shows, was an immediate hit. Moderated by come-
dian Bill Maher, and featuring a mix of celebrities,
former celebrities, and political figures as panelists,
the show was a new take on the political issues of the
day. In 1996, Maher left Comedy Central and moved
the show to the American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) late night.
To replacePolitically Incorrect, Comedy Central
premieredThe Daily Show, which initially was a spoof
of news shows such as the local news and20/20. After
original host Craig Kilborn left in 1998 to move to
CBS late night, new host Jon Stewart began moving
the show to the political coverage and satire for
which it became known.
In addition to these cable late night shows, HBO
produced a comedy about fictional late night talk
show host Larry Sanders (played by Garry Shand-
ling).The Larr y Sanders Show(1992-1998) was a hit
for the network throughout the decade.
Sketch Comedy Shows Saturday Night Live re-
mained the leader in late night sketch comedy
throughout the decade, although it did face compe-
tition beginning in 1995 with the premiere of the
Fox Network’sMADtv. Unlike otherSaturday Night
Livechallengers over the years,MADtvremained
on the air and somewhat successful.Saturday Night
Livebegan the decade strong, with Mike Myers,
Dana Carvey, and Phil Hartman leading the cast,
but it hit a rough patch in 1995 due to an abrupt
turnover in the cast; ratings returned by the end of
the decade. During the decade, many films based on
Saturday Night Livecharacters were produced, in-
cluding Wayne’s World (1992), Wayne’s World 2
(1993),Coneheads(1993), andA Night at the Roxbur y
(1998).
Impact With the increase in late night television
programming, a new type of television show
emerged. With a mixture of skits, interviews, and po-
litical commentary, shows such asThe Daily Showand
Politically Incorrectreenergized late night and helped
usher in the increase of political content on all late
night shows, a trend that began in 1992 with Bill
Clinton’s appearance onThe Arsenio Hall Show.
Further Reading
Carter, Bill.The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Net-
work Battle for Late Night. New York: Hyperion,
- Excellent overview of the transition from
the Carson era to the battle between Jay Leno and
David Letterman. Also provides some detail
about syndicated efforts at late night, such as
Arsenio Hall and Dennis Miller.
Jones, Jeffrey.Entertaining Politics: New Political Televi-
sion and Civic Culture. New York: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2005. Jones examines how late night
shows such asPolitically IncorrectandThe Daily
Showhave had an impact on political conversa-
tion in the United States.
Shales, Tom, and James Andrew Miller.Live from New
York: An Uncensored Histor y of “Saturday Night
Live.” Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown, 2002. Inter-
views with nearly every living person involved
withSaturday Night Livethroughout its run, in-
cluding major 1990’s stars Dana Carvey and Mike
Myers.
Spring, Greg. “Tricky Times for Late-Night Con-
tenders.”Electronic Media16, no. 49 (December 1,
1997): 55-57. Article looks at a number of syndi-
cated shows going up against Letterman and
Carson and discusses their chances at long-term
survival.
Julie ElliottSee also Cable television; Comedians;Larr y San-
ders Show, The; Rock, Chris; Television. Latin America
Definition The Western Hemisphere nations
located south of the United States
The end of the Cold War led to a new strategic focus by the
United States in Latin America during the 1990’s.
With the collapse of communism in the Soviet
Union in 1991 and the consequent end of the Cold
War, the United States became the sole world hege-
monic power. Relations between the United States
and Latin American countries were dominated by
the rise of economic liberalization and the push for
regional free trade agreements in the 1990’s. Latin
American countries felt that the United States
should start focusing more on its neighbors, and
U.S. foreign policy specialists started debating the
role of the United States in the region. The shift in
U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America was slow
and somewhat irregular. While some countries ex-
perienced improved relations with the United States
in the 1990’s, others did not.The Nineties in America Latin America 505