Carson was great because it was a time where there wasn’t a lot of exposure to up-n-coming actors/comedians. He also had comedic bits that were classic. He became one of the most important gate keepers for comics at the time.
But THAT show isn’t needed anymore. The internet has granted exposure to anyone who wants it. And when Carson retired, no one took up the mantle of doing skits (I guess Fallon has kinda picked that up, but he is just genuinely not funny that it is hard to count him).
Letterman did good interviews. Ferguson had the “Fuck you all, this in my show! Fire me if you don’t like it” attitude that fit so well in that end of the late-night-show era.
Conan and Kimmel were OK, but at the end of the day, really just also-rans. Fallon, Cordon and Myers are absolute trash.
I legit am not sure why these shows still exist. They don’t get much viewership anymore. What is the point?