I always thought that naming a show was a pretty important aspect of any tv series. So while My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman is a bit of a mouthful, at least you know what you're getting!
Basically, it is a Netflix talk show hosted by David Letterman that premiered on January 12, 2018.
So David Letterman is back but in a completely different setting and format than his previous late-night hosting gigs.
This is a much more intimate, one-on-one interview setting with some of the world's most famous people.
Over the course of four seasons, plus some special and bonus episodes, we have seen him interview the likes of former president Barack Obama, Dave Chappelle, George Clooney, Tina Fey, Billie Eilish and Ryan Reynolds, which to be fair is an incredible collection of people.
Is My Next Guest Worth watching?
In a culture obsessed with celebrities, fans will jump at any opportunity to get to know their person a little bit more.
In that respect, David Letterman does a good job of putting his guests at ease and bringing out the best in them.
However, there is also something very forced or unnatural about the whole show.
The interviews seem very staged with the guests revealing very little about themselves that we didn't already know. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that some seemed particularly guarded.
I get the impression that when asked to appear on the show the various guests said “Yeah sure, but what will you do for me?” as many of the episodes have a secondary theme highlighting a particular cause that the individual guest wants to highlight – a quid pro quo of sorts.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing but if you're tuning in hoping to get insightful interviews from the person you admire, then you may be very disappointed.
Yes the guests are charming, they are funny and they tell a couple of humorous or poignant anecdotes which are interesting.
There is footage shot outside of the interview setting which is a unique twist on the chat show genre, but overall I found it a bit contrived and not at all what I was expecting.
It's more about David Letterman on a voyage of self-discovery than anything his guests have to say.
All that said, I appear to be in the minority with my views as it has very high ratings on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
So my advice is to watch an episode and see what you think. You may very well love it and completely disagree with me and that's okay too!
If you want to watch a late night host in better action, check out Conan Without Borders instead.
How Many Seasons Of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction?
To date, there have been four seasons of My Next Guest. All of them are available on Netflix.
David Letterman has also created two bonus episodes and one special so if the 21 in depth interviews aren't enough for you, you can check them out as well.
My Next Guest Season 1 Guests
Barack Obama – talks about the civil rights movement
George Clooney – watches planes and eats fast food
Malala Yousafzai – takes a tour at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Jay-Z – visits Shangri La Studioand talks about rap origins
Tina Fey – visits the Athenian Room, one of Tina's favourite Chicago hangouts
Howard Stern – goes horse riding
My Next Guest Season 2 Guests
Kanye West – visits Kanye's house
Ellen Degeneres – goes behind the scenes at the show
Tiffany Haddish – does some gardening
Lewis Hamilton – goes race car driving
Melinda Gates – explores the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
My Next Guest Season 3 Guests
Kim Kardashian West – goes shopping at CVS
Robert Downey jr – checks out the mini zoo
Dave Chappelle – attends the Chappelle Summer Camp
Lizzo – visits the home studio
My Next Guest Season 4 Guests
Billie Eilish – goes go-karting with the family
Will Smith – recalls one fateful night at Quincy Jones' house
Cardi B – eats chopped cheese at a bronx bodega
Ryan Reynolds (Welcome to Wrexham) – makes pizza at Reynolds home
Kevin Durant – go one-on-one in basketball
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – takes Dave fishing
My Next Guest Bonus Episodes
2018: Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman interview each other
2019: Zach Galifianakis pays tribute to childhood idols
2019: Shah Rukh Khan opens up about his rise to fame