'The Late Late Show with James Corden' got off to a solid, star-studded start

The Late Late Show with James CordenBritish actor and comedian James Corden took over hosting duty for Craig Ferugson on "The Late Late Show" on CBS Monday night. 

Corden, who is a big star in England, is not yet a household name in America. However, after just one night, he proved that he could fit right in, as he already got a chance to bond with one of America's favorite stars. 

Tom Hanks stopped by the "Late Late Show" to reenact the actor's most iconic movies in just eight minutes.

Watch the full, funny video here:Corden also got help from a few other famous faces.

Mila Kunis appeared as a guest and revealed that she is "maybe" married to Ashton Kutcher.

The Late Late Show with James CordenCorden's "Into the Woods" co-star Meryl Streep stopped by in a pre-taped video, as did Lena Dunham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Simon Cowell, Chris Rock, Eddie Redmayne, Joel McHale, Simon Cowell, George Lopez, Billy Crystal, Katie Couric, Chelsea Handler, Shia LaBeouf, Allison Janney, and CBS President Les Moonves. 

But one of the biggest surprises was Jay Leno, who controversially came out of retirement to take back the "Tonight Show" while Conan O'Brien was host. In the video, Leno trains Corden to be a late night host "Whiplash" style. Leno also proves he at least has a sense of humor about his reputation, as he ends the video by claiming, "in three months, this show will be mine."

Corden's reign is off to a solid start: Nielsen estimates that his "Late Late Show" is 17% above the Late Late Show season average when Ferguson hosted from September through mid-December.

It is hard to tell yet whether those numbers will remain consistent, given that there is always a curiousity factor in the first night of somebody's hosting tenure. But given that a lot of successful late night hosts, including Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, took time to establish their comedic voice, it is promising to see how much confidence Corden has right out of the gate. Things could change even more in September once he has Stephen Colbert as a lead-in.

Now, if only he could get Hanks to stick around for a few more episodes.

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