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In the New Yorker's 1978 profile of TV icon Johnny Carson, author Kenneth Tynan pinpoints the essential quality of Carson's genius: contempt. It's what the paterfamilias talk show host imparted to fellow midwestern David Letterman, rightful heir to the Tonight Show estate. In the early days however, Letterman ran aground. As the 1980s saw the Late Show struggling to find its way, there was no telling what Carson saw in the weatherman-turned-bumbling court jester. Dave's routine lacked both the deceptive modesty and turnaround wit he's now able to muster five nights a week, even, and especially when, his guests falter.

Letterman was never a great comedian. Jay Leno was. That their divergent histories produced comic glory for the former and cloying mediocrity for the latter is a matter of understanding their talents and vulnerabilities. Where Leno panders, Letterman prods. Most relevant perhaps, there's an overriding sincerity present with Letterman, while Leno remains schmaltzy and repressed. And this genuine appreciation of comedic talent was shared by Carson. If you got the invitation for a short sit down after a set on the Tonight Show, you had it made. Though Letterman's format doesn't allow him such a gesture, we've compiled a list of appearances in which it's been plain to see who's gotten the seal of approval from the true king of late night. READ MORE