Suffice it to say, CBS blindsided Hollywood and the viewing public last week when it announced the imminent end of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The talk show had been a leader in its time slot, but CBS contended the cancellation was a matter of dollars and cents.
The Late Show’s unexpected demise isn’t the first late-night shift to send shockwaves through the TV industry, though. Below, see our selections for the biggest shake-ups in American late-night TV history.