The “Late Show” cancellation was a disappointment. But a surreally lovely final episode turned it into a cancellebration.

Colbert was joined by famous friends, fellow hosts and special guests like Paul McCartney for the finale of “The Late Show.”

Hundreds of people, including a pope, staked out the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan, hoping to get in, or just get a glimpse.

Stephen Colbert’s “Colbert Report” satirized politics. Then his “Late Show” confronted a moment when politics became self-satirizing.

Maybe “Saturday Night Live” should go instead.

The former president was critical of President Trump, without ever naming him. Mr. Obama also urged Democrats to be plain-spoken, and talked about aliens.

Our attachment to an institution may seem counterintuitive, especially with comedy, a rebellious art form. But with Stephen Colbert’s program, there was a lot at stake.

Plus, Brad Pitt vs. Tom Cruise?

Stephen Colbert said he had to drop an interview with James Talarico from his Monday broadcast because of new F.C.C. guidance that targeted political interviews on late-night shows.