Remember when The Daily Show was 30 minutes of Craig Kilborn flicking his own nipples? We’ve come a long way, baby.
The glory years of The Daily Show under Jon Stewart will be remembered like the first class of Saturday Night Live. We’ll have to wait another generation before we find a tightknit collection of stars like Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Steve Carell surrounded by cameo talent like Lewis Black and Dave Attell. Even second-wave correspondants like Rob Corddry and Ed Helms have bright futures.
I’ll never forget watching TDS the week Carell and Colbert co-anchored during a Stewart vacation. The fun-o-meter flung into the red, and I was convinced they were going to make a great team once Stewart decided to move on.
Much to my surprise, though, Stewart stayed put while Carell and Colbert have foraged out into new territory. Carell’s done well with both the small screen (The Office) and large (The 40 Year Old Virgin), and Colbert’s work on Strangers with Candy (the show and now the film) suggests he might do the same.
Of course, now Colbert’s anchor persona also has his own show, the spinoff smarmfest The Colbert Report. And you know what? He’s kicking Stewart’s ass.
This is no insult to Stewart, but Colbert’s over-the-top creation features the best segment of either show (“The Word”), more engaging — and occasionally stunning — interviews, and a character that allows the host to say things Stewart never could.
On top of that, Colbert’s speech to the White House press gave him a credibility no other political comedian has ever had. He went into a room with one of the most isolated, overprotected presidents in history and gave him the business right to his face. He made sure to repeatedly flog our lazy, fraudlent media at the same time, too.
I like Stewart. But I love Colbert. When it comes to fake news that seems more real than the real thing, make mine The Colbert Report.
I’m just sayin’.
“…a character that allows the host to say things Stewart never could.” Hear hear.
I’ve thought about this a lot. I think one of Colbert’s advantages is that his character allows him to voice absurd opinions and, by actually articulating them, show just how absurd they are.
Stewart & Co., on the other hand, are forced to cover ever more surreal and horrific news stories with a straight face–often leaving Stewart with a helpless look on his face just before his head falls forward into his hands. In how many amusing and creative ways can you say that our nation and our constitution have been hijacked before you seem more like a whiner than an entertainer?
Colbert’s ironic approach gives him an array of comedic tools that Stewart, as straight man, just can’t access.
Plus hard to pronounce French-Canadian last name, always a plus!
Colbert is MY Truthiness Messiah!
You did see when Stephen fucked up the intro, right? Even that was ridiculously funny.
The Colbert Ro—shit!
They’re peanut butter and jelly – sure you could make a sandwich with one and not the other and it’d still be good, but if you could have both next to each other, why have anything but both?