If you’re one of the many folks who plan on coming down with a mysterious, one-day illness on the Monday following CBS’ Super Bowl broadcast, then you should have no problem staying up for a special episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which boasts a seriously star-studded lineup. The show will air directly after the Super Bowl, marking the first time that one of The Big Three (CBS, NBC, ABC) has followed the game with a late-night program.
Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Will Ferrell and comedy duo Key & Peele will be dropping by for the February 7 show, according to Deadline. The show is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. EST, barring overtime, a power outage, or any other issue that might cause the big game (kickoff: 6:30 EST) to run longer than expected.
Fey and Ferrell recently starred in Sisters and Daddy’s Home respectively, while Robbie is fresh off wrapping on Suicide Squad. As for Key and Peele, the pair will soon star side-by-side in Keanu, a comedy about friends that plot to retrieve a stolen kitten by posing as drug dealers to gang members.
Since the Super Bowl is almost always the highest-rated telecast of any kind in any particular year, this edition of The Late Show is expected to draw a big audience and will attempt to convince as many folks as possible not to touch that dial after the final whistle blows.
To give you an idea of just how big a ratings bump this slot provides, NBC’s The Blacklist aired after the game last year and pulled in 26.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched scripted show on the network since a 2004 episode of ER.
CBS will be hoping that Colbert and his recently finalized guest-list can lock down a sizable portion of the “what else is on?” and “thank God it’s over” crowds, but we’ll have to wait and see.
One thing, however, is certain: Whether its the Carolina Panthers or the Denver Broncos that come out on top, there will be plenty of football-related jokes flying around after the game.
