David Letterman Traded Cynicism For Sincerity, And Now He’s Doing His Best Work Yet

People (Gen-Xers, mostly) scoffed at Jimmy Fallon’s immediate enthusiasm and never-ending giggles when he took over Late Night in 2009. Nearly a decade later, they still aren’t quite on board with his brand of comedy, the kind where nobody gets hurt or made fun of or even criticized, even when they currently have the most disgusting patch of hair on their head.

It would be an understandably hard adjustment to make, to learn to enjoy Fallon after decades of David Letterman. The talk show host was known for being skeptical and curmudgeonly and downright bored, even, and perhaps especially, when he was sitting right next to some of the most famous people on the planet. He created, fine-tuned, and thrived on his brand of disinterest, when really his only job at hand was to make the person sitting across from him seem remotely interesting — and that includes Paris Hilton. Needless to say, this guy was never insisting on a lip sync battle.

But retirement seems to have given Letterman some perspective, and more importantly, the opportunity to be picky. He’s put that to excellent use with his new Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman, and in doing so, is putting out the best work of his career. Oh, and we’re only two episodes in.

Dave dropped the disinterest and picked up a genuine curiosity, compassion, and an ease that he’s applied to the new format, which is part interview, part documentary, but fully from the heart. We know he can do the sitting in front of a crowd and asking a celebrity questions part. But what we didn’t realize was that he could tell incredibly humanizing stories about incredibly rich celebrities. He’s engaged, he’s thoughtful, and he’s only making his guests even more fascinating than they already are. Letterman has even figured out a way to make the most well-known, A+ List icons more appealing, more relatable, and more special all at once. It turns out, wrestling in sumo suits is not the only way to see a new side of a movie star, but delving deep into his past, his family, and his roots also accomplishes that task.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction is entirely better than it ever had to be. Letterman could’ve walked out onto a stage, and yes, even with that ridiculous beard, one of the last pieces of evidence that he doesn’t always give a fuck, and simply had a sit down with his guest. A delightful chat, a back and forth, a “tell me about your upbringing” and a “give us a fun fact about your personal life” and of course a “silly anecdote, preferably involving another famous person” and you would have a full hour of fun. That Letterman chose to go one step beyond, to give a new perspective and full, rounded view of a person whose face we’ve seen millions of times, is significant. Discussing the Selma march with President Barack Obama and Rep. John Lewis, and visiting George Clooney’s family home to meet with the young Yazidi refugee they’ve taken in, these aren’t just fluffy packages to include in the monthly show. They’re political, they’re sentimental, and they make for incredibly important viewing.

It’s not only due to the beard, but there is something about it that does make Letterman seem extra jolly these days. In 2018, a year when it’s never ever been as easy to be cynical and negative, he’s crept back into our lives to create an experience that is perhaps one of the most optimistic and hopeful ones available for streaming. In swapping Top Ten lists and cheap jokes and winks with moving moments and informational tidbits and a whole new kind of celebrity interview, Letterman has found an even more exciting and monumental way of using his talent, and for good. The Netflix series is impressive and enjoyable and, if possible, hopefully even more influential than his last crack at hosting.

Where to watch My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman