He doesn’t read mean tweets on air, play carnival-style games, or sing karaoke in a car with his guests. And these qualities, combined with a knack for political humor and a genuine affinity for conversation, make Seth Meyers one of the best, most qualified hosts in all of late-night, according to an appreciative article by Michelle Jaworski on The Daily Dot. Believe it or not, Late Night With Seth Meyers is already 2 years old and garners the fourth-best ratings in after-hours television, behind only Fallon, Kimmel, and Colbert, all of whom air an hour earlier. As the article points out, however, Meyers’ show is one of the least talked-about of the major talk shows, largely because it has thus fair failed to create content capable of going viral on YouTube, a realm where Fallon famously dominates. Jaworski does point out, however, that Late Night has a very active Tumblr. “The numbers,” she writes, “just aren’t translating to YouTube success.”
Where Meyers is truly triumphing as a late-night comedian, says Jaworski, is in the field of political humor. This is a particularly wild election year, and thanks to his gig as head writer and Weekend Update anchor at Saturday Night Live, Meyers has plenty of experience along these lines. Better yet, thanks to his “A Closer Look” segment, he’s able to do in-depth, smartly opinionated pieces about controversial topics, including Planned Parenthood. The article says that one of Meyers’ best creative decisions was to break with talk show tradition and lose the stand-up monologue. The comedian still delivers topical jokes at the beginning of each show, but he does so from behind a desk with the aid of news show graphics. As an interviewer, Meyers is bright, engaged, and well-informed. As his recent sit-downs with presidential candidates have proven, he is not hesitant to ask tough questions to powerful people. While Late Night is not exactly the subject of a lot of water cooler discussion, Jaworski writes that the show’s future looks solid. NBC just extended Meyers’ contract for five years. He’s succeeding as quietly as possible in the noisy world of network television.