The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo


The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by Elmo. It is a spin-off of Sesame Street and was developed exclusively for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly. Each episode runs for 15 minutes.

Premise

The host of the late-night talk show series is the muppet character Elmo. The program's main curricular goals are centered around children's bedtime routines, of which each episode demonstrates a different aspect.

Cast and characters

Production

The pilot show was directed by Benjamin Lehmann and was produced in January 2019, and features special guest Kacey Musgraves performing "Rubber Duckie". Full production of the series took place in November and December 2019.
In addition to Musgraves, confirmed guests were Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers, John Oliver, an uncredited actor portraying Batman, Jason Sudeikis, Kwame Alexander, Sara Bareilles, Miles Brown, Ciara, Andy Cohen, Dan + Shay, Josh Groban, Mykal-Michelle Harris, H.E.R., Hoda Kotb, Lil Nas X, Blake Lively, John Mulaney, Pentatonix, Ben Platt, Jonathan Van Ness, Olivia Wilde, and Sofia Carson.

Reception

The Not Too Late Show with Elmo received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season of the show an 80% "fresh" rating based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 7/10. The critical consensus is: "With great guests, fun games, and a lot of silly songs, The Not Too Late Show with Elmo is a fitting bedtime show for tots that parents may even enjoy as well". Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100, assigned a rating score of 70 based on 8 critic reviews, meaning favorable reviews for the first season.
The show has been reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Week, and Comic Book Resources among others.