This week marks the beginning of the end for Stephen Colbert on his show “The Colbert Report,” as he moves on to take over David Letterman’s spot on “The Late Show.”

Colbert announced last spring that this upcoming season would be his last with the big news of him “winning television” and taking over for Letterman. The last episode of his show will air this Thursday, Dec. 18 at its usual time.

Fans of the show are dreading the finale of his comedic take on news, as he is one of the few TV personalities to make television refreshing and to cause audiences to think twice. He made television smarter by not arbitrarily making fun of the news, but by taking a step back and reflecting on politics, news, media and culture in a light that few dare, or think, to do. He ran the show as if he were making a State of the Union address and acted as a deliberately pompous patriot, but through his satire he never failed to use logic and facts. By almost never breaking character on-screen- even in unrelated interviews- Colbert will go down as one of the few people to never spoil a joke in nearly a decade.

As the show continues to near its end Colbert and his team continue to amp up the guests and the content. Last week they did the show from Washington D.C. and somehow got President Barack Obama on to do a funny skit. Despite the big title of “President of the free world,” Obama was not Colbert’s final guest on the show.

The list includes Seth Rogen, Kendrick Lamar, former Marine and author Phil Klay, and the Grim Reaper. Yes, the Grim Reaper. Colbert has hinted as “Grimmy’s” presence since October, and it foreshadows that he will probably have a rough ending during the last episode this Thursday.

With big changes rapidly approaching for Colbert and his fans, it is evident that Comedy Central’s late-night lineup will look quite different. Comedy Central still has Jon Stewart, and many are excited to see the sendoffs that Jon gives and how the two will interact, if at all, from different networks.

So thank you, Stephen, for helping make TV bearable by satirically calling out those who need it most, giving us gut-wrenching laughs nightly, and ultimately making us smarter. We can’t wait to see you in a new spotlight as Letterman 2.0!