Part 4/11:
Audience Fatigue and Cultural Shift
The Audience’s Reality
The criticism extends beyond content and finances to the very core of late-night television’s relevance. Most Americans, the usual late-night audience, spend their days engaged in hard work, caring for families, and managing personal stressors. They return home to routines—laundry, dinner, helping with homework, paying bills—and seek light, relatable entertainment to unwind. A show that lectures or lectures against their beliefs, or one that feels disconnected from their daily realities, is unlikely to resonate anymore.