WE’RE THREE WEEKS in, or one week in, depending on what way you look at it.
But there’s much more time at home to waste as part of our national effort, so you better make some decisions about what to watch over the weekend and in the coming weeks.
And while there’s plenty of TV shows and streaming apps at your fingertips these days, sometimes we need a bit of socially distant light banter to break up the monotony.
Or in the case of the Late Late, a little bit of whatever you’re having your having yourself.
So here at TheJournal.ie’s Sofa Watch, we want to help you find the best on offer, old and new, from chat shows on both sides of the pond.
From the lineup in Montrose to the most popular clips from US late night TV, we’ll break down the best of your chat show options heading into each weekend.
When: Tonight, 9.35 pm
Where: RTÉ 1
Social: Youtube, Twitter, Instagram
After taking the helm of the programme last week, Miriam O’Callaghan presents tonight’s Late Late Show again in Ryan Tubridy’s absence.
After confirming that he had tested positive for Covid-19, Ryan sent a message to his fans this week saying that he is “very grateful to be through this virus”.
Alas, The Late Late Show must go on.
It has been very Covid-19 heavy the last few weeks, winning praise for how it’s informed people about the virus, and tonight will again be quite focused on how people are dealing with being cooped up in their homes.
Nearly all the guests, it seems, will be speaking to Miriam remotely.
Online fitness instructor Joe Wicks will be talking about keeping fit while indoors, and country music singer Philomena Begley and John Sheahan of The Dubliners will be speaking about how their cocooning is going.
And speaking of being cocooned, Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore will be speaking from her home in London.
What: The Tommy Tiernan Show
When: Saturday night, 10.55 pm
Where: RTÉ 1
Social: RTÉ.ie, Twitter, YouTube
If you don’t know the format of the show, it’s basically the same as a one-to-one chat show except the host isn’t told in advance who’s coming out to speak to him.
The programme is now four seasons in, they’re all up online and well worth a watch.
What: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
When: Weeknights
Where: RTÉ Player
Social: Youtube, Twitter
Always among the most newsy of the US talk shows, Stephen Colbert spoke to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi this week. He was in his own house while she was in, eh, The House of Representatives.
There was lighter stuff on this week too with the usual celeb interviews, except with the added benefit of being able to see what they’re reading on their bookshelves.
Handily enough, about two months worth of the CBS show are available on the RTÉ Player.
Including a recent episode where Colbert took the mick out of Leo Varadkar’s name.
What: Jimmy Kimmel Live
When: Weeknights
Social: Youtube, Twitter
If you were in fact interested in seeing what the inside of celebrities homes look like and what’s inside them, Jennifer Aniston spoke extensively about hers.
The former Friends star spoke to Jimmy Kimmel about the excessive cleaning she’s been doing in her home.
Riveting stuff I’m sure you’ll agree.
YouTube is the ideal place to find vintage talk show clips, particularly from the 1970s and ’80s, when guests were a little more unwieldy and unpredictable than they are now.
Given the day that’s in and the death of music great Bill Withers at the age of 81, here he is performing on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972.
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