Stephen Colbert was not about to let The Late Show not getting renewed kill his vibe as he stepped onto the set of Elsbeth for the Season 3 premiere, says Carrie Preston.
In a chat with DECIDER ahead of the Season 3 premiere on CBS October 12, Preston — who stars as the titular lawyer turned NYPD consultant — shared that while Colbert may have gotten the news in the same week as he filmed his scenes for the new season, it did not stop him in any way, shape, or form.
“We were, as a matter of fact, a little worried that he was going to be too busy to come and do it with us. But true to his nature, he made it happen and honored his commitment and was really flawless,” the actress says.
In the Elsbeth premiere, Colbert will be playing Scotty Bristol, a late-night talk show host who works alongside Laurel Hammond-Muntz (Amy Sedaris) and Mickey Muntz (Andy Richter) at the fictional Way Late with Scotty Bristol. This is, of course, a cheeky nod to Colbert’s own series, The Late Show, which will come to an end in 2026. She even said it may have been “a boost for him to have something to concentrate on” not connected to the cancellation.
In spite of the sad news that The Late Show would not be returning, Preston says Colbert showed up to work with a level of enthusiasm and excitement to jump back into the world of acting that surprised everyone on set. Prior to his guest appearance on The Good Fight spinoff, Colbert’s last on-camera acting role was with Critical Role in 2022 for Red Nose Day.
“It seemed to me that he was absolutely thrilled to be doing a scripted show and to be using the great acting chops that he has,” Preston explained of Colbert tapping back into his skillset. “This guy can do anything. He can do improv, he can be a talk show host, he can do political commentary, he can be an actor. I mean, it’s really impressive. And what a great person he is.”
For Preston, however, it was almost too easy to picture Colbert as a different version of a late-night host, which just provided her and the other guest stars with “all these fun layers” to work with. Even more so when you consider that he’s opposite Sedaris and Richter, with whom he goes way back. Like their characters in the show, the group of comedians is also friends, although things might be as mellow as they appear on the surface — in Elsbeth, that is.
“I think he was really happy to be reunited with them,” Preston shared, adding that even though the trio is known for making people laugh, they were all business when it came time to film. “They’re all very serious about the work, which is why they’re so good at what they do. They take everything that they do seriously.”
She added, “And yes, they’re also incredibly funny. They think so quickly on their feet, the jokes and the lightheartedness were refreshing and fun, but when it came down to somebody calling action, they were hitting their marks and bringing all of their talent to the scene.”
Fans of Colbert and Elsbeth will just have to tune into the Season 3 premiere on October 12 to find out how this trio of talented actors and comedians pulled off their roles. Episodes also stream the next day on Paramount+.
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