For all of the discuss of Tom Brady’s TV debut in 2024, few professional athletes have made the transition off the sphere and into the pop-culture panorama extra successfully than Jason Kelce, whose distinctive skilled and private alchemy consists of: notable on-field success, together with All-Professional honors, a Tremendous Bowl title in Philadelphia and a job as a lead performer of the Eagles’ “Tush Push”; off-field media stardom as a co-host, with brother Travis, of the wildly in style “New Heights” podcast; and industrial ubiquity (Buffalo Wild Wings and Campbell’s Chunky Soup, amongst others).
That led to a multiyear take care of ESPN, together with taking part on “Monday Night time Countdown” and, as of 1 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, a brand new position as late-night discuss present host — arguably one of many probably the most difficult jobs in TV.
Taped in entrance of a dwell viewers at Philadelphia’s Union Switch, “They Name It Late Night time With Jason Kelce” was the primary of a four-week “pop-up” experiment in sports activities TV main as much as the Tremendous Bowl, and the outcomes had been a not-unexpected mixture of raucous, ragged and relatable.
Listed here are key takeaways from the present’s debut:
Kelce’s bearded, beer-swilling “everyman” vibe is on the coronary heart of his attraction
And the present leaned proper into that. Kelce wore a letterman’s jacket and T-shirt, with denims and work boots.
He set a tone rapidly, asking his viewers: “How did we get right here?” Truly, his very first phrases had been “Holy s—.” The late-night license to curse was used liberally however not significantly gratuitously (the s-word went unbleeped, the f-word was bleeped).
From the present’s identify, emblem and intro to its retro-fun set to some of its bits, there was a operating homage to the most effective of NFL Movies. “They Name It Professional Soccer” was one in all NFL Movies’ earliest tasks, and the appreciation Kelce has for NFL historical past popped, from a heat studio cameo and toast with Corridor of Fame Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael to Kelce’s awe for framed images of the NFL’s most well-known “mangled arms” hanging within the studio.
First pics of Jason Kelce’s new present ‘They Name It Late Night time’
📸: @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/PPKD0lZ2qN
— Kelce Brothers (@kelcebrothers) January 4, 2025
Kelce’s opening monologue will get graded on a curve
That’s as a result of the late-night host monologue in entrance of an viewers is among the many most difficult work in all of TV — not to mention by somebody with restricted internet hosting expertise. The viewers was pleasant and forgiving of the occasional faltering riff, if not laughing their heads off. The bits involving actors — like a section the place Kelce met himself as a 14-year-old and as an older particular person — had been extra cringe than comedy.
The second section shined
The present was at its finest within the second section, when Kelce introduced out a roundtable of visitors: the rapper and actor Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, the NFL TV analyst Brian Baldinger and — in a powerful flex by Kelce and ESPN — Charles Barkley.
Their roundtable dialog felt like listening to a podcast in all the appropriate methods — informal and conversational. From his expertise co-hosting “New Heights,” Kelce appeared a lot extra comfy as a moderator than solo star.
They coated some good “newsy” matters — the Eagles sitting Saquon Barkley earlier than he might attempt to set the NFL single-season speeding file (Charles Barkley: “I’m glad he’s not taking part in.”), gamers’ mindset heading into Week 18 and Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. Giving 4 skilled talkers a basic sports-talk framework was an excellent concept.
The present might use a tighter run time
Because the present received deeper into its hour-long run-time, the conceits and viewer expertise received demonstrably extra strained: A section the place the 4 panelists had been tasked with doing their finest impressions of legendary NFL Movies voice (and Philly native) John Facenda was derailed by the panelists being completely unprepared to learn their cue playing cards and the content material of the playing cards being clunky and corny. (Burd: “I don’t know what I simply learn.”)
A last section that includes 4 super-fans in a beer-chugging contest felt tacked on and featured the quickest chugger being disqualified for not ending by flipping his mug onto his head as instructed. (Watching it was much more raggedy than describing it.)
The present might — and would — profit from a tighter run-time (half-hour is smart), which might enable it to actually zero in on Kelce as an skilled moderator of an fascinating panel of visitors.
The present wants extra Kylie
One space the place the present shouldn’t skimp going ahead: Air-time for Kelce’s spouse, Kylie, who sits at a desk within the wings (“Kylie’s Korner”) and acts as lead voiceover, lamentably used solely sparingly within the debut.
Kylie — who not too long ago displaced Joe Rogan as the most well-liked podcast host on Spotify — is means too gifted (and means too massive of a star in her personal proper) to have such a minimal, marginal position. The present would profit from far more Kylie, and it might simply exchange the ultimate two blocks with the couple bantering about matters collectively — or including Kylie to the roundtable.
Kylie Kelce is an announcer for “They Name it Late Night time with Jason Kelce” ❤️ @latenightwithjk | @JasonKelce pic.twitter.com/QnibuiP3eL
— espnW (@espnW) January 4, 2025
I’ve loads of empathy and appreciation for a manufacturing staff attempting one thing new, and debut episodes are the second all of your enjoyable concepts within the writers’ room meet actuality.
On this case, they don’t want the canned bits and actors — they’ve Kelce, in all his authenticity and expertise for holding a dialog; they’ve Kylie; they’ve ESPN’s convening energy to get massive names like Barkley; they’ve a pleasant Philly crowd and a welcoming studio set-up — and they need to double down on letting Kelce do what he’s finest at.
Required studying
(Photograph: Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs)
