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List of late-night American network TV programs

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Late night television in the United States is the block of television programming intended for broadcast after 11:00 p.m. and usually through 2:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time (ET/PT), but which informally can include programs aired as late as the designated overnight graveyard slot.

By definition, late night programming begins on the Big Three television networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) at or shortly before 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, after the conclusion of local late-evening newscasts on their owned-and-operated and affiliated stations; late night programming on other broadcast networks, including Fox and PBS, and cable television channels start at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Some streaming services (such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video) have ventured into the late-night talk format at various times in recent years, though these programs are in-format-only, given that episodes are often released before the start of the designated time period.

The following is a list of programs that are currently airing or have previously aired during the late night daypart on American television networks and streaming services.

Current

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Broadcast
Network Program title Format Duration
[note 1]		 Days Time (ET) Current
host(s)/anchor(s)		 Debut Length of run
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! Talk show 60 minutes Monday–Friday
[note 2]		 11:35 p.m. Jimmy Kimmel January 26, 2003 21 years, 189 days
Nightline Newsmagazine 30 minutes Monday–Friday 12:37 a.m. Byron Pitts,
Juju Chang
[note 3]		 March 24, 1980 44 years, 131 days
World News Now Overnight newscast 90 minutes 2:30 a.m.
[note 4]		 Andrew Dymburt,
Rhiannon Ally		 January 6, 1992 32 years, 209 days
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Talk show 60 minutes Monday–Friday
[note 5]		 11:35 p.m. Stephen Colbert September 8, 2015 8 years, 329 days
(Franchise:30 years, 338 days)
After Midnight Comedy panel game show Monday–Friday 12:37 a.m. Taylor Tomlinson January 17, 2024 198 days
CBS News Roundup Overnight newscast Monday–Friday 2:00 a.m.
[note 4]		 Matt Pieper (Monday),
Shanelle Kaul (Tuesday–Friday)		 May 29, 2024 65 days
NBC Saturday Night Live Sketch comedy 93 minutes Saturday 11:30 p.m. (coast-to-coast) Varies by week October 11, 1975 48 years, 296 days
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Talk show 60 minutes Monday–Friday 11:35 p.m. Jimmy Fallon February 17, 2014 10 years, 167 days
(Franchise:69 years, 310 days)
Late Night with Seth Meyers Monday–Friday
[note 6]		 12:37 a.m. Seth Meyers February 24, 2014 10 years, 160 days
(Franchise:42 years, 183 days)
Early Today Overnight newscast
[note 7] 		90 minutes 2:30 a.m.
[note 4] 		Frances Rivera September 9, 1999 24 years, 328 days
PBS Amanpour & Company World affairs; topical discussion 60 minutes[note 8] Monday–Friday 11:00 p.m. Christiane Amanpour September 10, 2018 5 years, 327 days
Retro TV Off-Beat Cinema Midnight movie showcase 120 minutes Saturday 2:00 a.m. Constance Caldwell,
Tony Billoni,
Jeffrey Roberts		 October 31, 1993 30 years, 276 days
Cable/satellite
Network Program title Format Duration Days Time (ET) Current host(s) Debut Length of run
Bravo Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Talk show 22 minutes
[note 8]		 Sunday–Thursday 11:00 p.m. Andy Cohen July 16, 2009 15 years, 17 days
Comedy Central The Daily Show News/political satire;
talk show 		30 minutes Monday–Thursday 11:00 p.m. Jon Stewart (Mondays), guest hosts (Tuesdays-Thursdays) July 22, 1996 28 years, 11 days
Fox News Gutfeld! 60 minutes
[note 8]		 Monday–Friday 10:00 p.m. Greg Gutfeld May 31, 2015 9 years, 63 days
Fox News Saturday Night Saturday 11:00 p.m. Jimmy Failla June 3, 2023 1 year, 60 days
Fox News @ Night Current affairs;
Political commentary 		Monday–Friday 12:00 a.m. Trace Gallagher October 30, 2017 6 years, 277 days
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher News/political satire;
talk show 		Friday 10:00 p.m. Bill Maher February 21, 2003 21 years, 163 days
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver News/political satire;
talk show 		~ 33 minutes
[note 8]		 Sunday 11:00 p.m. John Oliver April 27, 2014 10 years, 97 days
Streaming
Service Program title Format Duration Release day Time (ET) Current host(s) Debut Length of run
Netflix My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Talk show 44–58 minutes Friday Streaming David Letterman January 12, 2018 6 years, 203 days

