In its most basic sense, a TV talk show involves a host who interviews a series of guests. The talk show is one of the oldest of TV genres, and some of today's talk shows still resemble the talk shows of TV's early days. Over the decades, however, the talk-show genre has splintered and evolved along several different tracks, so that now there are several distinct varieties of talk show. 3o3a48

"The Tonight Show" on NBC has aired continuously since 1954, making it the longest-running talk show on TV. "The Tonight Show" is responsible for developing the format of the late-night talk show, which typically includes an opening monologue, interviews, musical performances and comedy skits. This format is still followed by most late-night talk shows, including those hosted by David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

Early-morning talk shows are typically more news-oriented, although they traditionally also include interviews, musical performances and lifestyle features; "Today" and "Good Morning, America" are popular examples of this subgenre. Talk shows that air later in the day are less likely to delve into news or current events, instead focusing on celebrity interviews, lifestyle features and self-help topics; Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres have hosted immensely popular examples of this subgenre.

Politically-oriented talk shows on cable news networks - and on Sunday morning on broadcast networks - usually stay away from entertainment and lifestyle topics and stick to serious matters. Politically-oriented comedy talk shows, like "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report," however, bridge the gap between entertainment and political talk.

    Real Time with Bill Maher
    Real Time with Bill Maher
    The View
    The View
    Judy Justice
    Judy Justice
    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
    Live with Kelly & Mark
    Live with Kelly & Mark
    The Graham Norton Show
    The Graham Norton Show
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
    Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    The Problem With Jon Stewart
    The Problem With Jon Stewart
    The Oprah Winfrey Show
    The Oprah Winfrey Show
    E:60
    E:60
    Hit The Floor
    Hit The Floor
    Flea Market Flip
    Flea Market Flip
    LazyTown
    LazyTown
    Graveyard Carz
    Graveyard Carz
    The Big Interview
    The Big Interview
    Conan Without Borders
    Conan Without Borders
    The Steve Wilkos Show
    The Steve Wilkos Show
    Wisdom Teachings
    Wisdom Teachings
    Inside the Actors Studio
    Inside the Actors Studio
    Larrymania
    Larrymania
    WWE Rivals
    WWE Rivals
    Wendy Williams: What a Mess!
    Wendy Williams: What a Mess!
    Salvage Dawgs
    Salvage Dawgs
    Comedy Bang! Bang!
    Comedy Bang! Bang!
    UnSung
    UnSung
    The Talk
    The Talk
    L.A. Hair
    L.A. Hair
    The Shop: Uninterrupted
    The Shop: Uninterrupted
    The Rachel Maddow Show
    The Rachel Maddow Show
    Cold As Balls
    Cold As Balls
    Dr. Phil Show
    Dr. Phil Show
    Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice
    Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice
    Charlie Rose
    Charlie Rose
    The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
    The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
    That Metal Show
    That Metal Show
    Airplane Repo
    Airplane Repo
    Comedy Central Roast
    Comedy Central Roast
    Play-Doh Squished
    Play-Doh Squished
    The Big Gay Sketch Show
    The Big Gay Sketch Show
    Jerry Springer
    Jerry Springer
    kennedy
    kennedy
    Live! with Kelly
    Live! with Kelly
    Late Show with David Letterman
    Late Show with David Letterman
    Dish Nation
    Dish Nation
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
    Ripley's Believe It or Not!
    Ripley's Believe It or Not!
    The Jennifer Hudson Show
    The Jennifer Hudson Show
    Gem Hunt
    Gem Hunt
    Love Connection
    Love Connection
    The Top Ten Revealed
    The Top Ten Revealed
    My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
    My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
    First Take
    First Take
    Late Night with Seth Meyers
    Late Night with Seth Meyers
    StarTalk
    StarTalk
    Upright Citizens Brigade
    Upright Citizens Brigade
    The Jonathan Ross Show
    The Jonathan Ross Show
    The Suze Orman Show
    The Suze Orman Show
    En Casa con Telemundo
    En Casa con Telemundo
    Long Way Up
    Long Way Up
    Container Wars
    Container Wars
    MANswers
    MANswers
    The Whitest Kids U Know
    The Whitest Kids U Know
    One on One with Kirk Cameron
    One on One with Kirk Cameron
    The Daily Show
    The Daily Show
    Fox Business Network Live
    Fox Business Network Live
    Feherty
    Feherty
    The Awakening
    The Awakening
    Milton Berle Show
    Milton Berle Show
    The Kids In The Hall
    The Kids In The Hall
    The Doctors
    The Doctors
    Live with Kelly & Michael
    Live with Kelly & Michael
    Conan
    Conan
    Nancy Grace
    Nancy Grace
    NBC TODAY Show
    NBC TODAY Show
    PBS Newshour
    PBS Newshour
    Blue Collar TV
    Blue Collar TV
    Judge Dad
    Judge Dad
    UFOs Declassified: LIVE
    UFOs Declassified: LIVE
    TMZ Live
    TMZ Live
    Watch What Happens: Live
    Watch What Happens: Live
    T.D. Jakes
    T.D. Jakes
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show
    Neeya Naana (Tamil)
    Neeya Naana (Tamil)
    Lo Mejor de Caso Cerrado
    Lo Mejor de Caso Cerrado
    Translation
    Translation
    The Oprah Conversation
    The Oprah Conversation
    All Access
    All Access
    Talking Dead
    Talking Dead
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
    The 700 Club
    The 700 Club
    Howard Stern: The Interview
    Howard Stern: The Interview
    TEDTalks
    TEDTalks
    GMA Live!
    GMA Live!
    The Stephen A. Smith Show
    The Stephen A. Smith Show
    The Pat McAfee Show
    The Pat McAfee Show
    Urban Tarzan
    Urban Tarzan
    The Opposition with Jordan Klepper
    The Opposition with Jordan Klepper
    The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations
    The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations
    Diggers
    Diggers