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Don鈥檛 take Stephen Colbert too seriously when he says, as he did on his late-night CBS debut Tuesday, that he is searching for the real Stephen Colbert.聽

He knows his strengths, point out media observers who tuned in to聽David Letterman鈥檚 successor.聽In all, some 6.6 million viewers watched the premiere of 鈥淭he Late Show With Stephen Colbert,鈥� CBS reported Wednesday, citing Nielsen ratings. While it鈥檚 premature to hold a coronation for a new king of late night, that was enough to double the ratings of "The Tonight Show" and was up more than 130 percent over last year鈥檚 ratings for the show.

Colbert had George Clooney heating up the seat beside him with a whole lot of inconsequential hot air. And a heap of sincerity that fans of 鈥淭he Colbert Report鈥� would hardly recognize.

But his true secret weapon, one that he honed for more than nine years over on Comedy Central was on display with his serious, but humorous interview of GOP presidential hopeful, Jeb Bush.聽

鈥淐olbert and his staff have correctly sized up the competition and discovered that the biggest weakness in late night TV is the interview,鈥� says Dave Berg, former executive producer of NBC鈥檚 鈥淭he Tonight Show.鈥� This is especially true with his closest competition, NBC鈥檚 Jimmy Fallon, says Mr. Berg.

鈥淔allon is incredibly talented, but he has redefined late night TV in such a way that interviews aren鈥檛 a factor,鈥� he says. While Fallon may bring聽on serious guests such as politicians, Berg says, he doesn鈥檛 interview them so much as 鈥渉e does shtick with them.鈥澛�

Nonetheless, Colbert鈥檚 opening night certainly pays homage to the well-established routines of late night, says Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York. 鈥淭hat structure with the opening monologue, the desk, the bandleader, and a line up of guests moving down the couch has been in place聽pretty much since the dawn of聽 鈥楾he Tonight Show鈥� in 1954,鈥� says Professor Thompson.

While Colbert may have divined a place to make his mark with the serious interview, he聽will have to do much better in defining that as his strength. For fans of the ironic conservative parody he played for nearly a decade, the biggest surprise may have been his unabashed sincerity in everything from the opening montage, in which he sang 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner鈥� with folks across the nation, to his closing sing-a-long, 鈥淓veryday People.鈥澛�

鈥淗e reminded me of Fallon as much as his old self over at Comedy Central,鈥� says Thompson, which means that Colbert has work to do聽in refining his new persona.聽

Colbert needs more of that old sharpness, agrees Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. 鈥淐olbert needs more of a razor edge than he showed last night to separate himself from the pack,鈥� he says.

In this social media age, where much of the war for the hearts and minds of late-night viewers is fought in the online space the next day, 鈥渉e also needs more viral segments 鈥� which Fallon specializes in 鈥� to rise to the top,鈥� he writes in an e-mail.

But Colbert already has helped to reshape聽expectations for late-night success with his own show, 鈥淭he Colbert Report,鈥� says James Farrelly, a professor of English and director of film studies at聽University of Dayton.

Colbert is 鈥渨ell schooled in sharing a moment of fake news with even the most difficult guests from the inner sanctums of D.C. and the world of work,鈥� he writes in an e-mail. And the new CBS host clearly intends to serve both demands with his new show.

鈥淗is guest list for the first short week indicates that he's nobody鈥檚 fool, and he can mix George Clooney with Jeb Bush, Scarlett Johannson with Elon Musk, Joe Biden and the Uber CEO, and Amy Schumer and Stephen King,鈥� says Professor Farrelly.

Political observation is part of Colbert鈥檚 fabric, says Jeff McCall, journalism professor at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.聽

鈥淗e is sure to keep political comedy as a main part of his new role,鈥� he says.

That may not be because audiences are demanding a more serious kind of show as much as that Colbert has to be true to his instincts, he adds.聽Beyond that, McCall notes, Colbert鈥檚 success at CBS聽hinges somewhat on being able to keep his followers from Comedy Central.聽

鈥淚f he tried to do a Carson or Leno type show, Colbert's devotees would abandon him as a sellout,鈥� he says via e-mail.

There is still a risk for Colbert if he makes his show too political, however.聽

Moving beyond his core fan base into the聽broader potential late-night audience, says McCall, 鈥渢hose viewers mostly want to be entertained and not necessarily have to confront the heavy issues of the political world, even in a comedic sense.鈥澛