Showtime plans live election-night special with Stephen Colbert

 

BEVERLY HILLS — Stephen Colbert is going live (again), but on a different network.

Showtime chief David Nevins said Thursday that he's in talks about a probable election-night special with the CBS late-night host, whose regular Late Show gig will be pre-empted Nov. 8 by the network's election coverage. (CBS owns Showtime).

 Nevins said at the Television Critics Association  press tour that the special would most likely run  for an hour, at 10 ET/7 PT, but "if there's stuff happening, we can keep the cameras rolling."

Because Viacom lawyers objected to Colbert's use of his blowhard alter ego from Comedy Central's Colbert Report, the special will more closely resemble the host's Late Show's format, and originate from its Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.

But there will be some pay-cable differences.

"He can take what he's doing on the CBS show, but bring it here, and do it unfettered," said Nevins, adding "he promised he would say a couple of curse words ... It will be interesting to see what Colbert does with no commercial breaks, no language restrictions. He's kind of excited about it; he's never done that before."