I want to give you the heads-up that like most of the media world in America, I’ll be taking Monday off for the Memorial Day holiday. I’ll have a new Q&A going out on Sunday, but otherwise we should all take a breath this weekend, enjoy time with our family and friends and remember what is important in life.

After the finale of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert aired last night, I received this email from a reader, which prompted me to really think about the episode in a different way:

It’s certainly true that the first half or two-thirds of the show felt very familiar and I suspect that was a conscious decision on the part of Colbert and his staff. Sure, they could have taken a bunch of shots at Trump, Carr and the rest of the Scooby Gang. But that would have given the Administration what it wanted.

They wanted outrage. They wanted people to feel overwhelmed, hopeless. They wanted it to feel as if society is changing in a fundamental way and nothing can be done to stop it.

But as I thought about it, I realized that a lot has changed since the decision was made to shut down the show last summer. At the time, it felt as if President Trump and his supporters were winning victory after victory. It felt inevitable that Jimmy Kimmel would be next. And maybe even Seth Myers. That political criticism would become dangerous to everyone’s career and the networks would continue to bow down in hopes of dodging the worst of the retribution from the Trump Administration.

That is not how things have worked out. Kimmel still has his job and if anything, he is even more outspoken. When the FCC complained about The View and threatened the licenses of the ABC-owned local stations, the network made it clear that it would fight any attempts at retribution.

And across American society, the wave of Trump-inspired change seems to have peaked and begun to retreat. The Administration continues to lose court battle after court battle, President Trump’s approval ratings are at a historic low for any modern president and it seems increasingly clear that the November midterms are going to be a series of disappointments for Republicans.

Even some of President Trump’s most important priorities such as the White House ballroom and his $1.76 billion slush fund are facing pushback from formerly compliant Republican legislators.

Given all of that, Colbert’s final show struck what feels to me to be the right note. If the decision whether to keep him on the air were being made now, there is a good chance the outcome might be different. And while his exit is sad, being pushed out has only increased his visibility and popularity.

Lashing out against the powers that be is the type of exit you would expect to see from President Trump if he were in Colbert’s place. Instead, Stephen Colbert leaned into the things that have made him a beloved presence on television since his days on The Daily Show. His core beliefs of family, friends, faith and joy. Colbert’s willingness to focus on the things that make life worth living has always shown through in his work. And it was on full display Thursday night.

I am cognizant of the fact that some issues are difficult to write about when you are a man. Discussing a woman’s look feels like misogyny to a lot of people even if it’s really about the overuse of cosmetic surgery. So I was happy to see Nina Metz tackle the subject in the latest edition of her Nina Watches Everything newsletter.

She writes about how cosmetic procedures can undercut an actor's ability to do their job. And without the ability to move your face and emote, actors - male and female - lose a core ingredient of what makes them special:

This trend towards perfection is especially noticeable in television, where the need to be perfect has pushed out character actors and made the programming much less interesting.

Imagine what the cast of Barney Miller would look like if it were being rebooted in 2026?

One hint comes from the cast of Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, who were fine actors, but look as if the casting director decided “Okay, every actor needs to look like at least a 7 or 8”

That’s one of the things I find so refreshing about a lot of global television. Sure, there are a lot of shows with hot leads. But can you imagine an American network greenlighting a romantic comedy with this lead? And they would have missed out, because The Best Heart Attack Of My Life (available on Hulu) was a captivating, unique show that was based on a true story.

I don’t blame actors for feeling the pressure to get work done in order to keep working. But I do wish American networks and studios would be a bit more open-minded about what qualifies as an “average” person.

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While Memorial Day was created specifically to remember the Americans who died while in service of their country, it’s also a time to remember and honor everyone who served. And with that in mind, I hope you’ll indulge me a bit while I remember my father, who served in the Korean War.

Growing up, I knew in the abstract that my father had served in Korea. And I think I understood that he was some sort of communications guy, because I knew that when he left the service he began working for the railroad because he already knew Morris Code.

But it was always difficult to reconcile my father’s service with the man I knew as a child. He was the gentlest man I have ever known. There was a strength of will always bubbling just underneath, but he never raised his voice to either myself or my brother. We didn’t have much growing up, but he always managed to find a little extra food to give to a neighbor or an extra couple of dollars to donate to someone in need.

He grew up in a small farm town in southern Illinois and when he left the service he stuck around to take care of his parents. His mother had lived with the aftermaths of a stroke and he found a local home for her close to his father. He didn’t get married until he was around thirty and what attracted him to my mother was that they had the same background. Like him, she grew up on a farm and when her mother died, she quit eighth grade to stay home and take care of her siblings.

They were wonderful, kind, and supportive parents and as I mentioned at the top, I never thought seriously about my father’s military service. Then one day, my father and I ran into someone he served with in Korea. Who began telling me how proud I should be to be his son, that my father was the bravest person he had ever met. My father kept trying to change the subject, and this guy continued telling me about how as a radio man, my father was almost always under fire and more than once saved someone’s life by exhibiting impressive acts of courage. Looking back now, I can see that bravery inside him, but at the time, I was convinced he was talking about someone other than my soft-spoken and gentle father.

For all of the modern-bluster of “warriors” and performative strutting, I think my Dad was the representation of what it means to be an American soldier. Quiet, unassuming, brave, yet also saddened by what has to sometimes be done in the name of freedom.

I lost my father just after I graduated from high school and I am sorry I wasn’t mature and wise enough to appreciate the greatness of the man while he was still alive.

To my father and everyone else who served…thank you.

FRIDAY, MAY 22ND:
Barrabrava (Prime Video)
Everyone Has Something To Hide (LMN)
Josh Johnson: Symphony (HBO)
Ladies First (Netflix)
Mating Season Series Premiere (Netflix)
System (Prime Video)
The Chi Season Premiere (Paramount+)
The Yogurt Shop Murders Bonus Episode (HBO)

SATURDAY, MAY 23RD:
When I Said I Do (Lifetime)

SUNDAY, MAY 24TH:
Bad Thoughts Season Premiere (Netflix)
Rick & Morty Season Nine Premiere (Adult Swim)