TDS 3.0: Season One Talk

[SmithW6079]

What the hell was wrong with Seth Rogen?

The comic book/abortion analogy was fantastic.

[bmoore4026]

Well, time for my profanity laced thoughts.

 

Fuck Seth Rogan.

 

Fuck Steve Jobs.

 

Fuck Aaron Sorkin of He-Man Woman Haters Club.

 

Fuck the movie.

 

Fuck the giggling.

 

Fuck Republicans and their obsession with abortion.

 

Fuck Pro-Lifers (even though my family is Pro-Life but isn't crazy about it) who insist on showing pictures and movies of fetuses.

 

Fuck the conservatives and their doctored footage and videos.

 

But I loved Trevor's Sexy I-Phone Costume.  And his comparison of Republicans to comic book collectors was biting but accurate.  I should know - I collect comics.  But I buy them to read rather to hoard until the price goes up. 

[peeayebee]

I can barely listen to Seth Rogan.

 

I saw this on Twitter. Trevor's bit on pro-lifers, for fetuses not for victims of guns, reminded me of it:

Or, hey how about we treat every young man who wants to buy a gun like every woman who wants to get an abortion – mandatory 48-hr waiting period, parental permission, a note from his doctor proving he understands what he's about to do, a video he has to watch about the effects of gun violence, an ultrasound wand up the ass (just because). Let's close down all but one gun shop in every state and make him travel hundreds of miles, take time off work, and stay overnight in a strange town to get a gun. Make him walk through a gauntlet of people holding photos of loved ones who were shot to death, people who call him a murderer and beg him not to buy a gun.

It makes more sense to do this with young men and guns than with women and health care, right? I mean, no woman getting an abortion has killed a room full of people in seconds, right?

 

[buttersister]

Yeah, the Republican/comic book collectors bit was a good one. More of that, please. (Less Seth Rogan in general.)

[futurechemist]

The comic book/abortion analogy was fantastic.

I thought it was a good joke too.  It's a shame that so little has changed in the US since George Carlin made similar observations in his stand up 20 years ago.

 

I liked this episode.  There were some duds last week.  But Trevor's humor had some teeth tonight.

 

I hope he sinks those teeth into Lindsey Graham's appalling hypocrisy tomorrow.  I imagine Jon would have been licking his lips about it.

 

So um, Seth Rogen was high tonight right?

Edited October 6, 2015 by futurechemist

[Samsnee]

I can barely listen to Seth Rogan.

I saw this on Twitter. Trevor's bit on pro-lifers, for fetuses not for victims of guns, reminded me of it:

This was fantastic. I thought the bit last night was excellent. And it was great to finally see Jessica again.

I actually like Rogen's movies but I absolutely can not listen to him in real life.

[nodorothyparker]

The abortion/gun bit may have been low hanging fruit as it's become something of a talking point on the left this past week, but Trevor gave it a nice bit of teeth adding voiceovers to these hypocrites and ending with the brilliant comic book analogy.  The piece was very reminiscent of Jon, but I like the added little twists he gave to it.

 

I think I fell asleep sometime around when the Rogan showed up.

[peeayebee]

I think I fell asleep sometime around when the Rogan showed up.

Lucky you.

[TwistedandBored]

I loved his take on what everyone has been saying about politicians who are pro-life and yet oppose any restrictions on guns. It was very well done.

 

I didn't watch Seth Rogan's interview because I didn't want to.

Edited October 6, 2015 by TwistedandBored

[magdalene]

I am surprised by how Trevor Noah is winning me over so fast. I find him him a very likable TV presence while having teeth - and it doesn't hurt that he sinks those teeth into what I loathe most about politics and culture.

[ganesh]

Both the 'pro-life' piece tied with Jessica's bit were really well done. 

 

Fiorina is just doubling down. She's got to know she's wrong about the video, and someone on her staff had to have verified it, but she's going all in. 

[33kaitykaity]

The pro-life/gun rights and the Donald Trump/Idi Amin segments were as good as anything Jon ever did.  I'm in awe.  

[SmithW6079]

So um, Seth Rogen was high tonight right?

