Stewart Returns to the Airwaves

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Jon Stewart was going to do a once-a-week episode of The Daily Show. While I was a fan of it back in the day, I thought that it’s time had passed. I was especially skeptical given that some of his ventures since then have been cringey at best. But the first episode felt like he’d slipped into a familiar pair of shoes, slinging barbs at both the Trump and Biden campaigns. And this week, he responded both to the critics who accused him of “both-sidesism” and to Tucker Carlson’s absurd visit to Moscow.

I think the once-a-week format is good here. More than that would probably start to get repetitive. But watching Stewart in his familiar set and doing his familiar schtick was a stark reminder of how poor his successors have been. Stewart’s approach is to make us laugh and occasionally to make us think. While he leans decisively liberal, he has no qualms in skewering his own “side” when they deserve it.

By contrast, his successors, some of whom are Daily Show alumni, make me neither laugh nor think. They tend to simply parrot liberal mantras and their audiences cheer rather than laugh. They have forgotten that humor is supposed to be, you know, funny. They have mistaken the niche occupied by The Daily Show for mainstream. And the result can be seen in their lackluster ratings.¹

The political situation we find ourselves in — having to choose between two dubious octogenarians, one of whom tried to overturn an election — is a low for American politics. But humor is often a good way to deal with bad situations. I’m glad we have at least one voice back that can make us giggle on the way over the cliff.

1. I was hopeful for something good when I heard that Taylor Tomlinson, one of my favorite comedians, was getting a late-night show. But they don’t seem to know what to do with her yet. Her new Netflix special is excellent, however.