Joe Biden, in New York on business, was the first guest on Stephen Colbert’s third show last night, and where most late night interviews are jovial and lighthearted, the chat between Biden and Colbert was sober and sincere, with Biden discussing the life of his son and how he dealt with his recent death.

The reviews of Stephen Colbert’s first episode of Late Show With Stephen Colbert are in. The verdict is: sure, this will do. But the future of the show will rest on how well Colbert can blend surrealism with affability, a formula perfected by his predecessor David Letterman from just about opening night 22 years ago.

The quandary hovering over Stephen Colbert’s new late night television show—one addressed at length by the host himself during the inaugural episode—is how he will be able to transition from the political satire that made him famous into the sort of generalist humor that might make him more palatable to a wider (i.e. older) audience.

Conan O’Brien’s response to sharing a time slot with David Letterman’s last show was funny and cool as hell! Sadly, there’s no word on whether his viewer actually changed the channel, but that’s neither here nor there.