My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction
with David Letterman
Genre Talk show
Directed by Michael Bonfiglio
Presented by David Letterman
Composer(s) Paul Shaffer
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 6 (+ 1 special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Justin Wilkes
  • Dave Sirulnick
  • Jon Kamen
  • Tom Keaney
Producer(s) Mary Barclay
Cinematography Declan Quinn
Editor(s)
  • Jesse Gordon
  • Edward A. Bishop
  • Paul Little
Running time 49–58 minutes
Production company(s)
Release
Original network Netflix
Original release January 12, 2018 (2018-01-12) – present
External links
Official website

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman is an American web television talk show hosted by David Letterman that premiered on January 12, 2018 on Netflix. The series consists of interviews with one guest per episode both inside and outside a studio setting.

The first season consists of six episodes and includes interviews with Barack Obama, George Clooney, Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey, and Howard Stern.

Production

Development

On August 8, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had ordered a six-episode interview series starring David Letterman. Each hour-long episode will feature Letterman conducting a longform conversation with a single guest and in-the-field segments, in which he will explore topics on his own.[1][2]

On January 5, 2018, Netflix released further information about the series. It was announced that Letterman's guests in the first season would include Barack Obama, George Clooney, Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey, and Howard Stern. It was also announced that the series would premiere on January 12, 2018 with Letterman's interview with Obama. This interview was Obama's first since leaving office.[3][4]

Music

The show's theme song and bridging music were written and recorded by Letterman's long-time bandleader, Paul Shaffer.[5] Soon after it was announced publicly that Netflix had given the series an order, Shaffer received a phone call from Letterman asking him to work on the show. Soon after, Shaffer began to receive cuts of episodes from the first season and he started to put music in afterwards where the director thought it was needed.[6]

In developing the sound of the show's music, Shaffer initially looked to Letterman for guidance. Finding none, he remembered he and Letterman's shared love for the sort of music produced at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama describing it as "the honesty you hear, the southern soul feeling." The score initially included drums but the show's producers and director thought that the music should "feel like it's Dave's old friend Paul playing," so it was ultimately stripped down to solely include piano, organ, and bass guitar.[6]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleFeatured guestOriginal release date
11"Barack Obama"
"It's a Whole New Ball Game Now"[lower-alpha 1]		Barack ObamaJanuary 12, 2018 (2018-01-12)
Cold open: Letterman interviewing Obama on Late Show with David Letterman.
On-location segment: Walking with Congressman John Lewis across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the civil rights movement's Bloody Sunday in 1965.
22"George Clooney"
"You Be the Newsman, I'll Be Liz Taylor"[lower-alpha 1]		George ClooneyFebruary 9, 2018 (2018-02-09)
Cold open: Letterman and Clooney outside of LAX watching planes land and eating fast food.
On-location segment: At the home of Nick Clooney meeting Iraqi refugee Hazim Avdal whom the Clooney family is sponsoring.
33"Malala Yousafzai"
"You Know, She Has a Nobel Peace Prize"[lower-alpha 1]		Malala YousafzaiMarch 9, 2018 (2018-03-09)
Cold open: Letterman accompanies Yousafzai as she leads a tour group at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
On-location segment: Yousafzai continues to lead the tour group as Letterman tags along, the pair browse in the University of Oxford shop, and Letterman eats lunch with Yousafzai's father.
44"JAY-Z"
"I Had a Paper Route Too"[lower-alpha 1]		Jay-ZApril 6, 2018 (2018-04-06)
Cold open: None
On-location segment: Letterman visits Shangri La Studio, speaks with music producer Rick Rubin and listens to Madison Ryann Ward recording.
55"Tina Fey"
"It's Just Land Mine Hopscotch"[lower-alpha 1]		Tina FeyMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
Cold open: None
On-location segment: Letterman and Blues musician Buddy Guy eat chicken and fries at the Athenian Room, one of Tina Fey's Chicago hangouts, while talking about the origins of the Chicago Blues. Later, Guy performs “Skin Deep”, accompanied by Paul Shaffer, at his nightclub, Buddy Guy’s Legends.
66"Howard Stern"Howard SternMay 31, 2018 (2018-05-31)
Cold open: Letterman interviewing Stern on Late Night with David Letterman.
On-location segment: Letterman rides horses with paleontologist/geologist Christa Sadler at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Specials

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"You're David Letterman, You Idiot"May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08)
In a behind-the-scenes Netflix event, Jerry Seinfeld interviews Letterman.

Reception

Critical response

The first season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 81% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 based on 26 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Next Guest may not be groundbreaking, but a more intimate setting provides ample room for intelligent, insightful interviews with interesting subjects that go beyond standard late-night conversations."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 70 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2018 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Informational Series or Special My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Nominated [9][10]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 This is the original episode title at the time of release. It was later replaced with the featured guest's name.

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 8, 2017). "David Letterman Returns To Television With Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ "David Letterman makes his return to television on Netflix" (Press release). Hollywood, CA: Netflix. August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (January 5, 2018). "David Letterman's Netflix Show To Bow January 12 With Barack Obama As First Guest". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (January 5, 2018). "David Letterman's Netflix Talk Show Sets Barack Obama as First Guest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ Stuever, Hank (January 12, 2018). "Review: Letterman sits down with Obama, but both men seem rusty and off their game". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Leight, Elias (February 2, 2018). "Paul Shaffer on Writing Letterman's Netflix Theme Song & the Value of Humor in Pop". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  7. ↑ "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Season 1 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (July 12, 2018). "Emmy Nominations: 'Game Of Thrones, 'The Americans', 'Atlanta', Defending Champ 'Handmaid's Tale' Among Top Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (September 9, 2018). "Anthony Bourdain, 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Saturday Night Live' Win Big on Night 2 of Creative Arts Emmy Awards". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
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