Letterman is retiring. I think it’s for the best. He used to be so lively and fun.

Now? Cranky, sometimes mean.

On one hand, I hope women are in the mix for the new host of Late Night.

Late Show With Not A Man http://t.co/WP53ZIFs7b

— The Hairpin (@thehairpin) April 3, 2014

Very much so.

The best thing the Late Show could do to regain relevance vis-a-vis Fallon’s dominance in new-era TV to web programming is hire a woman host

— Alison McQuade (@akmcquade) April 3, 2014

On the other, it’s a very specific career path. If you’re good at it, you hold the post for the rest of your active career. If you’re bad – rather, if ratings aren’t stellar – you get replaced and your image takes a hit.

Why would someone like the awesome Tina Fey set herself up for that while also potentially limiting her ability to work on other projects like television show development and films and best-selling books?

Johnny Carson occasionally had guest hosts cover for him. Reruns are the worst. Who wants to sit through, say, Russell Crowe promoting Noah months later?

Is it time for the talk show model to change? If so, how?

Update: Ellen would be perfect for this.