Fast Facts
Title: Last Call with Carson Daly
Host: Carson Daly
Band Leader: Joe Firstman
Format: Half-hour, traditional late night format, with a focus on music and younger celebrities.
Broadcast information: Airs at 1:36 a.m. on NBC.
Tapes: Weekdays, originating from Los Angeles since 2005. (Originally taped in Studio 8H in the Rockefeller Center in New York City, the same studio as Saturday Night Live).
Premiere Date: January 8, 2002
Overview:
Last Call took over the 1:36 a.m., post Late Night with Conan O'Brien spot, previously occupied by one-on-one chatter Later with Bob Costas, in 2002 Its host, Carson Daly, was fresh from MTV’s TRL – Total Request Live and the show, in those early years, resembled the edgy, unique style made popular by MTV and its young audience.
Back then, Daly shunned the house band, instead using the same indie rock band throughout the week to perform the duty (and giving them incredible exposure). He forgoed the monologue and got straight to business.
Today, with the shift to L.A., Last Call is more like the shows that proceed it – a desk, a monologue, a comedy bit and the guest. And even with its shift to a more contemporary style, Last Call is still popular among teens, having been nominated “Choice Talk Show – Late Night” as part of the 2008 Teen Choice Awards.
