CBS ‘developing other ideas’ for late night: Paramount exec

CBS’s move to replace “The Late Show” with a time-buy deal to air more episodes of “Comics Unleashed” may be temporary, a key Paramount executive revealed at a press event. 

CBS will replace Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ with expanded ‘Comics Unleashed’ block

Paramount executive George Cheeks said that the network only has a one-season agreement with Byron Allen’s media company to program the 11:35 p.m. timeslot and that it is “developing other ideas.”

Cheeks also mentioned that the financial model for late-night likely needs to change. “The Late Show” employs a production staff of 200 people, he noted, which comes with significant costs. 

He did not, however, provide any further details about what the schedule might look like if the network is able to develop another concept with lower costs. 

When reached for comment, CBS Entertainment chief Amy Reisenbach said that the network is only in conversations and nothing is in “active development.”