Mon prochain invité n'est plus à présenter

It should come as no surprise that this is Dave Letterman's element. A more or less free-form talk show. Unlike his more structured network shows, his personality comes through in more serious dialog and not just his signature humor. With a single guest, Dave has adopted a more conversational interview style. And the result is a more relaxed and engaging interview. Each interview is accompanied by related but much more personal clips than one expects from a typical talk show.

People have forgotten that David Letterman, behind the facade of the funny guy, always was a serious interviewer -perhaps not as punchy as Jon Stewart, but still pretty good. Always well prepared, knowing his facts, and having pointed questions. This new show is all about about having an in-depth conversation with the guest. Letterman did a pretty good job in the first episode. He was helped by the chart-topping quality of his first guest: Barack Obama. But if you listen carefully, the conversation was not random or free-flowing. It was carefully scripted, with civil rights and the Selma march -and the role of Congressman John Lewis- a central topic of discussion. Like a shadow commentary on current affairs -and the 45th President- without naming names or current events, only references to historical events that matter. This central piece was showcased within the context of pleasant and relaxed small talk and personal anecdotes, Letterman and Obama displayed a warm rapport, and the conversation was pleasant and interesting. This made the first episode very good viewing. I am concerned that guests in future episodes may not have equally compelling stories to tell. Hence the rating, as the interest of the show is dependent on the performance and personality of the guest, not Letterman. I anticipate I may watch some future episodes, but maybe not all.

Heart Warming interviews. Very interesting and surprising.

I've seen a lot of reviews stating that the show was not funny, not in the same vein as his talk show, etc.

This is not the late show with David letterman. This is not a show of him interviewing who ever the new hot star is promoting the new hot movie. This is Letterman interviewing people that he personally finds fascinating. This isn't a stand up routine or even a comedy. He's asking the deeper questions and giving them a platform to really speak without being edited by networks. He uses this show to give a look into the people themselves not just their new project. I personally have enjoyed the relaxed nature where he is able to bring out a side of the celebrities, and what they have experienced.

If your looking for the late show this is not it.

I always enjoyed interesting guests in the various late shows having a bit more time to tell an interesting story. However, even if they had the full 10 minutes, you felt like you were missing out as they had to be cut off after one or two anecdotes. Additionally, the ad breaks always disrupted the flow of the conversation and even if you decided to catch up the day after on YouTube, you'd have to search for all the various clips in the correct order to have seen it all.

All of that is now gone. "My next guest needs no introduction" allows Letterman to do what he seemingly always wanted to do - just have an in-depth conversation with an interesting guest, but without any interruptions. You can tell he's enjoying this and he seems to be willing to make the most of this new format. In the first episode, we have already seen him put a lot of research into his guest, Barack Obama. Future episodes will show us whether Letterman will continue to put as much effort into his job as interviewer, but I have very high hopes and think this show will continue to be revealing and entertaining.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the first episode and I have very high hopes for the episodes to come.