| Based On: | |
| Presenter: | Ryan Dillon |
| Starring: | Ryan Dillon David Rudman Jennifer Barnhart Peter Linz Eric Jacobson Stephanie D'Abruzzo Matt Vogel |
| Narrated: | David Rudman |
| Runtime: | 15 minutes |
| Opentheme: | "It's Elmo" (instrumental break) by Mama Bear and the Monsters |
| Endtheme: | "Night-Night (aka. Elmo's Goodnight Lullaby)" by Elmo (season 1) "It's Elmo" (season 2) (instrumental break) |
| Composer: | Bill Sherman Joe Fiedler Ryan Shore |
| Company: | Sesame Workshop |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Network: | HBO Max |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 29 |
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo.[1] 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.[2] Each episode runs for 15 minutes.[3] In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section.[4] [5] However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max.[6] The series aired on PBS Kids from February 10, 2023,[7] to May 10, 2024.[8]
The host of the late-night talk show series is the Muppet character Elmo. The American program's main curricular goals are centered around children's bedtime routines, of which each episode demonstrates a different aspect.[2] The program focuses primarily on long-form, in-depth celebrity interviews, designed to help younger viewers connect with others on a deeper level.
The format of the program changed to a game show for the second season, which is alternatively titled The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Game Edition. Real kid contestants play games and compete in challenges with celebrity guests.[9]
See main article: List of Sesame Street Muppets.
The Israeli version adds Moishe Oofnik, the Yiddish-influenced curmudgeon famous from Sesame Street's Israeli adaptations, as Elmo's sidekick.[11]
In Southeast Asia, the series is aired through HBO Go and episodes are released alongside their HBO Max releases in the United States. In Canada, the series premiered on Treehouse TV on September 5, 2020.[12] [13] In New Zealand, the series premiered on TVNZ OnDemand on January 8, 2021.[14] The show began airing on Cartoon Network in the United States on January 28, 2022, under the Cartoonito brand.
The series made its public television premiere on February 10, 2023, on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel, where reruns aired until May 10, 2024. Each broadcast included one 15-minute episode of the show, followed by PBS Kids short series, such as City Island and Jelly, Ben & Pogo, to fill the remaining time of the half-hour timeslot.
Sesame Workshop announced the production of an Israeli adaptation of the series, titled The Talk Show with Elmo (תוכנית האירוח של אלמו), which is slated to premiere on Hop! Channel in October of the same year. 14 episodes have been produced.
The pilot show was directed by Benjamin Lehmann and was produced in January 2019,[15] [16] and features special guest Kacey Musgraves performing "Rubber Duckie".[17] Full production of the series took place in November and December 2019.[18]
In addition to Musgraves, confirmed guests were Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers, John Oliver, an uncredited actor Victor Joel Ortiz 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.[19] [20] On March 29, 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season.[4]
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season of the show an 81% "fresh" rating based on 16 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".[21] 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.[22]
The show has been reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Week, and Comic Book Resources among others.[23] [24] [25] [26]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Outstanding Children's Programming | The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo | [27] | |||
| 2022 | Outstanding Preschool Series | The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo: Game Edition | [28] |
The man behind new ‘Sesame Street’ songs feels a ‘responsibility’ toward kids, March 3, 2019.