What Will Stephen Colbert's Late Show Be Like?
(CBS) -- In case you've been living under a rock for the past month or so, Stephen Colbert takes over on the CBS Late Show starting Tuesday night.
For Colbert, it's been a long journey from Northwestern student, to Second City player, to comedy writer, to Daily Show correspondent, to star of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central.
But what will "his" late show be like? Kate Sullivan and Rob Johnson sat down with him recently to find out.
For nearly ten years, Stephen Colbert played the role of self-important conservative pundit. But now he's on network TV at 10:35 and his beloved character won't be coming with him.
"All I'm going to take away is being a pundit, I don't have to win. I'm not a conservative blowhard who has to save the world," Colbert said. "It's an hour long, there's gonna be bands, celebrities. I think we'll probably do more, especially with the presidential campaign coming up. We'll do more than maybe other people will do."
At Northwestern University, where Colbert was first bitten by the acting bug, his former drama Professor Ann Woodworth believes her one-time student will stand apart because isn't like the other late night hosts.
"The thing that strikes me about Stephen is the sense of curiosity and fascination with life," she said. "There's always some kind of idea he's pursuing, he's interested in."
Anne Libera knows Colbert from his Northwestern days, and both graduated to Second City after graduation. She's still there thinking about how her old friend is going to make a success of his new CBS show.
"What Stephen brings is a deeper game, and a deeper engagement with the audience, which is one of the things you're looking for in late night, that feeling of connection," Libera said.
Potential recipes for late night success, but Colbert won't veer too far from his political path.
"Donald Trump do not burn out, keep an open flame away from his hair between now and September 8," Colbert said.
Wednesday night Kate takes a look at Colbert's relationship with Chicago for all of these years.