CBS’s big late-night loss is exacerbated by the news that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s titular host will play a surprising role in Elsbeth season 3. Even though The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was the most-watched late-night show of 2025’s first two quarters, CBS and Paramount unexpectedly canceled the series in late July.
This was a striking, strange decision that garnered a lot of commentary online, with Colbert himself responding defiantly to the choice. Since then, Colbert has been cast in season 3 of The Good Wife’s spinoff, Elsbeth. Elsbeth follows the titular quirky attorney as she uses her unique skills to solve confounding cases on a weekly basis.
Stephen Colbert Plays A Late-Night Host In Elsbeth Season 3
Colbert Will Likely Parody His Real-Life Role As The Late Show’s Host
The first images from Colbert’s Elsbeth role reveal that he’ll play a late-night host in the comedic procedural, which is an unfortunate reminder of the major talent that CBS squandered with this inexplicable decision. The images see Colbert smiling as he talks to Elsbeth, while others see him interviewing Marcia DeBonis’ Sheryl Jacobs and Amy Sedaries’ Laurel Hammond-Muntz.
Colbert is one of numerous comedy icons who will appear in Elsbeth season 3, as the series also teased guest roles for Andy Richter, David Cross, and Lindsay Mendez. The comedian’s appearance was always an exciting prospect, but the revelation that he will play a late-night host makes his appearance even more fun.
The late-night host playing a fictional late-night host in Elsbeth inevitably reminds viewers of his recent ousting.
However, there is no getting around the unfortunate optics of Colbert’s guest role. The late-night host playing a fictional late-night host in Elsbeth inevitably reminds viewers of his recent ousting, and the fact that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is TV’s most popular late-night talk show just proves how much he will be missed.
Colbert’s Brilliance Shines In His Late Show Interviews
Colbert’s Interviews Highlighted The Late-Night Host’s Skill
While Colbert’s monologues are strong and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has plenty of fun recurring segments, the late-night host really shines with his interviews. The late-night monologue is a dying art form thanks to the few surviving shows in the genre, but Colbert’s skillful interviewing is one talent he could potentially transfer to podcasting or other projects.
The fact that Colbert can connect with guests from the worlds of entertainment, politics, news, and comedy alike is impressive, and his interviews have consistently been fun, insightful, and humorous, but never at the expense of substance. CBS is losing all of that when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ends, and his Elsbeth season 3 guest role is an uncomfortable reminder of this.
