The occasion for this pre-mortem is, of course, the firing of Stephen Colbert, who announced two weeks ago that Paramount Global, CBS’ parent company, is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is CBS's entry in the late night talk show field, with the former host of The Colbert Report bringing his satire and comedy to audiences at the end of their day.

Letterman’s look has certainly changed since he signed off at CBS; his cracker-barrel, old-settler, voluminous white beard is now his signature, instead of the cigars, the sneakers, the ...