The Late Late Show with James Corden

Corden is a talent worth watching for his sheer likability, musical and comedy talent, and genuine love of culture, pop and otherwise. He’s bending the late-night comedy show formula to fit his skill set, which given this first outing, is impressive.

Corden clearly appears to have the goods.... Most importantly, he has an obvious ability to perform bits that'll hold up in the cold light of dawn, or more specifically on the Internet.

By the time Corden sang a wry little tune thanking us for watching, he seemed as comforting as a cup of tea and a biscuit. He may not be boldly going where no late-night host has gone before, but based on first impressions, Corden looks like he'll be making himself at home in no time.

For all that he would shamelessly borrow from them across the hour, he seemed markedly different from that pack he’s lumped in with. In fact, he was even refreshing.

Corden isn’t as facile as Fallon, but he also isn’t as fawning. Instead of bringing guests out one at a time, he bunched them (a good move) but didn’t have enough experience to pull both into all conversations.

Mr. Corden, a portly British performer, was energetic, amiable and cheerfully self-assured, but not particularly special.

Corden is inoffensive and upbeat, so it’s hard to hate him, but it’s hard to imagine him building a dedicated following, either. Unlike Ferguson, who made his little corner of late night into something unique, Corden is just marking time until viewers fall asleep.