Past

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Broadcast networks

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ABC

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  • The Les Crane Show (November 9, 1964–February 25, 1965) – interview/tabloid talk format with audience questions
    • ABC's Nightlife (March 1–November 12, 1965) – talk/variety series serving as a reformatting of The Les Crane Show; originally featured rotating hosts, before Crane returned as host in June 1965
  • The Joey Bishop Show (April 17, 1967–December 26, 1969)
  • The Dick Cavett Show (December 29, 1969–January 1, 1975)
  • Wide World of Entertainment (January 8, 1973–October 22, 1982, retitled ABC Late Night in January 1976) – originally a block of comedy/variety programs, talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett (The Dick Cavett Show) and Jack Paar (Jack Paar Tonite), concerts, documentaries and specials; reformatted as ABC Late Night in 1976, featuring reruns of ABC prime time shows (such as Soap, The Love Boat and Starsky & Hutch)
    • In Concert (November 24, 1972–April 25, 1975) – aired Friday nights
    • Good Night America (1973–1975) – hosted by Geraldo Rivera; aired as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment
    • Fridays (April 11, 1980–April 23, 1982) – sketch comedy series
  • The Last Word (October 1982–April 1983) – hosted by Phil Donahue and Greg Jackson
  • One on One (April–August 1983) – hosted by Greg Jackson
  • Eye on Hollywood (August 1983–July 1986) – entertainment news/interview program
  • ABC Rocks (June 22, 1984–August 2, 1985) – music video program; aired Friday nights
  • Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (July–September 1986) – with Robin Leach, aired simultaneously on ABC and in syndication
  • The Dick Cavett Show (September 22–December 30, 1986) – aired Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Jimmy Breslin's People (September 1986–January 1987) – aired Thursdays and Fridays
  • Monday Sportsnite (June–August 1987) – sports discussion program; hosted by Al Trautwig; aired Monday nights
  • Into the Night Starring Rick Dees (July 1990–July 1991)
  • ABC In Concert (June 7, 1991–September 11, 1998) – aired Friday nights
  • Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (January 7, 1997–July 15, 2002) – topical panel talk show; moved from Comedy Central
  • Nightline Up Close (July 8, 2002–January 24, 2003) – ABC News spin-off of Nightline, featuring one-on-one interviews conducted by Ted Koppel; temporary replacement for Politically Incorrect following cancellation due to Maher's comments about the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks
  • The Alec Baldwin Show (March 4–December 29, 2018)

