The Arsenio Hall Show (1989)

When Arsenio Hall had been given an opportunity to host a late-night talk show on FOX, after the termination of Joan Rivers, he was given a 13-week run, at the time he was shockingly popular. However, a film commitment prevented him from staying, so he signed with a new contract to host the cheerful late-night talk show that was ½ Johnny Carson and ½ David Letterman. Unlike Carson's and Letterman's, Hall had also welcomed unfamiliar and/or struggling stars to his couch, focused on black and urban talent, and thought outside the mold with his more traditional guests. This talk show also paved the way for Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel.