Like almost every late-night show ever launched, it will need some time to settle into itself, but the first week suggests that Singh is charismatic and original enough to pull it off. ... The least impressive segments were the ones that felt most directly aimed at introducing Singh to the audience. ... Even better and more promising for Singh’s show in the long run is that within the first week she demonstrates that she’s a funny, fast, and magnetic interviewer.
If hosting a late-night show is a marathon, Lilly Singh bounded into her NBC series with plenty of energy, some promising moments and a few easily corrected stumbles.
Singh’s opening monologues operate more like abbreviated stand-up sets, tackling broad topics like marijuana legalization and not getting the sex talk from her parents. The rest of the half-hour episodes belong to extended celebrity interviews and videos that feel too much like saggy “SNL” sketches rather than Singh’s own. ... What’s most interesting (and promising) about the first week of “A Little Late” is how much works because of Singh’s in the moment stage presence.