The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Premiere's Three Best Moments

After months and months and MONTHS of waiting, with barely a Stephen Colbert to be seen on our TVs -- thank God for that guest shot on The Mindy Project! -- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert finally premiered last night, and was...pretty good! And by "pretty good," I really mean pretty good, which is the best one can hope for in a late-night talk show premiere in 2015; as this after-the-credits gag reminded us all...

...it's kind of a crowded field for anyone to try to join with anything that's in any way "new." Your potential audience has about seven million other choices, so a show's only differentiator, really, is its host. Colbert is not just likable but maybe the most likable person in late night, so he'll probably be fine. In fact, given that Colbert's likability is going to far outstrip that of at least half his guests, maybe his producers can work on coaching the audience not to chant the host's name when he's trying to interview the next Oscar-winning international superstar who's gracious enough to show up. It's okay, George Clooney. Your time will come.

Was Colbert's interview with Clooney a little long on craven gratitude and short on funny? Absolutely. Was that closing musical number both endless and overstuffed? Indubitably. But there were also hopeful signs that this show will be as delightfully weird as the final Colbert Report seemed to promise Let's count them down.

1. Goofy Dancing!
   Oh, the joy of it.
   

   This is the moment that made me say, out loud, "Oh, I missed him!" I think I didn't realize how much until he was back on stage, spinning like an idiot.

2. Needling Jeb Bush
   One of the big question marks surrounding Colbert's move from the Report to The Late Show was how he'd deal with politicians when he couldn't pretend either to be vehemently supportive or vehemently opposed, and we got at least one answer with Jeb Bush's appearance in the premiere.

   I love how he calls out the audience's antipathy toward him (as though the anemic applause that greeted his entrance wasn't obvious enough). And as for this remark?

   

   The clenched-tooth smile on Bush's face is so delicious, it must be fattening.

3. Shilling Sabra Hummus
   This clip didn't get online, so you'll have to watch it in the first episode (it's in the first act), but as Colbert's pointing out some of the set decoration, he pauses on a cursed amulet that makes him do its bidding...
   

   ...which in this case entails that Colbert let his audience know about the great taste of Sabra Hummus. As anti-ad ads go, one that claims to be demonically ordained is pretty out of the box? So I approve.

   .@colbertlateshow Well done Stephen! Your shameless plug of our hummus is pleasing unto his Reptilian Majesty. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/ngbljSztRG

   — Sabra (@Sabra) September 9, 2015

   And so does Sabra. Hee hee.