20 Talk Shows That Took Big Swings and Missed

One title correction matters here. Joan Rivers’ Fox program was officially called The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers(1986); The Joan Rivers Show was the name of her later daytime series. By the time Fox placed her at 11 p.m., Rivers had spent years proving that a woman could command late-night television, particularly during her memorable appearances filling in for Johnny Carson. Her opening monologues were fast, topical, and fearless, and she could move from sharp comedy to celebrity conversation without losing her distinctive personality.