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Last night, after 33 years on air, David Letterman said goodbye to his last Late Show studio audience ever, effectively ending an era in late-night talk show history. His successor, Stephen Colbert, is without a doubt a hopeful replacement for the legendary 11:35 spot, yet it’s fairly obvious the two men share starkly different styles of irreverent comedy, which makes for some interesting predictions as to how the passing of the torch will play out. While Colbert created a phenomenon all his own back at Comedy Central, taking over the Late Show spot will be no easy task, especially if he doesn’t pave his own way.

Though Letterman made a point in his last outing to “wish Stephen and his staff and crew nothing but the greatest success,” we can’t help but think how different the Late Show needs to be going forward in order for a new era to get underway and keep the CBS tradition going next year. Here are five things Colbert can bring to the desk and some elements that should be left behind with Dave.

DO: Keep inviting unique guests in addition to celebrities

One of the many perks of watching The Colbert Report was getting to see him interact with fascinating guests other than celebrities who are their to plug their new film releases. Authors, activists, politicians, and educators joined the Colbert Nation for an evening and taught the audience something new and valuable instead of making small talk with the host. We’re sure Colbert will call up his celebrity inner circle to accompany him for the first chunk of shows, but fingers crossed he doesn’t lose sight of what put his original show a notch above the others.

DON'T: Employ a sidekick

Not to bash Andy Richter, but when teaming up with an announcer who also acts as your comedic sidekick, a late night host (ahem, Conan) runs the risk of unintentionally leaning on that onscreen support. It’s always entertaining to have that back-and-forth camaraderie, but your sidekick should add to your bit, not act as a baby blanket.

DO: Partner up with a kick-ass band

In addition to being an awesome sidekick, Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra were arguably the greatest band in late night, only to be rivaled recently by The Roots. If Colbert were to stick with tradition and bring a band along with him to the Ed Sullivan Theater (after all, he is a music buff), he surely shouldn’t settle for anything but stellar musical talent.

DON'T: The standing, disjointed, jokey monologue

The late-night monologue is an artistic finesse that can make or break an evening’s episode. Letterman, like Johnny Carson before him, was a natural: seamlessly blending his token deadpan delivery with cheeky wit that always seemed to feel natural. Younger hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, though talented in their own right, have struggled with their opening monologues. Now that Letterman has signed off, however, the standard greeting-of-the-crowd gag on the Late Show should be reworked in a way that is completely unique to Colbert.

DO: Keep it weird

If there’s one thing that brought generations together while watching Letterman, it was the host’s absurdist bits, videos, and recurring sketches — with Colbert to indulging in the bizarre himself. As future viewers, we’re begging he keeps things just a tad off-kilter when taking over the Late Show to keep things goofy.

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