Premise: I'm european.
And I find most US talk shows of this kind way over the top. It feels ridiculous most of the times.
I understand why, historically: there used to be two or three absurdly relevant ones, with universally loved hosts that were as important as the president but lasted much longer and developed this incredible devotion over the years.
Fine but now there's a dozen brand new talk shows like this so maybe calm down. You have to earn that crazy respect instead of faking it: take yourself less seriously, be kind and rewarding with your selected audience, make it a nice time among friends.
This is exactly what Seth does best.
If you follow the show, most of the things that people seem to hate in reviews seem to fit perfectly. Guests are rarely superstars for the easy youtube clicks, they're people Seth likes and can have a fun conversation with. Jokes are soberly funny and sometimes just silly, to the point that Seth often jokes about how insecure he is about them. He doesn't show the absurd and pathetic confidence that other hosts have, even when they deliver a bad joke with no irony about it. That really makes me cringe.
All talk show writers have to deliver way too much material for it to be always good. But I enjoy much more a lame joke when it's delivered in a humble way. That's why I perceive Seth more like a friend than other God-like hosts.
The whole writing process is exposed and demystified in the show through jokes about his writers. They become characters and make you feel like the team is just a group of friends. These grew even stronger after the lockdown and massively rewarded the audience loyalty. Many new segments are self-referential but not in an arrogant way, just to make fun of the show.
Then, of course, there's a strong political element, which I find myself quite in tune with or I probably wouldn't enjoy the show. He's very open about it and I don't agree with all of the points of view but it makes fine segments.
It's not a talk show everyone enjoys. But it gets better and better for those who do.
