‘Late Late’ tops ‘Late’ for first time

Recently sworn-in U.S. citizen Craig Ferguson is being embraced by his new countrymen: The late-night comic hit a ratings milestone with his first victory over NBC’s Conan O’Brien.

For the week beginning March 31, the CBS “Late Late Show” averaged more viewers than O’Brien’s “Late Night” (1.88 million to 1.77 million) for the first time when they’ve competed with all-original shows since Ferguson started in January 2005.

It caps a slow and steady climb for Ferguson and raises a red flag for future “Tonight” show host O’Brien, although NBC says it is still happy with his audience.

O’Brien still led among advertiser-coveted viewers aged 18 to 49.

Ferguson is “getting looser and looser all the time and for the last few months it’s clear that he’s having such a good time that you can’t resist it as a viewer,” says his executive producer, veteran late-night hand Peter Lassally.

Ferguson, a Scotsman, passed an American citizenship test and was formally sworn in on Feb. 1. He’ll host the annual White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington, D.C., later this month.