ESPN Announces New Show “They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce”
Disney has announced that in the new year, they will be launching a new late-night sports entertainment television called “They Call It Late Night”, which will be hosted by future Hall of Fame centre Jason Kelce.
The new show will premiere on ESPN on Friday nights/early Saturday mornings, the new personality-driven, one-hour program will take its inspiration from traditional late-night television, emphasizing a comedic approach throughout all five scheduled episodes which run in conjunction with the finale of the NFL regular season and playoffs.
ESPN will televise the Jason Kelce-fronted show, beginning the night and morning of January 3 and January 4, with each episode also available on ESPN+, ESPN+ On Disney+, ESPN YouTube and the Jason Kelce channel on YouTube presented by ESPN. Replays will air on ESPN2.
NFL Films will produce the show in conjunction with Kelce’s Wooderboy Productions and Skydance Sports.
“They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” will be an immersive experience from Union Transfer in Philadelphia, showcasing the Super Bowl champion’s oversized personality and infectious humour mixed with celebrity guests from the football world and beyond in front of a live audience of NFL fans. The show’s format will position Kelce and his guests to dissect NFL topics and storylines, mainly focused on that weekend’s games, in both conventional and good-humoredly unconventional approaches including active participation from the fans in attendance.
The atmosphere inside Union Transfer will bring the Kelce experience to life, amplified by live music from SNACKTIME, Philadelphia’s own beloved band with soul, funk, hip-hop, and rock influences. Each show will be taped on Friday evening, mere hours prior to airing.
The five-episode run will premiere hours prior to the NFL’s regular-season finale (Week 18) and have consecutive weekly airdates leading into Super Wild Card, Divisional and Conference Championship weekends before the finale ahead of the Pro Bowl Games and nine days from Super Bowl LIX.
The show’s name is based on “They Call It Pro Football”, which was NFL Films’ first full-length film (1967), representing Kelce’s subtle tribute to the sport and the company, which will now produce his own show more than 55 years later. The original NFL Films production was given the prestigious honour of being selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012, having been highly recognized and credited with how football and sports were showcased on television following its creation.
The first episode will premiere on ESPN on Saturday, 4th January 2025, with a new episode dropping each week until Saturday, 1st February 2025.
Jason announced the new show on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Thursday evening.
Roger’s Take: ESPN is constantly looking for new hosts and shows to draw an audience, so bringing Jason in for a five-episode show just before the Super Bowl makes sense as a mini-trial. No doubt, if it works, they’ll try to extend it.
Will you be checking out this new series? Let me know on social media!
Roger Palmer
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