So where on television can you get a really substantial discussion of the great American novel?

More and more it looks like the best place may be “The Colbert Report.” At least Philip Roth seems to believe so. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, now into a semiofficial retirement, has agreed to be the sole guest for a special edition of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central in July. (The date is not yet set.)

This will be the latest in a series of special editions of the show called “cOlbert’s Book Club,” (the uppercase O is a homage to Oprah’s book club), which seems like it should be a full-on spoof, but isn’t really. So far it has featured the usual assortment of bloviating gags from Stephen Colbert’s blowhard character, mixed with some serious literary discussion.

Mr. Roth will join a line of distinguished American authors honored by Mr. Colbert, following F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger and Ernest Hemingway. At least this time Mr. Colbert will actually be able to interview the object of his idolatry.

He spoke with author Jennifer Egan and “The Great Gatsby” filmmaker Baz Luhrmann about Fitzgerald; the author Tobias Wolff and the documentarian Shane Salerno about Salinger; and Mariel Hemingway about her grandfather.

Amid the jokes – Mr. Colbert tried to read from “The Catcher in the Rye” in red hunting cap only to be interrupted by an actor playing a lawyer from the Salinger estate — he managed to pose some genuine literary questions.

Mr. Roth, of course, a celebrated humorist himself, has clearly decided he is up for the exchange with Mr. Colbert. Mr. Roth’s appearance was first reported by The Associated Press.