Late-night TV breaks the color barrier

Almost every late-night host desperately tries to emulate Johnny Carson, so it's a relief to see two newcomers -- Wanda Sykes and George Lopez -- take their cues from other sources. Unfortunately, only one of them nails the impression.

"Lopez Tonight," which airs Mondays through Thursdays on TBS, is the long-awaited sequel to the "Arsenio Hall Show," with an emphasis on diverse guests, edgier monologues and looser conversation.

It's also a heck of a party.

Everything from the theme ("Low Rider") to the comely dancers wriggling behind the band are designed to make you want to shake your booty and forget that it's almost your bedtime. Lopez himself is an energetic host, clearly thrilled to be unshackled from the chains of a network sitcom. His enthusiasm is contagious, strong enough to talk Eva Longoria Parker into working a stripper's pole and persuade Marc Anthony to "trash" the MTV Award belonging to his wife, Jennifer Lopez.

The jokes aren't for everyone and may make those weaned on David Letterman and Jay Leno a bit queasy. One of his best so far poked fun at Shaquille O'Neal's attempt to become a Cleveland police officer.

"If he says, 'Stop or I'll shoot,' I'll take my chances," said Lopez, referring to the center's low free-throw percentage. That line may not have gone over on a network program, but the diverse Los Angeles audience went nuts.

Lopez's biggest obstacle will come when he runs out of nightclub material and has to lean more on his guests and the news of the day, but I'm guessing he'll be just as effective as Hall was in making the transition.

"The Wanda Sykes Show," which debuted earlier this month on Fox, relies even more on her stand-up routine in a much more conventional, yet clunky effort.

Most of the jokes in the premiere seemed dated (any comic still relying heavily on George W. Bush material is either really stubborn or really lazy) and appeared to have been co-written by the Democratic Party. It's one thing to open the first episode with a spoof on Ann Coulter's heavy eyebrows. (Really? That's the best she can do?) But to spend nearly the entire monologue attacking Barack Obama detractors seemed heavy-handed. Sykes is clearly trying to channel Bill Maher, going so far as to close the show with an all-star panel, but Maher's material is smarter and more unpredictable.

I don't doubt that Sykes can raise her game -- and that people will be interested. Her first outing did 100 percent better in the ratings compared with Spike Feresten's talk show in that same slot earlier this year.

Lopez also is enjoying early success, attracting more than 3 million viewers to his premiere. That includes more adults (ages 18-49) than those who typically watch "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," "The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson" or "The Daily Show."

Let's hope both can build on that early interest and continue to bring much-needed diversity to the late-night hours.

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431