The Competition
Let’s get right to it: Larry wouldn’t be able to take the heat. In the 1990s, he was popping pills worrying about Letterman and Leno. Aaaaand … that was it? Conan was relegated to late late night. Jon Stewart had a brief run on an MTV talk show that nobody watched. Magic Johnson tried for a few weeks. But that left plenty of late-night audience to divide between just a few big dogs. The days of streaming what you wanted, whenever you wanted, were years away.
Today, Larry would have to compete with Jimmy F., Jimmy K., Stephen, Seth, John O., John S., James (at least for now), Trevor (at least for now), and whatever Gutfeld is doing. And that’s just on the broadcast channels that no one is watching. Late-night ratings across the board are in the tank, no doubt causing stomach distress among all the current players. Samantha Bee is gone. NBC might move Seth off the network and over to streaming. Whoever replaces Corden and Noah will no doubt be doing so at a fraction of what the current guys are getting. Can’t you feel Larry’s chest getting tight just considering where he’d fit in?
“I would think Larry Sanders might be overpaying for a place in Telluride,” imagines Cesario. With a successful show in his past, riding off into the sunset probably makes sense. And if he decided to stick around? Cesario would suggest taking an entirely new approach.
“Whoever’s creating content, it would be great to see some format busts, some intimate podcast-type alternatives, and diverse hosts - Joel Kim Booster or Camille Corbett or such,” he says. In other words, Larry and The Larry Sanders Show are much better off in the past where they belong.
Top image: Columbia Pictures Television