CBS

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  • The Faye Emerson Show (October 24, 1949–June 22, 1951) – 15-minute chat show, began as an East Coast program before expanding to the full network, airing three nights a week, by March 1950; Emerson also concurrently hosted a show on NBC for several months in 1950.[1]
  • The Merv Griffin Show (August 18, 1969–February 11, 1972)
  • The CBS Late Movie (February 14, 1972–September 20, 1985) – originally formatted as a weeknight movie showcase; began incorporating reruns of CBS series as well as some first-run British imported series during the block's timeslot in 1977
  • CBS News Nightwatch (October 3, 1982–March 27, 1992) – overnight topical discussion program; hosted by Harold Dow, Christopher Glenn, Karen Stone, Felicia Jeter, Mary Jo West (1982–84), Charlie Rose and Lark McCarthy (1984–90); various hosts were used from 1990 to 1992[2]
  • CBS Late Night (September 23, 1985–January 6, 1989, October 30, 1989–March 29, 1991) – reformatting of The CBS Late Movie block featuring reruns of CBS series, imported and first-run programs; block was replaced by The Pat Sajak Show in January 1989, and returned following the reduction of Sajak to an hour-long format (from 90 minutes)
  • The Pat Sajak Show (January 9, 1989–April 13, 1990) with Dan Miller as announcer/sidekick and Tom Scott as bandleader. Originally 90 minutes, reduced to 60 minutes in its second season when guest hosts were used on Friday nights including Paul Rodriguez and Rush Limbaugh
  • America Tonight (October 3, 1990–March 28, 1991) – news and interview program produced by CBS News; hosted by Dan Rather, Charles Kuralt and Lesley Stahl
    • America Tonight Friday (October 7, 1990–March 29, 1991) – Friday edition hosted by Robert Krulwich and Edie Magnus
  • Crimetime After Primetime (April 1, 1991–January 5, 1995) – weeknight showcase of first-run and Canadian-imported crime dramas
  • Personals (September 1991–December 1992) – dating game show in which a contestant would choose from three potential dates; the final round featured a series of yes or no questions for the winning couple, with a date destination that declined in quality each time their answers were incompatible (ranging from as high as an exotic location to as low as a trip to Pink's Hot Dogs' Los Angeles stand); hosted by Michael Burger
  • Night Games (October 1991–June 1992) – dating show in which three men and three women are asked questions containing sexual innuendo, with the winning contestant choosing whom he or she would take on a date; hosted by Jeff Marder, with Luann Lee as his announcer/assistant
  • Up to the Minute (March 30, 1992–September 18, 2015) – overnight newscast; replaced CBS News Nightwatch
  • The Kids in the Hall (September 18, 1992–January 6, 1995) – sketch comedy series, aired Fridays; moved from HBO
  • The Late Show (August 30, 1993–present)
  • The Late Late Show (January 9, 1995–April 27, 2023)
  • The Talk After Dark (January 12–16, 2015) – nighttime edition of CBS daytime program; temporary replacement for the Late Late Show during transition from Craig Ferguson to James Corden.
  • CBS Summer Showcase (May 21–September 7, 2015) – showcase of CBS drama reruns; temporary replacement for the Late Show during transition from David Letterman to Stephen Colbert as host.
  • CBS Overnight News (September 21, 2015–May 28, 2024) – overnight newscast; replaced Up to a Minute
  • Comics Unleashed (September 18, 2023–January 16, 2024) – limited run of repeats and unaired episodes of the syndicated comedic panel talk show hosted by Byron Allen; served as a temporary replacement for the Late Late Show with James Corden until the premiere of After Midnight, which had halted pre-production due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

NBC

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  • The Faye Emerson Show (April 15–May 20, 1950) – 15-minute talk show
  • Broadway Open House (May 29, 1950–August 24, 1951)
  • Fifteen with Faye (June–August 1950) – 15-minute talk show
  • Party Time at Club Roma (October 1950–January 1951) – variety show hosted by Ben Alexander, described as "part Truth or Consequences-type stunt show and part talent contest".[4]
  • Mary Kay's Nightcap (June 1951–July 1952) – 15-minute sign-off show in which Mary Kay Stearns would preview NBC's schedule for the following day, with occasional interviews.[5][6]
  • The Tonight Show (September 27, 1954–present)
  • The Tomorrow Show (October 15, 1973–December 17, 1981, retitled Tomorrow Coast to Coast in September 1980) – hosted by Tom Snyder and co-hosted by Rona Barrett from October 1980 until mid-1981; aired Monday–Thursday nights following The Tonight Show, with reruns continuing following its cancellation until January 28, 1982
  • The Midnight Special (February 2, 1973–May 1, 1981) – music series; aired Friday nights
  • Weekend (October 20, 1974–December 1978) – NBC News newsmagazine hosted by Lloyd Dobyns, and co-hosted in its final year by Linda Ellerbee; aired about one week per month in lieu of Saturday Night Live reruns, before being moved to prime time until it ended in April 1979
  • SCTV Network 90 (May 1981–March 1983) – Canadian sketch comedy series; aired Friday nights
  • Late Night (February 1, 1982–present)
  • NBC News Overnight (July 5, 1982–December 3, 1983) – overnight news/discussion program; hosted by Lloyd Dobyns (later replaced by Bill Schechner) and Linda Ellerbee
  • Friday Night Videos (July 29, 1983–May 24, 2002, retitled Friday Night in 1994) – weekly series; originally formatted as a music video showcase, converted to a variety format in 1994
    • Late Friday (January 5, 2001–May 24, 2002) – reformat of Friday Night focused on stand-up comedy routines
  • Saturday Night's Main Event (May 11, 1985–April 27, 1991) – World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) wrestling showcase; aired occasionally as filler in place of Saturday Night Live reruns
  • Later (August 22, 1988–January 18, 2001) – switched between one-on-one interview (1988–1994, 2000–2001) and conventional late-night talk/monologue formats (1994–2000) during its run; reruns of SCTV Network 90 aired under the Later banner for the latter's final year after its talk format was discontinued in January 2001
    • Later with Bob Costas (August 22, 1988–February 25, 1994)
    • Later with Greg Kinnear (February 28, 1994–October 10, 1996)
    • Later (various hosts) (October 28, 1996–January 27, 2000)
    • Later with Cynthia Garrett (January 31, 2000–January 18, 2001)
  • NBC Nightside (November 4, 1991–September 20, 1998) – overnight newscast
  • Poker After Dark (January 1, 2007–September 23, 2011) – poker tournament program
  • The Jay Leno Show (September 14, 2009–February 9, 2010)
  • Last Call with Carson Daly (January 8, 2002–May 24, 2019) – originally maintained conventional late-night talk/comedy format; switched to on-location, documentary-style interview format in 2009
  • A Little Late with Lilly Singh (September 16, 2019–June 3, 2021) – replaced Last Call with Carson Daly in the 1:37 a.m. ET timeslot; format was a mixture of interviews, comedy sketches, and commentary "rants"

