Arsenio Hall Returns to Late-Night

Arsenio Hall (with executive producers Neal Kendall and John Ferriter) talks to TV critics in Los Angeles about his return to late-night TV. “Arsenio” debuts nationwide on Sept. 9. (CBS photo)

Arsenio Hall returns to late-night TV with a syndicated show debuting Sept. 9 on stations nationwide, including 11 p.m. weeknights on KTVI (Channel 2) in St. Louis.

Hall is so excited about the new show that after a reel of clips from his old program aired for TV critics meeting in Los Angeles, Hall began speaking without waiting for introductions. He kept talking for nearly 15 minutes after the session was supposed to end.

Hall’s return to TV after 19 years has been long in the planning. His intention, he said, was to announce it after he was eliminated from “Celebrity Apprentice” last year. However, he wound up winning the season over Clay Aiken and decided to coast on that victory a while. Pal Jay Leno offered advice throughout, Hall said.

In one big change from last time, the new “Arsenio” will lean heavily on social media, which he said “can drive people from the computer to the TV screen.” He’ll also Google for material. “I can’t wait to write jokes and do comedy and prepare interviews in this digital world.”

The challenges, Hall acknowledged, “are gigantic now.”

His plan isn’t really to make “Arsenio” different from any other late-night show. “Basically, what I’ll do is just assert my personality and hope people will hang with me.”