Editing Late Show with David Letterman (section)

===Episode structure===
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2009}}
The show's opening credits featured a series of shots of New York City as the CBS Orchestra performed the ''Late Show'' theme (a livelier variation of the more jazzy ''Late Night'' theme). The announcer presented the names of that night's guests, as well as Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra, then introduced Letterman. On rare episodes, the show began with a [[cold open]] as Letterman, dressed casually, briefly interacted with a celebrity or performed a short sketch backstage before the traditional opening sequence began. As with his previous shows, the copy for the open included [[non sequitur (literary device)|non sequiturs]] about New York and Letterman, though the former would change after the [[September 11 attacks]] to simply "the greatest city in the world".

In the last few years, Alan Kalter included himself in the introduction. In addition, Letterman took to dashing across the stage either just before, while, or just after Kalter introduced him. In years prior, Letterman would be greeted by two female models, sometimes in costume. For an extended stretch of episodes, one of the models would be performing with several [[hula hoop]]s, while the other would be wearing a metal suit and operating a [[grinding machine]] against her abdomen, a carry-over from their first appearance on the sketch, "Is This Anything?"

Letterman would then walk out on the show stage to perform his stand-up [[monologue]], which occasionally began with a reference to something an audience member said to him during the pre-show question-and-answer session. The jokes were based on pop culture, current events, and politics. He then introduced one or two video jokes such as a running gag or fake commercial/public service announcement. The monologue was followed by Letterman's introduction of Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra. Beginning in 2009, a commercial break replaced Letterman's trademark 'crossing to the desk', which he had done since the early years. Letterman then chatted with the audience and Shaffer, sometimes relating an anecdote from his personal life, sometimes discussing his anticipation of a particular guest; a [[running gag]] may have been featured.

In 2005, after the death of Johnny Carson, it was revealed that Carson had made a habit of sometimes sending jokes to Letterman which Letterman would then incorporate into his monologues. The January 31, 2005, episode of the ''Late Show'', which featured a tribute to Carson, began with a monologue made up entirely of jokes written by Carson since his retirement.<ref>{{cite web | date=February 11, 2009 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carson-feeds-jokes-to-letterman/ | title=Carson Feeds Jokes to Letterman | publisher=CBS News | access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/123709/letterman_pays_special_tribute_to_carson/ | title=Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson | work=redOrbit | date=February 1, 2005 | access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>

Letterman read the [[Top Ten list (David Letterman)|Top Ten List]] at this point before turning to guest interviews with a celebrity, politician, or other public figure. On most episodes, the first guest stayed on through the commercial break and continued the interview.

Following the first guest was a short segment to bridge two commercial breaks sequentially. In earlier episodes, Letterman would return to his running gag during this break, or retry a failed stunt from earlier in the show. Later episodes included a brief comedy announcement from announcer Alan Kalter while showing the audience cheering.

The final segment consisted of a live musical performance, a comedian performing a [[stand-up comedian|stand-up]] routine, or another guest interview. Musical guests included artists from [[David Bowie]], [[U2]], [[Neil Young]], [[Coldplay]] to indie bands like [[Grizzly Bear (band)|Grizzly Bear]], [[Gorillaz]], [[MENEW]], and [[Animal Collective]]. The [[CBS Orchestra]] frequently accompanied musical guests in performing their songs. Episodes occasionally concluded with Letterman recommending viewers stay tuned for ''[[The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder|Tom Snyder]]'', ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn|Craig Kilborn]]'', ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson|Craig Ferguson]]'' (''[[The Late Late Show with James Corden|James Corden]]'' in 2015), but usually he simply waved to the camera, saying, "Good night everybody!" In the latter part of the run, the admonishment to watch Craig Ferguson and James Corden was delivered by Alan Kalter, via [[voiceover]].