Fox

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  • The Late Show (October 9, 1986–October 28, 1988)
    • The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers (October 9, 1986–May 15, 1987)
    • The Late Show (various hosts) (May 18–December 8, 1987; January 11–October 28, 1988)
  • The Wilton North Report (December 11, 1987–January 8, 1988)
  • Comic Strip Live (August 12, 1989–January 15, 1994) – weekly stand-up comedy series; depending on the market, it aired on either Saturday or Sunday evening
  • The Chevy Chase Show (September 7–October 1, 1993) – infamously panned talk show cancelled after a five-week run, which became Fox's last regular weekday late night programming effort to date
  • Saturday Night's Main Event (February 8–November 14, 1992) – weekly WWF wrestling showcase; moved from NBC
  • Mad TV (October 14, 1995–May 16, 2009) – sketch comedy series; aired Saturday nights
  • Saturday Night Special (April 1–May 18, 1996) – sketch comedy/variety series, aired Saturday nights; produced by Roseanne Barr
  • Talkshow with Spike Feresten (September 16, 2006–May 16, 2009) – aired Saturday nights
  • The Wanda Sykes Show (November 7, 2009–April 24, 2010) – aired Saturday nights
  • Animation Domination High-Def (July 21, 2013–March 5, 2016) – weekly block of adult animated series; aired Saturday nights
  • Party Over Here (March 12–May 21, 2016) – sketch comedy series; aired Saturday nights, as the network's last first-run late night effort to date

DuMont Television Network

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  • Monodrama Theater (May 1952–December 7, 1953) – variety series, aired Monday–Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET, featuring an actress or actor performing plays solo in front of a curtain in a form of monodrama
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show (April 12, 1954–April 7, 1955) – the DuMont version of the program aired Monday–Friday 11:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ET, ending as the network began winding down operations; Kovacs moved to NBC and hosted the Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays for one season

PBS

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Telemundo

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Telefutura / UniMás

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  • Noche de Perros (October 31, 2011–April 20, 2012)

United Network

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Syndication

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This list does not include the numerous game shows aired during the mid-1980s that often received late-night clearances (such as the 1985 run of The Nighttime Price Is Right) but were not expressly intended for late night audiences, nor does it include talk shows meant for daytime broadcast that air in late night slots in many markets due to either low ratings in their original timeslot, a lack of an available prime daytime slot or as a secondary run.

Metromedia

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Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W)

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Programs syndicated by Group W Productions aired on Westinghouse-owned stations and were syndicated to other markets; merged with CBS in 1996 to become Eyemark Entertainment, and folded into King World in 2000 by CBS.

Local television

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  • Almost Live! (KING-TV/Seattle, September 23, 1984–May 22, 1999) – weekly sketch comedy/variety series; aired as a local program for most of its run
  • A Oscuras Pero Encendidos (WJAN-CA/Miami, 1995–1997) – hosted by Paul Bouche; moved to Galavisión in 1997 and finally to Telemundo in 2000
  • Man of the People with Pat Tomasulo (WGN-TV/Chicago, January 2018–July 2019) – weekly series
  • Talk Tonight (KTSF/San Francisco, February 13, 2006–December 27, 2019) – weekly series

Cable/satellite

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AMC

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Adult Swim

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BET

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Bravo

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CMT

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Comedy Central

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E!

