If you didn’t know already, I'm here to tell you that The Charlie Rose Show is the best interview program on TV.

Why am I writing to tell you this? Well, I’m getting tired of not being able to chit-chat at the water cooler with colleagues my age about recent episodes. Sure, Charlie Rose has a following with older folks -- I know plenty of Boomer-era parents who dig the 65 year-old journalist -- but I feel like a loner Gen Y'er in adoring the guy who has been facilitating fascinating philosophical discussions with actors, artists, politicians, academics, historians and novelists on a nightly basis since 1991. I know he's a sometime 60 Minutes correspondent, but Charlie's not like Andy Rooney -- he's a hip, open-minded guy, and that's why his show is so great.

I know what you're thinking -- this show looks boring. True, it has several strikes against it in the glamor department: first, it's on PBS, a channel that is not exactly known for being "cool"; second, it periodically features guests who have no clue about how to be charismatic in front of a camera (these guests always impart the most knowledge, though -- the academics, economists, political analysts, etc.); third, the bad '80s synthesized theme song that opens and ends each episode is eerily reminiscent of the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack -- and not in a good way.

But people, not only is there a dearth of interesting interview shows out there -- there's no other show at all that covers such a range of topics in such depth as this one. Like a thought-provoking film, Charlie’s interviews will sometimes stay with me for days on end. I'm grateful that the guy has a round table of experts to explain complicated Middle Eastern politics, scientific phenomena and new technologies to me; he's also the only person covering art and literature on late-night TV at all.

As the New Yorker is to the magazine rack, so Charlie Rose is to the TV interview. In the past couple of months alone he's had memorable discussions with Laura Bush, John Grisham, artist Damien Hirst, Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson, the Coen Brothers and the cast of No Country for Old Men. I was mesmerized by Rose's recent interview with Gabriel Byrne when the Irish actor discussed how playing a therapist on HBO's In Treatment has affected his psyche as a person and actor.

It's not hard for Charlie Rose to seem interesting when all other nighttime interviews are so lame. Let's face it, while Larry King does get the top-notch guests, his blunt, seemingly apathetic approach is not only un-enlightening, it's a bore. Rosie O'Donnell's recent assertion that the guy is a has-been who should retire was rudely expressed, but true. And while their late-night talk shows bring on the laughs with goofy sketches and punchline-driven monologues, Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Conan O'Brien don't conduct meaningful, insightful interviews with their guests. Their mission to get ratings means these hosts focus on yuks, not extended philosophical discussions.

If I haven't already made a case, consider these top three reasons why The Charlie Rose Show rocks, and why you should tune in:

1.) Rose Gets the Hard-to-Get Interviews:
From Bono to Bill and Melinda Gates to Laura Bush to Bill Murray to Barack Obama to Mick Jagger: the list of amazing people who rarely (if ever) grant interviews, but who dig Charlie Rose enough to indulge him, just goes on and on and on. The only in-person interviews I've ever seen with Wes Anderson have been on Charlie Rose ... Not only does Rose get interviews with these fascinating people, he has the luxury of time that commercial-free public television allows him, which is how he gets his guests to answer the big questions. For the kind of TV and film lovers who regularly check in to Film.com, there is no other TV forum where you can learn about your favorite actors, directors, and industry tastemakers' intellectual process and reasoning.

2.) Rose Keeps It Simple:
The scenery could not be more stripped down. Night in, night out it is the same simple set: guests sit at a round oak table with Charlie under spotlights in an all-black room. There are no frills; the show is solely about discussion. Rose's motto says it all: "I believe that there is a place in the spectrum of television for really good conversation, if it is informed, spirited and soulful."

3.) Rose Is An Elder Who Does Not Fear the Web:
Since August of 2006 The Charlie Rose Show has been cataloging its interviews online. According to Wikipedia there are now 3500 videos available on YouTube, making it one of the most accessible TV shows. On the show's website there is an amazing search mechanism within the video archive where you can access interviews according to genre and name: within minutes yesterday I was watching an interview with David Letterman from 1996, which is one of the only interviews the famously private late-night talk show host has ever given.

If you're getting tired of passive television, and want a program to make you consider the way the world works, I highly recommend The Charlie Rose Show. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

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