With the news of David Letterman’s retirement from Late Show coming in 2015, attention is immediately turned to the question of a successor. Letterman has held the 11:30 spot in CBS for 22 years; whoever succeeds that chair has some big shoes to fill.

Unlike The Tonight Show and its 60 year history, CBS’ late night run began with Letterman in 1993, and his iconic comic persona has been the face of the CBS late night brand since he started. Whoever takes the vacant seat behind the desk will not only have to fill a giant, Letterman-sized hole, but assume the face of the late night rival meant to tussle with the Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel.)

With all that being said, here is TheCelebrityCafe.com’s list of the Top 10 people who could take over for Letterman. If you agree or disagree with the choices or any of the placements, be sure to leave a comment below!

10. Jay Leno
He’s certainly in the market for a new job. While this seems almost too obvious, Leno would be an easy choice to slip behind the desk with his 20 plus years of experience. It’s not very likely though; he’s almost as old as Letterman (63 to Dave’s 66) and he’s not seen as very cool or hip, a big part of the reason NBC pushed Jimmy Fallon to The Tonight Show throne. If we’re lucky, we’ll see Leno stop by Letterman’s show during his final year, but that’s as close as he’s ever going to get.

9. Jon Stewart
Around the turn of the century, Stewart was the clear frontrunner to get this very job. Fast forward to 2014, and he seems too ingrained in the world of The Daily Show that it’s hard to believe that he would leave that show. He would certainly be great at a network late night job like this one, but Stewart gets to do things on his show that he wouldn’t be able to on Late Show. Stewart pulls a lot more politicians and authors to be his guests; that combined with his approach to fake news shows just how sharp he is, and that would be lost if he left Comedy Central. Plus, being on cable allows him a level of naughtiness that would not fly on a broadcast network. He’s probably staying put.

8. Jerry Seinfeld
Ever since Seinfeld the show ended its run in 1998, Seinfeld the actor has seemingly worked at his own pace. So maybe the daily grind of hosting a late night talk show wouldn’t be something that appeals to him, but he has all of the right skills for the job. Seinfeld’s still one of the most successful stand-ups, so the monologue would be no sweat at all. His web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee shows that he is a pretty good interviewer as well. The age factor is an interesting angle here to; while the older skewing CBS would love has Seinfeld’s name recognition, the 59 year old probably won’t draw away the youngins’ who are watching Fallon or Kimmel. For now, Seinfeld may just be content cruising around in an old Porsche grabbing a latte with his buddies.

7. Louis CK
Season 3 of Louie featured a three episode arc where CK was approached to fulfill this very position, so would this be a case of life imitating art? Probably not. CK’s career is on a major upswing; he’s one of the most popular stand-ups right now, and his FX sitcom is critically acclaimed. Taking the Late Show job would really cut back his time to pursue other interests. Plus, his material is very boundary-pushing, and CK would have to tone it done for a late night audience, something he may not be willing to do. It also seems that his awkward Louie persona carries into a lot of the other things he does (see his SNL appearances) so he may not fit the exuberance needed for the job.

6. Chelsea Handler
Handler recently announced that she’s leaving Chelsea Lately and E! behind in the near future, so she’s available. She may be in the same boat as Louis CK though: a comedian whose raunchy material may not be a good fit for late night, especially the older audience of CBS (see her latest book.) Handler would bring some diversity to the late night boy’s club, so she has that playing in her favor. Chelsea Lately showed enough of a distinct voice that she can anchor a show in this format, and she may be able to compete in the viral video arena that Fallon and Kimmel have dominated so far. Call this one a semi-longshot.

5. Tina Fey
Fey would also bring some diversity to the late night realm, but unlike Chelsea Handler, she would be a little bit more palatable for a network audience. Her tag-team Golden Globe hosting efforts with BFF Amy Poehler have prove she can rag on big celebrity names in monologue setting, but still likable enough that she can get away with it, which could prove helpful if she had to sit down with some of these people for an interview. More than just marking a diversity checkbox, Fey would bring a comic persona people could relate to: goofy, smart, endearing. All of those words could be applied to pal Jimmy Fallon, whom Fey would be competing against if she were to land the job, so it may not be likely that she would to start a rivalry with her friend. The late night wars don’t need to ruin anymore friendships.

4. Chris Rock
In Louis CK’s fictional Late Show arc on Louie, there was another name hotly in contention for the chair behind the desk: CK’s buddy Chris Rock. While CK’s career seems to be on the upswing, Rock’s has been on more of a downturn, having appeared in what seems like a parade of Madagascar and Grown Ups movies for the last five years. With a job like this, it could reenergize his career and remind everybody that he is one of the funniest guys around. He actually hosted his own talk show for HBO in the late 90s, so he’s not unfamiliar with the format. Rock may fall into the category of a comedian who’s a little too dangerous to a network like CBS, if his Oscars hosting performance is any indication. He would nonetheless bring an air freshness and uniqueness to the late night proceedings, which is something CBS needs if they want to be competitive.

3. Stephen Colbert
Like his Comedy Central buddy Jon Stewart, Colbert seems pretty comfortable hosting The Colbert Report. However, landing this gig would allow Colbert to branch out from the “Stephen Colbert” character he trots out every night on the Report and show audiences a different side of him. He has just as or arguably more of a following than Stewart amongst the younger demographics, ensuring a lot of traveling eyes to CBS, at least for the initial weeks. The biggest question for him would be “what would a Stephen Colbert hosted late night talk show look like?” Most of the late night hosts, including Stewart, come from the world of stand-up, while Colbert has a more improv-centric background. While his “Colbert” character may be the greatest improv act ever, it’s hard to see how that translates to the traditional late night format. He would probably be great at it, but an interesting question nonetheless.

2. Craig Ferguson
Ferguson may be the most logical choice to succeed Letterman, as he has been following him for the last ten years as the host of The Late Late Show. The problem is that Ferguson’s show is a lot more quirky and niche than a lot of other late night talk shows. His monologues and interviews are much looser (one of his signature moves is ripping up his interview prep cards at the beginning of every chat.) There’s no house band. Then there’s the whole issue of his gay robot skeleton sidekick Geoff. Whereas Jimmy Fallon’s buzz only seemed to grow the longer his Late Night tenure grew, Ferguson’s seems to have receded, making his show seem like this cool, little corner of the television universe that only a select few know about. Ferguson may be content to stay where he is, passing up the bigger exposure for the freedom to do what he wants and remain of the most underrated performers in all of television.

1. Neil Patrick Harris
This pick may the most out-of-the-box, but it also might make the most sense. With How I Met Your Mother having just wrapped, Harris is probably looking for a new job. He’s just the right age (40) to begin a lost late night hosting career, he’s already in the CBS family, he can seemingly host anything and everything, and, most importantly, he’s immensely likable. Harris would be the exact kind of innovate choice that CBS could make to craft a new late night identity. Fallon may own the market on the musical comedy bits, but Harris is a literal song and dance man, and has the comedy chops to boot. With Harris, a late night show could be a true variety show (his known love of magic certainly boosts the creative possibilities.) A Harris fronted show in the late night realm has the possibility of being ledgen…..dary.