. ”These guys are as good as it gets.” The twosome have had an unusally long and successful 14-year run as Letterman’s head writers and now will turn a lot of their attention to coming up with TV shows in any format for Worldwide Pants. “For people like this super valuable to the show, this deal keeps these guys from walking,” Burnett said. He especially wanted to ensure the pair were signed to a deal in order not to repeat what happened when Letterman writers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, who walked out the door of Worldwide Pants and created the long-running and profitable franchise How I Met Your Mother. I happen to think the Stangel Brothers are hilarious (remember their online antics with Bill Scheft during the writers strike?) and look forward to their scripted and unscripted pitches. “Whatever they want to do,” Burnett told me.

Meanwhile, Roberts will fly solo as head writer after working his way up from an intern to the talent department as a guest wrangler, then a segment producer, and also a writer. ”Great writer. He’s super funny and talented,” Burnett told me. The changing of the guard comes just as Jimmy Kimmel has entered the 11:35 late-night talk wars with Leno and Letterman. ”I don’t think it really does affect us,” Burnett told me. “Every day you do the best you can do and put on the funniest show you believe is good.” As far as ratings with the new troika during the week that Kimmel premiered in the earlier time slo, it presumably sparked more curiosity than usual. Leno was still ahead last week with 2.4/6, while Letterman and Kimmel tied with 2.2/5.

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UPDATE: Jimmy Kimmel Pulls In 3.09 Million In 11:35 PM Debut; Tops David Letterman

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday January 9, 2013 @ 11:25am PSTTags: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night With David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, TV Ratings

UPDATE: 11:25 AM: On its first night in its new time slot, Jimmy Kimmel Live had more viewers than The Late Show With David Letterman but fell short of topping The Tonight Show. ABC’s Kimmel pulled in 3.097 million viewers Tuesday night compared to 2.882 million for CBS’ Letterman and 3.274 million for Leno. The Tonight Show got 1.084 million in the Adults 18-49 demographic compared to Jimmy Kimmel Live’s 887,000. But Kimmel solidly bested The Late Show among demo, getting 30% more than Letterman’s 683,000.

PREVIOUSLY, 8:28 AM: Jimmy Kimmel had a very good night Tuesday. In his 11:35 PM debut for his ABC late-night talk show, the host beat now-rivals Jay Leno and David Letterman in  households and in the key adults 18-49 demo. In 25 markets with local people meters, Jimmy Kimmel Live earned a 1.0/5 rating in 18-49, besting The Tonight Show’s 0.8/4 and Late Show’s 0.6/3. Among Nielsen’s 56 metered markets (with Memphis and Salt Lake City excluded), Kimmel’s move from midnight to a half-hour earlier saw his show receive a 2.8/8 household result, compared with Letterman’s 2.7/7 and Leno’s 2.4/6.

Related: Kimmel Jokes About Hosting ‘The View’ In Move To New Slot Read More »

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‘Letterman’ EP Says Tonight’s Show “Bizarre And Beautiful”

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday October 29, 2012 @ 2:37pm PDTTags: CBS, Late Night With David Letterman, Rob Burnett

Late Show With David Letterman executive producer Rob Burnett tweeted that tonight’s show is “bizarre and beautiful”. The CBS late-night show sent its audience home but is taping anyway with guest Denzel … Read More »

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Dave Marks 30 Years With Staff Top 10

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday February 2, 2012 @ 10:20am PSTTags: David Letterman, Howard Stern, Late Night With David Letterman

David Letterman celebrated his 30th year on late-night TV with a Top 10 that’s a nice shout-out to his long-time staff:

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OSCARS: Eddie Murphy Says He Isn’t Doing “Any Of Those Crazy Dance Numbers”

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday October 26, 2011 @ 9:29am PDTTags: 84th Annual Academy Awards, Eddie Murphy, Late Night With David Letterman

Eddie Murphy was on Late Night With David Letterman last night to promote Tower Heist, giving Letterman a chance to ask about Murphy’s upcoming Oscar-hosting gig. “It aint all it’s cracked up to be,” said a semi-joking Letterman, a former Oscar host himself. Murphy then went on to talk about … Read More »

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Ashton Kutcher: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Is “Going To Go Through The Roof”

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday August 24, 2011 @ 9:41pm PDTTags: Ashton Kutcher, David Letterman, Late Night With David Letterman, That '70s Show, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

With new Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher as a guest, CBS’ late-night host David Letterman predicted that the veteran sitcom is “going to go through the roof” with him. Kutcher agreed. “I think it’s going … Read More »

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VIDEO: David Letterman Finds Lighter Side Of Jihadist Threat

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday August 23, 2011 @ 9:16am PDTTags: CBS, Late Night With David Letterman

In his first night in front of the cameras at Late Night With David Letterman since a threat on his life was posted to a jihadist website, Letterman hit the ground running and used the occasion as one big punch line in his monologue. Saying that the feds were investigating … Read More »

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