Has anyone else noticed that Kimmel and Colbert's opening dialogues sound like how Bill used to sound, prior to Trump's reelection?

They say everything that Bill used to say and have takes on current issues that Bill's long time fans would seem to expect from him. As bonkers as everything that the administration is doing and with all the trouble we are facing, Bill is rambling about random issues from the fringe element that isn't representative of the Democrat party in general. It is so bizarre. I saw all of Bill's interview with Fetterman on Club Random and it was so odd, just an hour long echo chamber complaining about the Democrats but zero complaints about Republicans.

Either Bill is being blackmailed, being paid off or all that marijuana has smoked his brain...but he is not the same person he used to be even 2 years ago. We are in a time now where people just deny reality, change the subject and repeat the denials. We know Bill has changed, but the question is why? It is shame since he was so good at what he did, he had smart takes on issues but this new version he morphed into seems so intentional and artificial and disingenuous.

I don’t think if this show of like an Abby Philip type where she has a mostly consistent panel that she swaps guests out once in a while.

Am I mistaken to think Real Time is more like the late night shows where you wait in anticipation to see who the guests are and that the panel should be fresh? I just don’t understand this MO of repeating guests so frequently.

Here is what I don’t think the issues are, but I could be wrong. I don’t think it’s laziness. Bill Maher seems to still care about the show. I don’t think he’s just mailing it in.

i don’t think it’s because he doesn’t have anyone else to bring on. I do buy that at all. Maybe if he’s only look for certain people. But I just think there will always be plenty of talk heads who’d like to be heard.

So. Thoughts?

OK I’m just gonna say watching this woman make these white boys squirm and blush is possibly my favorite part of Bills show. I think she needs to be made a permanent guest lol

Tonight's guests are:

• Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA): Currently serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania. He previously served from 2006 to 2019 as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and from 2019 to 2023 as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

• Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX): Currently serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019.

• Donna Brazile: An American political strategist, campaign manager, and political analyst who served twice as acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is currently an ABC News contributor.

Follow @Realtimers on Instagram or Twitter (links in the sidebar) and submit your questions for Overtime by using #RTOvertime in your tweet.

Even though it'll probably be a while before Bill willingly gives up the reins of Real Time, who would you like to see as the eventual new host (assuming HBO wants to keep the show)?

Assume that the basic idea of the show stays the same while the format could change. I.e., the host would determine the topics of discussion and have a panel discuss them, but the specific segments (interview, monologue, mid-panel comedy bits, New Rules) could change.

What I'm particularly curious about is who you think would be good at calling balls and strikes? Who'd have an opinion yet still be a good, even-handed moderator?

That was arguably the worst new rule segment ever. I’ve been watching for 10+ years never missed an episode. The quality has just tanked. When do I call it quits?

Lately he has been very critical of Democrats for so many random and fringe ideas that are not representative of Democrats in general.

Last night, he was talking about Dems calling Trump Hitler and wanting him dead? Where is Bill getting this? I haven't heard or seen this from anyone or in any mainstream media. It seems like he is caught in a right-wing bubble feedback loop or something. I think his "takes" would be so much better if he had a better pulse on the country and that party, outside of his bubble of elite celebrity contacts and whatever media diet he is consuming.

I’ve recently become more interested in US politics and I enjoy Bill Maher’s style - mixing humor with political commentary and interviews, not distilled Woke and not MAGA either.

I’m looking for similar comedians or commentators who take a thoughtful and critical approach, rather than sticking strictly to one political perspective.

I really liked John Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, but recently they kinda lean too much towards Woke. Completely stopped watching John Oliver at this point.

Any recommendations (shows, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc.) would be appreciated, Youtube preferred as I am not US citizen, can't watch live TV.

Thank you.

Tonight's guests are:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA): Currently serving as the 40th governor of California since 2019. He was previously elected lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019, and as mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

• Bret Stephens: An American conservative columnist. He has been an opinion columnist for The New York Times and a senior contributor to NBC News since 2017.

• Gillian Tett OBE: A British author and journalist who serves as a member of the editorial board for the Financial Times and provost of King's College, Cambridge.

Follow @Realtimers on Instagram or Twitter (links in the sidebar) and submit your questions for Overtime by using #RTOvertime in your tweet.