Overview
David Letterman uses mature humor to appeal to his audience in this weeknight series, which gets its music from a house band led by Paul Shaffer. Among the show's most-famous segments are the Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks, the latter of which subsequently led to an additional recurring segment called Stupid Human Tricks.
Since 1993, this late-night program built a reputation on an irreverent approach to the traditional talk show format. The humor leans into a mature, dry sensibility that separates it from standard broadcasts of the era. The presence of Paul Shaffer at the helm of the house band provides a steady rhythm to the chaotic segments that define the nightly routine.
The legacy of the show rests on recurring sketches that turn mundane concepts into comedic centerpieces. Viewers return for the predictability of the Top Ten List combined with the unpredictable physical comedy found in Stupid Pet Tricks and its human-focused counterpart. It remains a distinct example of how a nightly routine can rely on consistency and absurdity to maintain an audience.
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Details
- First Aired
- August 30, 1993
- Status
- Ended
- Episode Runtime
- 63 minutes
- Origin
- US
- TMDB Votes
- 165