In the recent horror series “Late Night With the Devil,” David Dastmalchian hosts “Night Owls with Jack Delroy,” where on Halloween night 1977, an occult-themed episode takes a dark turn during a live broadcast. Shot using a found footage method that uncovers the “lost” episode, the film (now in theaters, streaming on Shudder April 22) is a satirical throwback to the era’s religious fanaticism and supernatural phenomena, with a notable nod to “The Exorcist.” ” This is certainly one of the latest in a string of late-night moments hitting screens big and small.
Past and present late-night hosts have lent their sets (and sometimes themselves) to the projects, while fictitious nods and fake hosts appear elsewhere. From Gucci campaigns featuring James Corden interviewing Harry Styles, to several cameos and send-ups on “The Simpsons,” to David Letterman’s crossovers on “Seinfeld,” “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Roseanne,” late-night hosts play a very present role in popular culture.
Below is a number of looks at the days when late-night television cleverly made its way into fiction and television.
“Looking for Love” (1964)
Directed by Don Weis, this film stars Connie Francis as Libby Caruso, an aspiring singer who initially found success selling a women’s clothing line. Booked on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” to speak fashion, Libby mentions her singing and sees her life change when Carson invites her to perform a song.
“The King of Comedy” (1983)
As a follow-up to Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, the director once more teamed up with Robert De Niro for this dark satire. De Niro plays Rupert Pupkin, a fame-obsessed aspiring slapstick comedian who kidnaps late-night show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) and blackmails his way into his show. Believing he’s a star, Rupert’s ruse pays off when he becomes infamous and lives in a fantasy of his own creation.
“The Larry Sanders Show” (1992-1998)
After guest-hosting “The Tonight Show” in the Eighties, Garry Shandling was offered his own late-night gig, but turned it right down to star in HBO’s parody of the genre as a substitute. Famed for breaking the fourth wall, Sanders’ on-screen alter ego took viewers through the every day creation of a monologue, interviewing celebrities and coping with behind-the-scenes drama. The series, a precursor to “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” featured comedians and other public figures playing exaggerated versions of themselves, including David Letterman.
“Late Shift” (1996)
Based on Bill Carter’s book of the same name, this made-for-TV movie delivered to life the industry conflict of the post-Johnny Carson era. When Carson pronounces his retirement in 1991, Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) fight to take over “The Tonight Show.” Directed by Betty Thomas, the video offers an elevated version of the confusion that ultimately led to the creation of Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS.
“Seinfeld”
Season 9, episode 6 (1997)
In the episode aptly titled “The Merv Griffin Show,” Kramer finds a whole set for the long-running talk show in the trash and sets it up in his apartment in order that when friends come over, he literally acts as host. Kramer’s invasive tabloid-style interview with the guests sparks arguments between Jerry and the girl (with good reason) and the hawk and the squirrel, whose argument destroys the set for good.
“Space Ghosts Coast to Coast” (1994–2008)
The reimagining of the original Space Ghost character after its debut on Cartoon Network included the animated star hosting his own late-night talk show with real guests. Once a superhero, Space Ghost recruited his enemies, Zorak and Moltar, to work on his show and in his long-running series, on and off for 11 seasons, he raised stars reminiscent of Eartha Kitt and Alice Cooper. Jon Stewart appears in a 1997 episode titled “Mayonnaise”, during which Space Ghost tries to persuade the “Daily Show” host to make use of aromatherapy, with disastrous results.
“30 Rocks”
Season 1, episode 7 (2006)
Conan O’Brien played himself in several episodes of the hit NBC series “30 Rock,” including a botched interview in the first season episode titled “Tracy Does Conan,” during which Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) tries to stab O’Brien. The show continuously joked about the lingering tension between O’Brien and Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon, which culminated in a clumsy elevator collision between the former partners: “We dated for a year!” O’Brien speaks to a hushed Lemon. “We wanted to lose our virginity to each other!”
‘House of cards’
Season 3, episode 1 (2015)
Stephen Colbert was still hosting “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central when he appeared on the season three premiere of “House of Cards” on Netflix, interviewing Kevin Spacey’s CEO Frank Underwood about his America Works plan. In typical Colbert fashion, the host challenged Underwood on his big dreams of bipartisan support for his jobs agenda and joked that “AmWorks” is “a socialist redistribution of wealth where baby boomers latch on to millennials like a lamprey and just suck it.” until they’re dry as toast.
When The Muppets returned to weekly television in 2015, the central premise was “Up Late with Miss Piggy.” Filmed as a docu-series chronicling the every day lives of the Muppets working for the show, former Miss Piggy’s former Kermit served as its executive producer while the remainder of Jim Henson’s family worked in the writers’ room or elsewhere on set. The short-lived series brings in several stars to duet (or duel) with the short-lived series’ host, but Miss Piggy, as usual, didn’t wish to share the stage for too long.
“Quail” (2016-2017)
As the head talent spotter for the fifth highest-rated late-night talk show, “Nightcap With Jimmy,” Staci Cole (played by series creator Ali Wentworth) tries to argue together with her staff while calming down her celebrity guests. The series only had two seasons on the Pop network, but was played by a forged of celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Ripa, Andy Cohen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Denis Leary and Wentworth’s husband, George Stephanopoulos.
In this dark drama from Todd Phillips, Robert De Niro moves from the role of the late night host’s kidnapper to the role of the host himself. In this role, De Niro pays homage to his roles in “The King of Comedy” and “Taxi Driver”, during which Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur (aka Joker) is a guest on his show. This comes with a taut look that goes off the rails.
“Late Night” (2019)
Mindy Kaling wrote and starred on this 2019 comedy about fictional host Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), who, although likable, struggles to retain viewers of her show “Tonight With Katherine Newbury.” Kaling plays aspiring monologue author Molly Patel, who joins the crew just in time to assist Katherine take care of the network’s attempt to interchange her with a hack.
“BoJack Horseman” (2014–2020)
Season 6, episode 13
In the episode titled “The Horny Unicorn”, Samantha Bee appears briefly, voicing an animated version of herself as an anthropomorphic bee hosting the show in “T-Bee-S”. When she makes a joke at BoJack, he considers it a “rogue ride” and the situation only gets worse before he dismisses it completely.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2017–2023)
Reid Scott played late-night show host Gordon Ford, loosely based on Johnny Carson, in seasons 4 and 5 of the Emmy-winning Amazon series. Still seeking to make a reputation for herself on television, comedian Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) hopes for a breakout moment after Susie (Alex Borstein) lands her a plan on “The Gordon Ford Show.” But Midge feels tense with Ford, who won’t make her laugh until the audience does first. He ultimately considers her “the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in the series finale.
