The latest docuseries coming to TV is The Story of Late Night, which premieres Sunday, May 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
If you don’t have cable, here are some ways you can watch a live stream of The Story of Late Night streaming online for free:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CNN is included in every package, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch The Story of Late Night live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of CNN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch The Story of Late Night live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which includes most shows after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of CNN and 30-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” or “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but you can get your first month for $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch The Story of Late Night live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
‘The Story of Late Night’ Preview
“The Story of Late Night” is CNN’s latest original series. It is a six-part documentary that aims to “take viewers on a journey through late-night television’s most memorable moments,” according to CNN’s press release.
It continues:
Spanning a more than 60-year history of engaging with, adapting to and influencing our rapidly changing society, late-night television has grown into a thriving entertainment phenomenon and vitally important cultural institution.
The docuseries features archival footage of late-night legends such as Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman, alongside interviews with today’s popular comedic voices including, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Chelsea Handler, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, James Corden, Amber Ruffin, Desus & Mero, Whoopi Goldberg, W. Kamau Bell, and many more. Behind-the-scenes decision-makers including Lorne Michaels and Jeff Zucker are also featured giving their first-hand accounts of an entertainment medium that changed the face of television forever.
The series will regularly air on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with an extended series finale examining the present day, diverse generation of hosts reimagining political comedy for the Trump era only to confront the format’s greatest challenge yet: COVID-19.
CNN Audio is also launching a companion podcast for “The Story of Late Night,” offering listeners an original audio experience that goes even deeper into the world of late-night television with more immersive, audio-first interviews from series guests. Hosted by CNN contributor and former New York Times media reporter Bill Carter, the “Behind the Desk: Story of Late Night” podcast will explore late-night television from its inception to present day, and look ahead toward the genre’s increasingly digital and more diverse future. The podcast, produced by CNN Audio and Cream Productions, will release its first two episodes on Thursday, April 22 on all podcast platforms, with subsequent episodes released every Thursday.
“I’ve covered late-night TV for a long time, long enough to know it’s filled with fascinating personalities, big moments, big laughs, all kinds of conflicts, characters, craziness and compelling stories,” said Bill Carter, author of New York Times Best Seller “The Late Shift,” in a statement. “In our docuseries and our accompanying podcast, we’re going to take a deep dive into all of that–and have a lot of fun doing it.”
The first episode focuses on Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson at the dawn of late-night TV. Episode two is about Carson’s undisputed reign as king of late-night, episodes three and four focus on David Letterman and Jay Leno, episode five focuses on the expansion of late-night TV beyond the big three networks, and the final episode looks at the present-day state of late-night TV.
“The Story of Late Night” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.