Craig Ferguson broke through the glass ceiling that kept comedians with Scottish accents from rising to the top of the talk show rankings when he took over The Late Late Show in 2005. Although his London-born successor James Corden’s viral success with his “Carpool Karaoke” segments can’t be denied, Cordon taps into a vein that Ferguson opened when the Drew Carey Show star graduated from supporting cast member to interviewing guests and giving monologues. Ferguson stood out in a field where affable insouciance was becoming increasingly desirable by producers. He was arguably the most accessible talk show host during his reign through 2014, in part because he seemed so spontaneous, like a nonalcoholic Dean Martin.
Ferguson sometimes spoke through the camera to television viewers, rather than maintain his focus on the studio audience as if he wasn’t being recorded. Ferguson didn’t just break the fourth wall; he gave Shakespearean asides. He was also an incurable flirt, which gets harder for a man to pull off without awkwardness once he enters his 50s and silver hair begins its march to domination.
Ferguson has made the most of his post-talk show career, starring in several television and web series since 2015. He’s also toured in a comedy show and his voiceover talents were most recently heard as Gobber the Belch in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which was No. 1 at the box office for two weeks in February and will likely have grossed more than $500 million by this week. Now he’s preparing for the May release of his memoir, Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations, subjects he’s surely to address onstage during his current Hobo Fabulous Tour.
Green Valley Ranch, 8 p.m. April 12, starting at $37.50 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
