Welcome back, Arsenio Hall

Welcome back, Arsenio Hall

Will return with a new talk show next year

The big buzz in the TV world so far this week is the news that Arsenio Hall is returning to late-night TV. And I couldn't be happier! I've long lamented the fact that Arsenio's been gone far too long, and after he won the last Celebrity Apprentice, I'd hoped this marked the start of his television comeback.

I was right! Arsenio is indeed coming back, with a syndicated talk show that's set to start in the fall of 2013. As a former fan of The Arsenio Hall Show, I can only hope that this new show, a partnership with CBS Television Distribution, is half as entertaining.Here's the thing: Back when Arsenio Hall's first late-night talk show was on, I really almost had to watch it. That's because I was living in a dorm with crappy TV reception, and The Arsenio Hall Show was all I could get late-night. I suppose when something is your only option, you just learn to love it. My roommate and I barked right along with him, every single night (except weekends, when we were of course partying ourselves into a stupor).

Maybe The Arsenio Hall Show wasn't that great, after all? I guess we'll see soon enough. I remember that Arsenio was a great host and a fun interviewer -- but again, I was watching on rabbit ears (and even then, the picture was usually fuzzy). I hope it's as good as I remember...

At the moment, the new Arsenio show will be shown (for sure) on 17 stations in major markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Chicago. If the buzz gets bigger, I bet they'll add more markets.

Welcome back, Arsenio! It's good to have options and variety in late-night television, though I'm not entirely sure I'd prefer Hall to Craig Ferguson or David Letterman. I will, however, be thrilled to watch Arsenio's new show on a (much) larger television with (much) better reception!

Anyone else kind of excited that Arsenio Hall is coming back to late-night TV?