STEPHEN COLBERT totally will replace David Letterman as host of ‘LATE SHOW.’

Interesting. Stephen Colbert will be replacing David Letterman next year as host of Late Show. First blush: nice. Second blush: how effective is Colbert when he is…himself? And not that caricature he effectively wields on The Colbert Report? This is not a rhetorical question, I’m genuinely wondering.

Stephen Colbert will take over CBS’s Late Show when David Letterman retires next year after more than two decades. “Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career,” Colbert says in a statement. “I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead.” Colbert’s premiere date will be announced after a timeline is set for Letterman to go off the air. CBS has a five year contract for Colbert to host.

Colbert will not be using his signature character — a caricature of conservative talking heads — on the new show, according to The Wall Street Journal. But even without drawing heavily on politics for humor, Colbert has proven himself an impressive host, and CBS appears to be excited about his selection. “Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television,” CBS CEO Les Moonves says in a statement. Further details of Colbert’s Late Show, including where it will be filmed, are not yet being announced.

Colbert will continue hosting the Report on Comedy Central for at least eight more months, and it sounds as though his position will end at that time as he begins to transfer over to CBS. “Comedy Central is proud that the incredibly talented Stephen Colbert has been part of our family for nearly two decades,” the network tells The Verge in a statement. “We look forward to the next eight months of the ground-breaking Colbert Report and wish Stephen the very best.” It did not say whether the Report will continue in some other form. [The Verge]