New episodes of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" return Monday as writers strike officially ends
NEW YORK -- The writers strike officially ended last week and that means "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" is back with new episodes starting Monday.
Late-night shows were some of the first to leave the airwaves when the strike started in May and now they're some of the first to return.
Monday, hundreds of fans had lined up outside the Ed Sullivan Theater for the first taping of "The Late Show" since the strike ended.
"You have to be a part of the audience. You have to feel the energy. It's a one-of-a-kind experience," said Brad Makarowski.
"He's brilliant, he's funny and we missed him a lot," another fan waiting to enter said.
"As soon as I heard the writers strike was over, I was checking for tickets," said another fan.
Colbert came out to a standing ovation.
"Obviously it would be stupid to try and recap everything that happened over the last five months. So here we go," Colbert said.
Colbert and other late-night hosts have voiced support for the writers strike and will likely address it in their opening monologues.
"Thanks to the picket lines, my writers got fresh air and sunshine, and they do not care for that," Colbert said.
When the taping let out, the reviews came in.
"It was just incredible and I'm so glad he's back," said Steven Brooks, from Queens.
"The show was fabulous," said Debbie Johnson, from Atlanta.
It was hard to tell if there was more excitement in the audience or on stage.
"The smile on his face when he first heard the applause, you could tell he missed it. So I'm really glad he's back," said Jonathan Albarran, from the Bronx.
However, the ongoing actors strike limits guests on the late-night circuit.
Actors are not allowed to appear and promote movies and shows if they are for studios at the center of the dispute.
Colbert's guests Monday include astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Watch "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" after CBS2 News at 11 on CBS2 and Paramount+.