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Freeform

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Fox News

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  • Red Eye (February 6, 2007–April 7, 2017)

Foxnet

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Fuse

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  • White Guy Talk Show (March–May 2015) – pop culture comedy talk show hosted by Saurin Choksi and Grace Parra

Fusion TV

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FX

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FXX

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Galavisión

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G4TechTV

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  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May–November 2004; carried over from TechTV)

HBO

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History

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MSNBC

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MTV

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National Geographic

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  • StarTalk (April 20, 2015–May 16, 2019)

Showtime

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Sundance TV

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TBS

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TechTV

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  • Unscrewed with Martin Sargent (May 2003–May 2004)

TLC

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The Nashville Network

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TV Land

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  • ALF's Hit Talk Show (July 7–December 17, 2004)
  • Throwing Shade (January 17–March 28, 2017) – weekly television version of the comedy discussion podcast, hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi

TV One

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TruTV

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  • The Chris Gethard Show (August 3, 2017–May 29, 2018) – phone-in comedy/variety talk show; moved from Fusion

USA Network

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  • USA Up All Night (January 1989–March 1998) – B movie showcase; hosted by Gilbert Gottfried and, for much of its run, Rhonda Shear; title remained in use after the program's cancellation as an umbrella title for USA's late-night movie presentations until 2002.

VH1

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Viceland

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Streaming services

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Amazon Video

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Apple TV+

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HBO Max/Max

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Hulu

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Netflix

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Peacock

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Total duration includes allocated commercial time, unless otherwise noted.
  2. ^ First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes are typically reserved for reruns, although recorded first-run episodes occasionally air on certain Fridays.
  3. ^ Since November 2005, Nightline has maintained a rotating anchor format; presenters listed each solo anchor on assigned nights.
  4. ^ a b c Transmitted in a continuous tape delayed loop until 8:00 a.m. ET/PT for stations in westward time zones to air at accordant airtimes. Local airtimes may vary (usually to be joined in progress) depending on scheduling of late-night syndicated programs, network early-morning newscasts and, except where inapplicable, local morning newscasts as well as delays caused by overruns from network event programming.
  5. ^ During weeks when the program is in production, Monday–Thursday episodes (except on certain major federal holidays) are taped and broadcast on a same-day basis; Friday episodes are recorded following production of the Thursday episode.
  6. ^ First-run episodes air Monday–Thursdays (except on certain major federal holidays) during weeks when the program is in production; Friday episodes are typically reserved for reruns year-round.
  7. ^ On September 11, 2017, NBC began feeding Early Today to its owned and affiliated stations at 3:00 a.m. ET (since moved to 2:30 a.m. ET). The early morning newscast's shift to an earlier live feed—which replaced the second hour of the overnight block formerly branded as "NBC All Night" (then offering a same-day repeat of CNBC's Mad Money) and intended to accommodate expansions of local morning newscasts into the 4:00/4:30 a.m. slot in some markets—resulted in Early Today doubling as a de facto overnight newscast, of which NBC had not offered since the 1998 cancellation of NBC Nightside.
  8. ^ a b c d Running time does not include commercials (note that certain listed cable networks maintain commercial-free programming formats and listed streaming services maintain ad-free tiers, and therefore the program length mentioned alongside this explanatory note is the total running time).

References

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  1. ^ Mauk, Maureen (January 2020). "Politics is Everybody's Business: Resurrecting Faye Emerson, America's Forgotten First Lady of Television by MAUREEN MAUK". Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. doi:10.1353/cj.2020.0044. S2CID 226750221.
  2. ^ "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 14 June 1990.
  3. ^ https://ew.com/article/1990/08/10/midnight-hour/
  4. ^ Shreve, Ivan (May 26, 2017). "Happy Birthday, Ben Alexander!". Radio Spirits. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (8 January 2019). "Mary Kay Stearns, 93, a Star of One of TV's Earliest Shows, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Mary Kay Stearns". 22 October 2017.
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