David Letterman to Come Out of Retirement for Netflix Series

Top 10 Reasons Fans of Late-Night Comedy Are Having a Good Morning… Number 1: David Letterman is returning to television.

The former Late Show host has signed on for a six-episode Netflix series, the streaming video service announced Tuesday. The new project will consist of in-depth interviews “with extraordinary people” (per the press release) and on-location segments. Each episode will be an hour long.

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Letterman’s new series is slated to premiere in 2018. “I feel excited and lucky to be working on this project for Netflix. Here’s what I have learned: If you retire to spend more time with your family, check with your family first,” Letterman said in a statement. “Thanks for watching, drive safely.”

The new series will be produced by Radical Media and Letterman’s Worldwide Pants.

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Letterman’s Late Night With David Letterman ran on NBC from 1982 to 1993. He then moved to CBS, where The Late Show With David Letterman aired from 1993 to 2015. He was succeeded by Stephen Colbert. Since his departure from the late-night scene, Letterman has stayed pretty much out of public life, popping up now and then to offer his opinion on subjects like CBS’ pick of new Late Show host (“I don’t know why they didn’t give my show to a woman”) and Jimmy Fallon’s infamously soft Donald Trump interview (“I would have gone right after him”).

“David Letterman is a true television icon, and I can’t wait to see him out in the wile, out from behind the desk and interviewing the people he finds most interesting,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, said via statement. “We’ll have to see if he keeps the beard.”

What are your feelings about Letterman’s return to television? Sound off in the comments!

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