http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/20/arts/television/stephen-colbert-says-goodbye-as-stephen-colbert-heads-to-cbs.html 2014-12-19 16:50:35 ‘Stephen Colbert’ Says Goodbye as Stephen Colbert Heads to CBS The final episode of “The Colbert Report” was a sad turning point, but it was also a happy reminder of how much of an anomaly that late-night comedy series really was. === A studio filled with an incongruous group of celebrity guests — Mayor Bill de Blasio, Big Bird, Ambassador Samantha Power, Yo-Yo Ma, Gen. Ray Odierno, Cyndi Lauper — singing “We’ll Meet Again” was a little weird, but so were the commercials that bracketed the occasion: ads for scotch, beer and dating services called The final episode of “ For nine years, So, of course, with characteristic brio and mock pomposity, Mr. Colbert stepped down on Thursday as he prepares to Actually, he won’t have to be his real self onstage any more than Mr. Letterman or Jimmy Kimmel or Seth Meyers have to. Talk shows are acting jobs, except that the hosts play themselves, rather than fictional characters. They maintain public personas that often have very little to do with the people they are privately. Mr. Letterman, like his hero, Johnny Carson, is a notorious grump and loner once the studio lights go dark. Offstage, Jay Leno loves cars more than people. Rosie O’Donnell, who Mr. Colbert, who so brilliantly played a caricature of a Fox News talk-show host, spent his last week showing that he wouldn’t have any trouble dialing it back to become a charming, witty comedian with his own network talk show. Mr. Colbert won’t change much, but his material probably will. Thursday night’s episode was a valedictory showcase, but there was still plenty of time for barbed political commentary. In his segment “The Word,” Mr. Colbert noted that now, as in 2005, the year his show started, people on television are defending torture, and troops are once again being sent to Iraq. The sardonic crawl accompanying his monologue read, “We’ll be greeted as returners.” Network talk-show hosts also make political jokes in their opening monologues, but their jabs at Obamacare or government gridlock are small asides on platforms that thrive on common- denominator comedy and celebrity rubbernecking. “The Colbert Report,” like “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” was notable for using celebrity appearances to keep the political agenda aloft. Quite often, the guests weren’t even famous, and Mr. Colbert interviewed scores of elected officials, journalists and scientists. As Thursday night’s ads suggested, Comedy Central’s core audience is small and relatively narrow, and it’s not at all surprising that Mr. Colbert was persuaded to leave it for CBS. It’s more surprising that Mr. Stewart made fun of the meltdown at Sony, whose controversial and Mr. Stewart chided the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, for being angry at Hollywood, saying he should love it instead. Hollywood is just like North Korea, he said. “Everyone’s always telling you how great you are,” he added, “there are billboards everywhere with your face on them, and no one eats.” When he gets to CBS, Mr. Colbert is unlikely to go on those kinds of prolonged riffs about touchy political issues. On Comedy Central, there remains one comedian who talks about little else. “The Colbert Report” is gone. And that makes “