Autumn is around the corner, and the TV networks have officially declared battle with an exciting array of shows for us to binge-watch as the skies grow dark. Prepare for your evenings to receive an extra dose of humour, because Lilly Singh’s late-night talk show is finally here.

Tonight, the Indian-Canadian YouTube sensation makes her groundbreaking TV debut with the premiere of A Little Late With Lilly Singh on NBC. Ahead of the show’s first run, the comedian has announced a star-studded guest line-up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Singh will be welcoming Mindy Kaling to the sofa as her first guest, which is especially fitting given that Singh is taking strides towards diverse representation as the second woman of colour to host a late-night talk show since Wanda Sykes made history with her Saturday night Fox programme 10 years ago. 

Kaling, who is also of South Asian heritage, is already a huge fan of Singh. Earlier in June, while promoting the film Late Night on the Canadian entertainment show, etalk, Kaling predicted that Singh will fly in her new gig.

“Oh my gosh, well, Lilly is incredible, and I wonder if I’m qualified to give her advice because from such a young age she’s had this massive following on YouTube. And to do that every day, she’s probably used to the rigours of coming up with self-generating material. Characters dancing, impressions… Like everything. She can do it already. I wonder if she actually thinks that this new job will be slightly easier than what she’s had to do beforehand,” she enthused.

“Of course I love that she’s Indian and that her parents have been so supportive of that. That is something that is great for our community to see. But, honestly, I feel like I could learn from her, you know? She’s fantastic and the idea that I could give her advice, it’s a very nice question to even ask me. She’s amazing. She’s going to do great,” she continued.

There are plenty more special guests waiting in the wings too, with Kaling’s The Office co-star Rainn Wilson also set to make an appearance on the first show, while Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson, black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross and comedian Chelsea Handler are all lined up for the rest of the week.

There’s more good news for viewers too, as NBC have confirmed that although the first episode of A Little Late will air on TV on 16 September at 1.35am ET, fans of Singh will able to live-stream the entire premiere episode on the show’s YouTube channel at 10pm EST, which is a fitting homage given that the star’s 15 million subscribers helped propel her to fame on her “IISuperwomanII” channel. True to form, Singh will be turning up in the live-stream chat to interact with her fans. 

NBC also announced that the network will be airing an hour-long primetime special on 18 September to introduce Singh to viewers. 

Singh is fully aware of the significance of her primetime slot. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly earlier in March, she recognised that her TV debut will bring much-needed representation to the small screen as a bisexual woman of colour - by way of a joke, naturally. 

“An Indian-Canadian woman with her own late-night show? Now that is a dream come true,” she remarked. “I’m thrilled to bring it to life on NBC, and I hope my parents consider this to be as exciting as a grandchild.”

The series premiere of A Little Late With Lilly Singh will stream tonight on YouTube at 10pm ET, and air on NBC at 1.35am ET. 

Images: Getty