He must have been. I'm so naive, though. If you're going to be on national TV, wouldn't you not want to be drunk or buzzed or whatever?

 

Trevor needs to grow to be a good interviewer; so far, I've been relatively unimpressed, although he was OK with the musician he had on last week.

 

I'm still not a fan of correspondents and the interviews in general, although Jessica Williams's bit about pre-taping everything and just trotting it out when needed, because it will always be the same old same old outrage was excellent.

[trow125]

I was always kind of a weird completist about Jon's TDS interviews -- I would always watch them no matter what -- but so far I've fast forwarded through most of Trevor's. I tried watching the Seth Rogen one but my God, when Seth and Trevor were both laughing I couldn't hit the fast forward button quickly enough. The rest of the show was good, though, and I'm glad they finally addressed the PP issue.

[Hanahope]

Please please keep Seth Rogan off of interview shows, he can't stop laughing and his laugh is just awful.

 

The rest of the show was great.

[grawlix]

I stopped watching during Seth Rogan's first laugh.

[Victor the Crab]

Not only did I FF the entire Seth Rogan interview, but I covered the screen with my hand so That I didn't have to look at his stupid, stupid face. Glad I did!

 

Brilliant takedown by Trevor on the right's hypocrisy between gun violence and abortion rights, especially with him superimposing his voice over some of these assholes to make them sound like  they want gun control. I just hope Trevor understands that there's this little organization called the National Rifle Association (or BLAMBLA) that buys the influence of politicians of all stripes so that they keep turning down any attempts to curb the out of control gun madness. And Carly Fiorina can go choke herself on the bullshit she spews.

 

Jessica was great and she looks great. Her hairstyle make her look more attractive to me.

[ganesh]

I think Fiorina talks like that because she thinks people will think she's smart. The voice is so affected to me, it grates because it screams fake. She's that person who talks quiet all the time to make people strain to listen to her so it looks like she's saying something important. 

 

This might be a little too far of a reach, but when she was pounding on the podium daring Obama to watch the tape of the baby being drawn and quartered or whatever, I half expected she was going to take her shoe off and start using that, and, second, I was wondering how many times she practiced that in the mirror. It was so scripted it was ridiculous. 

[nowandlater]

Rogen crashed 2 TV reporters (Adalian with NY Magazine, Bill Carter the guy who wrote The Late Shift and who covered late-night for the NY Times) trashing the interview:

 

 

[Victor the Crab]

What a big fat baby Rogen is.

[Traveller519]

Great find nowandlater I love the instant back-peddling of the author. I agree that it wasn't a great interview and I found both of them distracting (Rogen's seems like a nervous tick, Trevor's is this weird thing he's doing that I think he thinks helps pump of the interviewee, like Jon would do, but his fake laugh is a little too fake right now), but stand-by your comments when confronted.

 

As for the content of the show, I loved Jessica's piece. I think they set that up well (I also like the format of the new desk for the correspondents, it puts them more on an equal level, visually, with Trevor than the Old Style), though I was thinking when she first appeared "why is there not the usual cheering for her." They must not have promoted the applause when they let the tape roll.

 

What I think Trevor's doing incredibly well is getting these points across without appearing angry, he's also not quite as "blunt" in wrapping up his pieces as Larry is with his call to action. He's making you piece a couple things together. For instance, I found the segment got me thinking. Okay, politicians aren't willing to look at gun control measures. When is someone going to ask them what their plan to curb school shootings is?

[LJonEarth]

Trevor's channeling Chris Farley. Tone it down on the fanboying. I know Jon did it, but it seemed like it came from a place of actually know the guest. I think that he would do better to find something important and substantive and discuss that with the celebrity guests. Kevin Hart: discuss his push to get people running/moving. Seth: Stick to the Sony hack or maybe marijuana legalization or is Alzheimer charity work. There's depth to some of these people (or at least they can fake depth). Stop with the "I heard it was fun to make this movie" stuff. That style of talk show fell out of favor in the 90s.

 

Anyway, a week in and Trevor and co. has their first hits with the last night's episode. I really liked both of the pieces.

