This neon sign was used in the title sequence of NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman. Late night talk shows have been a stable of television since 1954, when NBC’s The Tonight Show first aired. Letterman’s (b. 1947) ironic sensibility reflected the critical yet enthusiastic engagement audiences had with the familiar format by this time. Letterman hosted Late Night from 1982-1993, later moving to CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, which he helmed from 1993 until his retirement in 2015.