30 people who can replace Stephen Colbert on The Late Show

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 9: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert welcomed Late Late Show host James Corden during Friday's 10/9/15 taping in New York City. (Photo by John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 9: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert welcomed Late Late Show host James Corden during Friday's 10/9/15 taping in New York City. (Photo by John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 31
Next
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actress Lena Dunham speaks onstage during the 2016 Matrix Awards at The Waldorf Astoria on April 25, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actress Lena Dunham speaks onstage during the 2016 Matrix Awards at The Waldorf Astoria on April 25, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) /

28. Lena Dunham

Out of the thirty people on this list, it’s entirely possible that Lena Dunham is the farthest thing from a safe choice on this list. It would be one of the bolder moves that CBS has probably ever made.

But you can’t honestly tell me that Dunham isn’t smart as a whip. She’s a firecracker who seems to have an infantile obsession with taking her clothes off, but she’s no fool and her business smarts have kept her as relevant to our modern culture as possible.

For as long as Girls has been on HBO — a show that is created and written (though not solely) by Dunham — it’s commanded a lot of respect from critics and audiences alike with its consistent narrative and sharp humor. Dunham’s work was one of the first times in mainstream television that a group of flawed women could keep it real every Sunday night.

And it’s because of Dunham’s continued efforts to make splashes wherever she can that she’s being considered as a good replacement for Stephen Colbert. Viewers would tune in every night just to see what wacky thing she does next and which guest she argued with the most.

What Dunham has done over the course of her career is start new and important conversations, which is kind of the point of late night talk shows.

Next: 27. Legendary