The Congregation could be the new Dog Pound, at least if Michael Che’s first “episode” of his late-night talk show is any indication.
“The Congregation”—2024’s answer to Arsenio Hall’s barking audience members—is the collective noun loosely bestowed upon the crowd that assembled at Manhattan’s City Winery on Tuesday night. (Long story. You had to be there.) They were there to witness what the comedian previously promised would be “late night history” in the making: a test episode of Don’t Sleep With Michael Che, the “Weekend Update” co-anchor’s proposed new late-night series.
LateNighter was on the (no-phones-allowed) scene to learn everything we could about the project, which Che is clearly having fun attempting to define. (He admitted that he had sprung the idea on the show’s producer just days earlier.)
Set within the Loft at City Winery, which seemed to have sold out its 150-person capacity, the stage featured a makeshift desk for Che, a couch for guests, and a DJ off to the side. Though the main elements were there, the show didn’t quite adhere to the trappings of a traditional late-night show—and that seems to be by design. The live show experience seemed more exploratory than anything else, with the comic keeping things loose. He explained that his main vision at this point is to create “a conversation” with the audience.
After a set by comedian Derek Gaines (who was more an opening act than a typical warm-up comic), Che took center stage to deliver some of his own standup comedy versus a traditional monologue. Then came the guests: Newly former SNL writer Alex English appeared in character as a singer, sitting for a chat then singing a rendition of Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” Comedians Aminah Imani and Reggie Conquest also guested.
The interviews were freewheeling and unstructured, rather than the typical story-and-a-promo chats seen on most late-night shows these days. The result was a show that felt less like The Tonight Show (despite the fact that Che was wearing a “Fallon” sweatshirt) and more like The Chris Gethard Show or John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in LA—the latter of which may have helped open up the current late-night space to less traditional shows with its brief but acclaimed run on Netflix in May.
This experimental atmosphere was most evident in the turn the show took at the end. Before wrapping up, it evolved into a seemingly unplanned Dating Game-style panel with three audience members, all of whom volunteered to be considered for a date with Imani. (After a series of less-than-stellar answers from each of them, none were chosen.) The only prewritten material came by way of fake ad reads interspersed throughout the show.
Che’s plans for what comes next seem as carefree as the nature of the show itself. Beyond a couple references about possibly pitching it to streamers and showing a tape of the City Winery event to Lorne Michaels, he didn’t elaborate on where he’d like it to go.
Although Che’s announcement of this project left some wondering if he might be planning to leave Saturday Night Live ahead of the show’s upcoming 50th season, he didn’t address the rumblings—or anything about his life at 30 Rock. But the laidback nature of Tuesday night’s taping suggests nothing is imminent.
But Che did make one thing clear: There’s more to come. He told the crowd he wanted to do more of these live events, so fans who missed out on Tuesday’s show should keep their eyes peeled for future announcements. Overall, The Congregation seemed to really enjoy the experience—and so did the host, who took to Instagram after the event to call it “a delight.”
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