According to the comedy of Elmo that hosts the show and discusses bed routines, makes interviews with big names and routines, knowing their most recent update, taking about pop culture, and playing in an interesting way.
Critics Of "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo - Season 1"
Salon.com
May 27, 2020
For all its subtle nods to the adults in the audience, at the end of the night (well, evening, since Elmo's bedtime is at 7:30pm) it is a show for children, in all the best ways.
A refreshing antidote to all the Zoom talk shows, or even standard talk show formula in traditional times. Plus, it's canon because this is what Elmo does before he goes to bed every night.
It's easy to imagine toddlers watching episodes on repeat. For adults, however, only the occasional guest can make such a concentrated dose of Elmo's high-pitched squeal worth enduring.
Not Too Late's charmingly original concept will inevitably inspire imitators, as the classic series did all those decades ago - a late show for kids is just too much fun to pass up. So for the time being, don't.
More often than not, the conversations feel forced and the concept feels too adult for kids to enjoy (does the Sesame Street audience really crave a late-night format?) and too juvenile for grown-ups.
The meta, inside-baseball side of The Not Too Late Show is funny, smart and packed with likable gags and puns and general silliness... No, The Not Too Late Show didn't make me love Elmo, but I dug its for-all-ages hijinks much more than I expected to.
Supremely adorable, laugh-out-loud funny, and just 15 minutes an episode, The Not-Too-Late Show is an essential addition to your nightly ritual no matter how long you've been out of the series' target demographic.
The idea of Kacey Musgraves singing "Rubber Duckie" or Mulaney greeting sidekick Cookie Monster is not without its charms, even if it's a little unsettling to look this much at Cookie Monster's legs.
