It took over four years but Larry Wilmore is finally getting a second chance to host a TV show. Wilmore launches next week on Peacock, as part of a new late night block with The Amber Ruffin Show. Based on the first trailer, in which Wilmore has a conversation with himself about what the show’s name should be, it won’t be a typical late night show or Daily Show-style political commentary. In the trailer Wilmore focuses on the “conversation” aspect, which makes me think we could be in store for a Dick Cavett-style deep, one-on-one interview with each episode’s guest. The best parts of Wilmore’s last attempt at a late night show were his interactions with his guests—they were honest, illuminating, usually focused on issues, and very different from the type of celebrity chit chat and promotion seen on most talk shows—so that would be a great tack for his new show to take.
Wilmore previously hosted The Nightly Show on Comedy Central for 19 months in 2015 and 2016. Looking back on it today it’s crazy that this show was axed mere months before the Trump presidency began. At the time of its cancellation I wrote about how Comedy Central was silencing the most crucial voice in late night right as it was about to become even more important than ever, which holds even more true today than I would’ve feared when I wrote those words four years ago. (I also wrote it’d probably be a while before Wilmore was given the opportunity to host another show, and yep, it took over four years.) Hopefully Wilmore’s return just before the election will harbinger yet another change in the White House.
Check out that trailer below, and keep an eye out for Wilmore on Peacock starting on Friday, Sept. 25.