Elmo is late night television’s newest star

The Not Too Late Show with Elmo is a hit with critics and with fans.

The ever-expanding world of late night television has a new fan-favorite on the scene. Elmo has taken his act from Sesame Street to late night with the premiere of The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.

In the past year, Lily Singh and David Spade have joined the list of late night talk show hosts. The field is already plenty crowded with Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Bill Maher, and more. But that hasn’t meant demand has faded or that there isn’t enough room for any and all types of late night talk shows.

Enter The Not Too Late Show with Elmo. It debuted on May 27 as one of HBO Max’s original series. The first three episodes arrived with the debut of the new streaming service and subscribers can expect to see new episodes every week.

A trailer released ahead of the debut proved that the Sesame Street monster had no trouble booking some big names for the brand new show. Everyone from John Mulaney to Batman is set to appear on Not Too Late.

Critics have had nothing but praise for The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.

Just because he is a three-and-a-half-year-old red monster doesn’t mean that Elmo is immune from critical review. But he has nothing to worry about as critics have had nothing but glowing things to say about late night television’s newest edition.

The Hollywood Reporter describes Not Too Late as “funny, smart and packed with likable gags and puns and general silliness.” Variety praised the show as “delightful” and provides much-needed programming for kids in the early evening. The Week calls the show “pure Sesame Street gold.”

It is easy to see why critics love the show given Elmo’s popularity across multiple generations. Critics have made a point to note the show can be enjoyed by parents and kids alike. Children will love the goofiness, games, and singalongs. Older viewers can appreciate some of the meta jokes and seeing popularity celebrities in a different setting.

It also looks like Elmo is getting a big assist from late night television veterans like Jimmy Fallon and John Oliver as well as Saturday Night Live alumni like Jason Sudeikis and John Mulaney. And given his importance to HBO Max, don’t be surprised if Conan O’Brien arrives on set too.

The success of Not Too Late with Elmo is a good sign for Fallon. He’ll be behind The Kids Tonight Show coming to NBC’s streaming service Peacock. Elmo and HBO quickly proved there is a market for a late night talk show geared towards kids. Stay tuned.

Have you seen The Not Too Late Show with Elmo yet? What are your thoughts on the newest late night television show? Share your thoughts in the comment section.