Late Night with David Letterman — 1982-1993 · 12 seasons · 1725 eps

★ 7.5

Late Night with David Letterman

Name: Late Night with David Letterman
Genre: Comedy, Music, Talk-Show
Released: 1982
Rating: 7.5

1982-1993 12 seasons 1725 episodes

★ 7.5 (5,274 votes) Top 50%

IMDb

Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night with Conan O'Brien then filled the time slot. As of March 2, 2009, the slot has been filled by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It will be filled by Seth Meyers in the spring of 2014, after Fallon becomes host of The Tonight Show.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

Size: M

S1 1-30

S1 31-60

S1 61-90

S1 91-120

S1 121-150

S1 151-175

7.8

5.7

6.6

E10

E11

7.8

E12

E13

E14

E15

E16

E17

E18

E19

E20

E21

E22

E23

E24

E25

E26

E27

E28

E29

E30

Avg

7.0

Good

Mid

Bad

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 7.8

S1E1 Dave's First Late Night Show

S1E11 7.8

Episode #1.11

S1E94 6.6

Episode #1.94

4. S1E34 "Episode #1.34" 5.7

📉 Bottom Episodes

S1E34 5.7

Episode #1.34

3. S1E94 "Episode #1.94" 6.6
2. S1E11 "Episode #1.11" 7.8
1. S1E1 "Dave's First Late Night Show" 7.8

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

1 Standouts

1 Infamous

1 Hidden Gems

1 Forgettable

Top Standout: S1E1 Dave's First Late Night Show

Most Infamous: S1E94 Episode #1.94

Best Hidden Gem: S1E11 Episode #1.11

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.