First Look At Stephen Colbert As Late-Night Host On CBS’ ‘Elsbeth’

CBS has released first-look images from the Season 3 premiere of light crime drama Elsbeth, which features Stephen Colbert playing a fictional late-night host. He filmed the role just two weeks after CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be ending in May, with the Late Show franchise canceled altogether.

One of the images features Colbert as late-night show host Scotty Bristol chatting with what looks like a star-struck Elsbeth (Carrie Preston). In another photo, Colbert looks very much at home behind the desk of his late-night talker.

Also featured in the photos, which you can see above and below, are fellow guest stars Andy Richter, a Late Night and Conan alum who plays a familiar role of a late-night show sidekick, and Amy Sedaris, who was a fixture on Late Show with David Lettermanas his wife, the show’s head writer who is seen being very cozy with the host (Colbert).

There also is a photo of Preston with Elsbeth co-lead Wendell Pierce who is responsible for Colbert’s Elsbeth stint as he offered to get him on the series during a February appearance on The Late Show.

In that interview, Colbert expressed his longtime desire to play a corpse on a CBS procedural drama. It is unclear who among Colbert, Sedaris and Richter are playing victim(s)/killer.

In the episode, titled “Yes, And…” Elsbeth dives into the world of late-night comedy when backstage tensions rise between a talk show host (Colbert), his head writer Laurel (Sedaris) and her on-air sidekick husband, Mickey (Andy Richter). Also, Elsbeth meets a new police officer (guest star Lindsay Mendez) who is an aspiring stand-up comic when off the clock.

Elsbeth will help kick off CBS premiere week, with its Season 3 premiere and the Season 2 opener of Matlock getting a sneak peek on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9:30 PM and 8:30 PM, respectively, before the series return to their regular time slots on Thursday, Oct. 16, with Matlock at 9 PM, followed by Elsbeth at 10 PM.

The Season 3 premiere episode of Elsbeth, written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Joe Menendez, will air on CBS and stream on Paramount (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs).

Elsbeth is executive produced by creators Robert King and Michelle King as well as showrunner Tolins, Liz Glotzer, Erica Shelton Kodish, Bryan Goluboff and Gail Barringer.