Stephen Colbert appears to be settling into third place quite comfortably. Unfortunately, that’s a position none of the three 11:30 p.m. talk shows want to get used to.
The still relatively new CBS “Late Show” host hasn’t bested ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this month.
The week of Nov. 2-6, Colbert had a 0.57 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. The following week, he slipped slightly to a 0.56. After a week of reruns, he returned to that same rating the week of Nov. 16-20.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” had a 0.60 the week of Nov. 2-6. The ABC 11:30 p.m. offering slipped to a 0.56 the next week, tying Colbert. In the next comparable week of originals, Nov. 16-20, Kimmel had a 0.58 rating.
The last time Colbert trumped Jimmy Kimmel in the main demo was the week of Oct. 26-30. That said, the better-watched CBS bested ABC’s “JKL” in total viewers for the most recently available week.
Late-night ratings for the final week of November are not in yet, but it was truncated for the Thanksgiving holiday anyway. Plus, it is essentially a foregone conclusion that Kimmel will best Colbert again, as he aired one fewer original to average and ABC’s “Star Wars” special will make a big dent in Monday night. So, it is safe to consider this a full month of triumph for Kimmel.
Of course, neither Colbert nor Kimmel is threatening NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” The late-night king has averaged a big and safe 0.95 over those aforementioned three weeks.
Colbert’s “Late Show” debuted on Sept. 8.