What’s Worth Watching: A Prime-Time Salute to Letterman

David Letterman: A Life on Television, Monday, May 4, 9:30/8:30c, CBS

Not even Dave’s immortal idol/mentor Johnny Carson clocked this many late-night shows: 6,028 over an unparalleled 33-year span. With only a little more than two weeks left before his May 20 finale, CBS looks back on David Letterman’s groundbreaking run, including highlights from NBC’s Late Night and CBS’s Late Show, in a 90-minute retrospective hosted by Ray Romano (whose big break came on Letterman’s show, and whose phenomenally successful Everybody Loves Raymond sitcom was produced by Letterman’s Worldwide Pants company). As the title suggests, it has been quite a journey for the host, who has weathered health crises, professional feuds, and personal scandals over the years. Come for the stupid pet tricks but stay for the evolution of late-night comedy. If this doesn’t make you come up with your own Top Ten List of why you’ll miss Dave, nothing will.