[dusang]

Just watched last night's ep and I'm embarrassed to admit that my real takeaways were:

1) I am a lot more attracted to dimples than I previously realized and

2) Jessica's hair looks aMAZing.

[bmoore4026]

Yeah, I found out Aaron Sorkin was tonight's guest, so I didn't watch.  Listened to music instead.

[ganesh]

I don't know why the people at Apple were so mad about this Steve Jobs movie because Sorkin wasn't saying anything that's not known about him already. Sounds like Lisa needs some therapy though. My dad denied my paternity but still showed me that he loved me? Uh, no. You've got a right to be mad.

[Qoass]

I never like it when someone starts laughing before they say something s/he thinks is going to be amusing.  Occasionally getting the giggles during a sketch is one thing but "I'm so funny I'm cracking myself up!" is another.  I think it was the smirking Dubya that made this an issue for me.

[Muffyn]

I like the writing on the show.  I like most of the correspondents  My Jessica Williams love knows no bounds.  Trevor is not quote working for me.  He seems uncomfortable/fanboyish with the guests.  He's a good-looking guy, but I don;t find him engaging.  I won't be quitting the show because I do enjoy the writing so much. I am hoping that over time he calms down and gains confidence.

[iMonrey]

 

Trevor's not alienating me, but he isn't hooking me either.

 

That's where I am too. It's been a week now and I think I've given him a fair chance. I still like the show because it's clear all the same writers are there doing the hard work, so a lot of the segments are really good. 

 

However, I feel like I'm watching more out of habit than anything else, and if Comedy Central announced it was canceling this show tomorrow, I wouldn't really care all that much. That wouldn't have been the case when Jon Stewart was still hosting it because I would have felt like the country at large had been dealt a significant blow and we were losing a precious commodity. I don't get the sense that TDS has that kind of impact anymore. Trevor's OK, but the show just doesn't feel that important anymore.

[Ottis]

So um, Seth Rogen was high tonight right?

 

 

Is there a difference? I don't like his movies or his humor, didn't watch the interview. Guess I didn't miss anything.

 

A week plus a few days isn't nearly enough time to decide whether Trevor's TDS is good. I'll give him at least a month to sort out who he is.

[ganesh]

Really. Five shows versus 16 years of shows is a little much to ask. There have been several good segments so far. They had on one musical group, and other than that the interviews have just been celebs. By and large, they're not that interesting people and there's not that much to talk about. After you get past, "Seth, you're not known for doing drama, how was the overall experience," there's not much else. 

[peeayebee]

I still like the writing on the show, but my main complaint about Noah is his laughing at his own jokes (or at least the jokes he's voicing). I don't find it endearing. Anyway, he may make adjustments. I'm not writing him off yet.

 

After the applause ended for Sorkin, I couldn't believe Trevor said, "The cheers for a genius." Gag. 

 

Loved the cleverness of the APPathy app.

[bmoore4026]

Yeah, Trevor's jokes weren't enough to salve over what that shithead Ben Carson said.  I would say the same if Jon did a similar joke.

 

Why not just rub salt in the eyes of the victims families, Ben?

 

That documentary did look interesting, though.

 

And is the new correspondent's big joke is that he's Asian and his dad thinks he's a failure?  Isn't that cliché? 

Edited October 8, 2015 by bmoore4026

[ganesh]

In the primaries the candidates tend to hyperbole because they need to pander to a more conservative voting base. However, I'm dumbfounded that when Carson came up with this, no one on his staff raised their hand, "Uh, boss? Maybe we temper that?" Even if he came up with it off the cuff in the interview, certainly someone would have told him to back down from it when the press asked him again. Even Fox News, not known for delicacy, gave him a chance to walk back from it.

 

The only thing I can think is that since he's second place, so he's trying to pull closer to Trump by saying really outrageous things. 

 

I know he wasn't on any network that would actually challenge him, but I would have liked someone to respond after, "Hey, he can only shoot one of us at a time; he can't get all of us.", with "Well, this guy had several guns on him and can shoot two at a time, so he could actually shoot more than one of you. And, since, you and everyone else running for president think there should be no limits on guns whatsoever, what do you do when the shooter has a couple of AR15s?"

