Stephen Colbert allowed director Spike Jonzeto rework the intro to The Late ShowMonday into a somber, sweet short film featuring Grover from Sesame Street.
Jonze was on-hand to promote the launch of the new Viceland TV network, and pitched Colbert a sequence that,like theLate Shows peppy, tilt-shiftedtheme, still paid tribute to New York City just not its exhilarating, city-that-never-sleeps side. Instead, Jonze tapped intoNYCs isolating, lonelyside, opening his title sequence with a shot of Colbert waking up in a pile of leaves in Central Park.
Set to a slowed-down version of Jon Batistes theme, Humanism, Colbert wandersNew Yorks gritty, unforgiving streets, where hes refused handshakes from strangers and laughed at by two young girls.Only Grover is able tolift the downtrodden host out of his doldrums. The puppet offers Colberta hand and leads him back to The Late Show studio and hisadoring audience. Finally, a smile crosses the hostsface, though its stillrather Graduate-esque.