Hear Me Out...
I'm gonna go ahead and just say it, but you have to promise that you'll keep reading after I do. Okay?
Here it is: Last Call with Carson Daly is my new favorite show on television.
It sounds ridiculous, I know, but stay with me. Until I'm-not-even-sure-when, his show sucked. He tried to be some sort of mix between a late-night tv host and a cool interviewer, niether of which he did well. He wasn't funny, his interviews were awkward, and I would literally make sure to get out of bed and turn the tv off before Conan ended, just to be sure I wouldn't have to watch any of his show.
But recently someone decided to go back to the original format of the show, back to when they recorded in New York and he had obscure C-list celebrities and up-and-coming bands play legit songs at the end. If you watch the show now you can hear Carson Daly branding it as he goes along, saying over and over how "it's a relaxed show," refusing to see chick flicks that his guest come on to promote, and offering beers to musical guests before they play.
It's really a great format to introduce cool bands and music, and he usually takes time to talk to the bands he has on. In fact, this month he's taken two entire shows to devote to artists he says he really respects and expects to be huge, and has let them play a few songs in between interviews.
He takes the first few minutes of each show to discuss either cool trends in pop culture, videos going around the internet, or something else cool he's found around the campfire. His guests are then actors or actresses that only get the supporting roles, which allows him to have an actual conversation with them. The interviews seem more like a real conversation he'd have with them if they went out to eat than leading questions meant only to promote their most recent project.
Give it a chance. If you're up at 1:30, I know you have the time to watch at least one.
