The program later shifted to an opinion-based format focusing on political and economic commentary, and was likewise renamed Lou Dobbs Tonight.

Field correspondents provided additional reporting and occasionally served as guest anchors.

[11] The program became the network's highest-rated series, especially during the first presidency of Donald Trump—whom Dobbs regularly supported on-air.

[12] Dobbs was one of several anchors that had been named in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News by voting machine vendor Smartmatic, which accused the parties of spreading conspiracy theories alleging that it was responsible for voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.

[16] He compiled a list of companies that had outsourced, and he posted it on the show's website and occasionally repeated it on the air.

[18][19][20] Kitty Pilgrim was a correspondent for the CNN version of the program and the most frequent substitute anchor when Dobbs was not on.

Other reporters attached to CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight included Dana Bash, Lisa Sylvester, and Suzanne Malveaux.

The show was broadcast live from CNN's New York studios, located in the Time Warner Center.

The program's highest-rated show in 2008 was the day after the presidential election—two million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data.