--- title: David Letterman and the Late Show: Why the World Doubted It Would Work description: His new show was the subject of a TIME cover story in 1993 canonical: https://time.com/3889914/1993-letterman-cover-story/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-20T17:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:24.556Z article:section: History og:title: David Letterman and the Late Show: Why the World Doubted It Would Work og:description: In 1993, some ad men were skeptical he would hold up against Leno og:url: https://time.com/3889914/1993-letterman-cover-story/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a889dc98785b8a8/698850d92dce01f9759e3cc6/1101930830_400.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Aug. 30, 1993 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: David Letterman and the Late Show: Why the World Doubted It Would Work twitter:description: In 1993, some ad men were skeptical he would hold up against Leno twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a889dc98785b8a8/698850d92dce01f9759e3cc6/1101930830_400.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the TV World Once Doubted David Letterman  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 20, 2015 5:00 PM UTC  The Aug. 30, 1993, cover of TIME The Aug. 30, 1993, cover of TIMECover Credit: C. F. PAYNE  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 20, 2015 5:00 PM UTC The airing of the final episode of _The Late Show with David Letterman_ on Wednesday marks the end of a long and legendary late-night run. Night after night for more than two decades, Letterman has worked to make his _The Tonight Show_ rival into an institution of its own. Back in 1993, however, that was not exactly a foregone conclusion. As Letterman prepared to move to the 11:35 slot on CBS, launching his _Late Show_ opposite _The Tonight Show_, observers wondered whether his style would translate. TIME devoted a cover story to the question, and explained to readers where that doubt was coming from: --- > “” --- But, as TIME’s Richard Zoglin presciently pointed out, Letterman’s ironic style was becoming more and more mainstream, so the experiment just might work. Indeed. **_Read TIME’s 1993 cover story about Letterman, here in the TIME Vault:_** [New Dave Dawning](http://time.com/vault/issue/1993-08-30/page/53/) ### Late Night Before Letterman  The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen: (l-r center) Jayne Meadows, Steve Allen (2nd left) Skitch Henderson (4th row right) Patricia Marshall (5th row l-r) Pat Kirby, Eydie Gorme (top row l-r) Andy Williams and Steve Lawrence, in 1955 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen, on July 1, 1956: Andy Griffith, Steve Allen, and Elvis Presley (l-r) perform a parody of a Country-Western television show NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  'The Steve Allen Show' circa 1957. Archive Photos—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr: Season 1's (l-r) Tedi Thurman, host Jack Paar, Fran Warren, Johnny Johnson, Mary Mayo, Jose Melis NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr: John F. Kennedy (r) on the show in 1962 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr, 1962: (l-r) Jack Paar, Hugh Downs, Jose Melis. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: (l-r) Ed McMahon, host Johnny Carson during the first show on Oct. 1, 1962 . NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: Host Johnny Carson in his office in March of 1965. Bob Ganley/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Joey Bishop Show: (l-r) Regis Philbin, Joey Bishop and Jack Benney in 1968. ABC Photo Archives/ABC—Getty Images  The Merv Griffin Show: Merv Griffin (R) interviewing actor Marlon Brando in 1968. Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Merv Griffin warming up the audience before the show, 1969. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images  The Dick Cavett Show: The host on May 2, 1969. ABC Photo Archives/ABC—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Announcer Ed McMahon and host Johnny Carson, as Carnac the Magnificent, on Nov. 17, 1970. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Boxers Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali, with host Johnny Carson, in 1973 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Comedian Jay Leno during an interview with guest host David Letterman on July 4, 1979. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Announcer Ed McMahon, actor Robin Williams and host Johnny Carson on Oct. 14, 1981. Gene Arias/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) David Letterman is interviewed by Johnny Carson on Jan. 2, 1981. Gene Arias/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  Comedian and late night television host, David Letterman, warms up his NBC studio audience prior to the taping of his television show at Rockefeller Center in New York City in 1982. George Rose—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3889914/1993-letterman-cover-story/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3889914/1993-letterman-cover-story/"},"headline":"Why the TV World Once Doubted David Letterman","datePublished":"2015-05-20T17:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:24.556Z","description":"'It's kind of like putting a SoHo comedian into the Fontainebleau hotel'","url":"https://time.com/3889914/1993-letterman-cover-story/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a889dc98785b8a8/698850d92dce01f9759e3cc6/1101930830_400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a889dc98785b8a8/698850d92dce01f9759e3cc6/1101930830_400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Aug. 30, 1993","caption":"Aug. 30, 1993","creditText":"Cover Credit: C. 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