CBS announced today that British funnyman, James Corden, will be stepping up to take Craig Ferguson‘s place when he leaves The Late Late Show in December. Americans may not know a whole lot about Corden, though. We thought we’d break it down in pros and cons.
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Pro: He’s really freaking funny
Corden may be a somewhat-new face for Americans, but he’s been all over British TV and he’s super funny. They’ve even had the 35-year-old comedian host the Brit Awards on four separate occasions. Brits don’t even seem that taken with the Queen.
Con: He’s even less famous in America than CraigyFerg was when he came around
OK. That’s not entirely true. Certain subcultures within America already know and love Corden. For instance, Whovians recognize the bloke as Stormageddon’s dad on Doctor Who. And any Anglophile who has ever binge-watched British telly will remember him from The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
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Pro: He can write, so expect a more hands-on approach
Much like our boys Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, Corden is a skilled comedic writer. When you’ve got some downtime between the summer and fall TV seasons, check out The Wrong Mans on Hulu. Corden created the series and stars as the goofy sidekick. If you can find it, he also created and starred in the brilliant Gavin and Stacey.
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Con: Once again, it’s another white dude on late night
Perhaps it’s hard for networks to think of female or African-American late-night hosts because they’re thinking about them in terms of “replacements,” instead of starting something new. Either way, the lack of color and gender diversity on late night is shameful. After all the fuss we’ve made about Meyers and Fallon, you’d think CBS would’ve stepped up and been the ones to go out on a limb. Guess not.
Pro: He can (sort of) sing… so we can expect that extra level of silliness
During his time on Big Fat Quiz, Corden let loose with some Ting Tings and Carly Rae Jepsen. Our favorite vocal performance was with Ed Sheeran, though. Not only can you catch a snip of the dude singing at the end, but you can also see how well he meshed with big names.
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Pro: That accent
What? Do you need more than that?
Listen… we’re all sorts of annoyed about the lack of late-night diversity. That said, we’re all 50 shades of sad to see our dearest CraigyFerg leave us behind. That said, though, if anyone can keep us tuned in and laughing, we truly believe it’s Corden. We reckon some of you might disagree, though. Give it to us straight!
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