Overview

• The Season 3 opener aired Oct. 12 on CBS as a special Sunday preview, with episodes streaming the next day on Paramount+ and regular Thursday scheduling resuming Oct. 16.
• Carrie Preston said the team grew nervous when CBS announced The Late Show would end just before filming, but Stephen Colbert arrived fully prepared and eager to work.
• Showrunner Jonathan Tolins says the late‑night storyline and Colbert’s role were planned months earlier and were not rewritten after the cancellation news.
• The premiere features Amy Sedaris as a head writer and Andy Richter as a show sidekick, and it introduces guest officer Grace Hackett, played by Lindsay Mendez.
• Coverage notes broader industry context raised by commentators, including Paramount’s settlement with Donald Trump and the company’s FCC review in the Skydance merger process.