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33 Years Later, CBS Cancels 'The Late Show' Forever. But Can You Still Stream Old Episodes?
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After David Letterman retired from hosting The Late Show on CBS in 2015, Stephen Colbert stepped in as host of the show. But now, CBS and Colbert have revealed that The Late Show is ending forever. Not only is Colbert stepping down, but CBS is "ending the franchise," according to NBC NewsDeadline, and other sources. 

Interestingly, Letterman first stepped into The Late Show on CBS in 1993, after hosting a different late-night talk show, Late Night with David Letterman on NBC from 1982 to 1993. So, if you squint, this isn't just the end of a 33-year run; it's kind of the end of a 44-year tradition. Colbert was never a true replacement for Letterman, but it's hard to believe that his run was just 10 years. It feels longer. 

"This is all just going away," Colbert said ominously in a statement. But, in more ways than one, he has a point. Unlike other live shows like SNL, there's not a massive and official repository for reruns of late-night shows, outside of clips on YouTube. So, where can you stream The Late Show, starting way back to Letterman's 1993 era all the way to the modern era with Stephen Colbert?

Where to Stream Old Episodes of The Late Show

If you're looking for contemporary episodes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a few episodes from the most recent season are available in full on Paramount+. The Roku Channel also has a smattering of episodes from 2025.

But, beyond that, full streaming episodes of The Late Show from the Colbert era don't really exist. You can try Amazon, but most seasons beyond the current one aren't available because of expired rights.

Ditto Letterman. As of this writing, there isn't a comprehensive streaming archive of Letterman episodes, either from the NBC era that started in 1982 or the CBS era that began in 1993. That said, there are a few fan channels on YouTube that have a ton of classic Letterman episodes going pretty far back. 

Meanwhile, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has a ton of YouTube clips going back nearly a decade.

Will those remain on the internet forever? Who knows. Without any physical media versions of these kinds of talk shows, it's hard to know if any of it will survive in the next couple of years. When Colbert said, "This is all just going away," he really meant it. We may think certain media institutions will be remembered forever, but as the streaming era has proven, that's not always the case. 

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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