The in-person show\u2019s segments focus on a range of topics: from serious issues like Chicago\u2019s public transit budget shortfall to comedic bits like \u201cthe random Chicagoans that you\u2019ll encounter during your perfect Chicago summer that will make your life a little bit more of a hassle,\u201d Swinson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are just like any show that you would stay up late for, like Colbert or \u2018The Daily Show\u2019 or Jimmy Fallon,\u201d Swinson said. \u201cBut essentially, there are two main distinctions between us and those shows you would see on TV. The main one is that we try and base a lot of our content on the goings-on of Chicago itself. \u2026 And the other distinction is, as the title implies, the show is not very late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once a month, the show kicks off at 7:30 or 8 p.m. and lasts about 90 minutes. That gives fans a chance to get off work, grab a quick drink or bite and \u201cif they want, be in bed around 10 o\u2019clock,\u201d Swinson said.<\/p>\n
The show also features a variety of local guests, from poet and artist Eve L. Ewing to Rep. Delia C. Ramirez. Ewing joined Swinson in May at the Lincoln Lodge<\/a> \u2014 the talk show\u2019s home for a year and a half \u2014 and Ramirez attended in June<\/a>.<\/p>\n This month\u2019s guest, Chicago\u2019s very own urban historian, Shermann \u201cDilla\u201d Thomas<\/a>, takes the stage 8 p.m. Thursday at the Steppenwolf Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St. Musical guest Clairice<\/a>, who will be at Lollapalooza this year, will perform.<\/p>\n Tickets are sold out, but a few more seats might open up<\/a>, according to the show\u2019s Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cYou always see these talk shows on TV, and they\u2019re in New York or they\u2019re in LA, and I view Chicago as just as special a city,\u201d Swinson said. \u201cNew York and LA play such a big role, they almost become a character unto itself of the shows \u2026 and I kind of felt like Chicago deserves something just like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Swinson moved to Chicago from Maryland about 12 years ago to pursue comedy. He\u2019s been enamored by the city, its neighborhoods and its people ever since, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are just so many things always moving, always happening. I just wanted to do a show that highlighted that and gave a platform to that,\u201d Swinson said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had people from community groups, we\u2019ve had activists and organizers and all types of folks on. Just kind of shining a light on them and all the great things going on in this city,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the city is so massive at times, we as citizens forget that the great people aren\u2019t always the ones you see on the news or in the paper every single day. They\u2019re the ones getting up and going to work and doing the thing, and they deserve that spotlight sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Because of the show\u2019s quick turnaround \u2014\u00a0it often gets put together in a week\u2019s time \u2014 Swinson said he and his team of friends don\u2019t have much time to think too much into the future. Still, he would love to partner with venues around the city to bring the show to their neighborhoods, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI would really love to be at a point where we can do this sort of thing on a regular basis, and we\u2019ll have a nice packed house, and my friends can really get the opportunity to be seen by a lot of folks,\u201d Swinson said.<\/p>\n Swinson\u2019s fellow cast members are sketch comedian and writer Sage Huston, writer and performer Dev Middleton, rapper and comedian Michael Van Pham and actor, writer and improviser Tori Wynn. There\u2019s also the band, Mich Shirey and the Night Watch. Learn more about the team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe one day, a couple years down the road, we\u2019ll be like, \u2018Oh, here we are. Somehow WGN believed in us enough to let us do this every week,\u2019 or something crazy like that,\u201d Swinson said. \u201cBecause I think the template is already there. It\u2019s kind of just getting enough eyes on it to make that a thing that could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Until then, Swinson just hopes he and his friends can make people laugh and introduce them to fellow Chicagoans doing cool things. He also has a few dream guests, like Gov. JB Pritzker, former Bulls player Joakim Noah<\/a> and Chance the Rapper<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s really what kind of keeps me going. It\u2019s the idea of, somebody can come in and see this show, they\u2019ll have some laughs,\u201d Swinson said. \u201cThen maybe they\u2019ll find out about somebody they\u2019ve never heard of before and learn something new, and maybe find a cause that they\u2019ll enjoy, or they\u2019ll find a local musical artist that they\u2019ve never heard of before and then they become a fan.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ntljuly25-2-1024x1024.png\")
The flyer for The Not That Late Show\u2019s July show at Steppenwolf Theatre, featuring host Justin Swinson and other cast members. Credit: Provided<\/p>\n