Late Night

After almost 30 years, a groundbreaking talk-show host suspects she may soon be losing her coveted seat on late-night television unless she manages a game-changing transformation

Katherine Newbury is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late-night, she keeps her writers’ room on a short leash—and all-male. But, when ratings plummet and she is accused of being a “woman who hates women,” Katherine puts gender equality on her to-do list and impulsively hires Molly Patel, a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female on her writing staff.

With rumours swirling that Katherine is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host, she demands that the writers make her funny and relevant again. A lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove that she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything upon which Katherine has staked her reputation, Molly urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal—a move that could either make Molly’s career or send her back to the chemical plant for good.