On Wednesday, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced nominees for the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. For Stephen Colbert, it had to be a bittersweet moment as the Late Show earned recognition for its final season.
Fans officially said goodbye to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May. The end of the popular late-night series wasn't without controversy, and many people still aren't over the decision by CBS to shut down Colbert.
But perhaps Wednesday's announcement can offer some silver lining to the Late Show team and its dedicated fanbase. The late-night show earned a nomination for Outstanding Variety Series.
Last year, the Late Show took home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Series. It only took 10 years and CBS shocking the entertainment world by cancelling the show for Colbert to finally take home a trophy.
This year, it may be that much harder for Colbert and company to go back-to-back. The Emmys are reverting back to a previous categorization, combining Outstanding Variety Sketch Series and Outstanding Variety Talk Series for the first time since 2014.
That means in addition to competitng against The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Colbert will once again be in the same category as Saturday Night Live and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Last year, Kimmel and Oliver both actively rooted for Colbert to win in the aftermath of his cancelation news. Chances are that both hosts will continue to root for their friend now that he's offically out of a job.
Colbert's show also picked up a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. Other nominees include Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
If Colbert does hear his name called again, it will be fitting end to his late-night TV career. It will also give critics more evidence in their case that Paramount unjustly pulled the plug on The Late Show. No matter what the network says about finances, some people will never accept the rationale behind cancelling the most popular late-night TV show on the air.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of perspective Colbert has if he attends the Emmys. The ceremony is scheduled for September 14. That gives the comedian even more distance from the Late Show finale. Undoubtedly, the press will want to get an update from Colbert, who hasn't made any public statements since his show ended in May.
Considering how he reacted in the moment and in the final months of The Late Show, Colbert probably won't use the Emmy stage to fire a shot at CBS or Paramount. Instead, he's likely to keep up the classy response we saw on air. Hopefully, this time he'll do it with another award in his hand.
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