[Qoass]

Conservative politicians seem to get approval from their constituency for standing firm on a position even if it's shown to be the wrong one.  See also:  the Iraq war.

 

Sticking to one's guns as it were...

[DeLurker]

What the hell was wrong with Seth Rogen?

He's Seth Rogen.

 

Yeah, Trevor's jokes weren't enough to salve over what that shithead Ben Carson said.  I would say the same if Jon did a similar joke.

 

Why not just rub salt in the eyes of the victims families, Ben?

And that piece went on way too long.    It might be heroic if you are willing to give yourself up as collateral damage to a shooter.  It's not heroic nor presidential to assert others should do the same.

 

I did find Zombie Ben Carson funny though.

[peeayebee]

Maybe he had in mind what the Flight 93 passengers did on 9/11. Of course, they had nothing to lose. Completely different situation. Anyway, Carson scares me. He sounds reasonable to so many people.

 

I really enjoyed the new correspondent's jokes about his dad. Loved how he snuck in the first couple of jokes. About virtual reality, "How about one where you can go deep sea diving and your dad says he's proud of you." And then the VR with the guy in China, "It's just some guy. It's not my dad."

[Arcey]

I wanted to like Trevor and the new show, but it's just not working for me. As others have said, there's just no chemistry for me and I don't find him very funny or clever, although that doesn't mean he never is. I loved the very first show and was so pleased, because I was nervous about the change. But honestly, that was the last time I felt like it was really TV worth watching. I've been watching Comedy Central for so long now in that time slot (or recording), along with TCR and now TNS, but I mostly tuned out last night while I was watching/multi-tasking, and usually, I'll rewind if I've missed something, but after trying that once, I realized I wasn't really missing anything. The new correspondent wasn't very good, but of course that's not unusual on TDS. I remember when Josh Gad was on just a couple of times, he was awful, and a bad fit. He never came back, but did go on to have a great career on Broadway after that. So you never know.

 

I feel like I "must" keep watching TDS because I always have, but I may have to give up the ghost soon. Same with Larry and TNS -- it's just not that interesting, even if there are a few laughs here and there. I'm a loyal type, and stick with things way past their expiration dates. But I think I may give this one hour a day habit up pretty soon. Too bad.

[gesundheit]

I really enjoyed last night's episode, I thought that was the best one yet -- the segments and the interview felt sharp and in very capable hands. 

 

Ronny Chieng is awesome. 

[revbfc]

Are the Daily Show people scared of something? Trevor can be funny, the writing is funny, the correspondents are funny. So why isn't the spark there? Do they all feel so beholden to the format that they can't bring themselves to change it? Are the people not getting along? Is Trevor still trying to figure out his own unique take? OK, I know the answer to the last one (yes), and that's not a problem for me. Anybody who has a new act needs time to work out the kinks in front of an audience. The problem is that Trevor isn't just responsible for 30 minutes of funny. He's responsible for the entire CC late night programming block. I wonder how the rest of the shows are doing while Trevor et all find their footing.

[trow125]

Ratings are down compared to the same week in 2014, but I'm sure CC will give Trevor a while to find his footing.

[possibilities]

I'm finding the show very funny and I like that it's fresh-- not the same Fox clips every night, and I find Trevor to be quite biting-- in a good way-- where Jon used to often want to back pedal and say he was sure everyone had good intentions despite whatever evil thing they were doing. I'm also enjoying meeting the new "correspondents" and all in all I'm far more happy with the new show than I expected to be.

 

The ratings being down doesn't surprise me, though-- Jon had a very loyal following, and people who tuned in because they loved him probably got out of the habit of relying on a nightly dose of political catharsis in his absence, and that's fine. Bit for me, I think Trvor is doing a great job of bringing in a more diverse crew of supporters, using the writing staff in ways that bridges the old and new sensibility, and offering a slightly fresh but not totally unfamiliar take on the nightly outrage.

 

I do find him personally to be somewhat annoying, in that he sometimes comes across as smarmy and self-satisfied. I can't figure out of that's just a random cultural-translation misfire (tone of voice being read differently here than elsewhere maybe?) or what's causing it. Maybe I just think he fancies his own dimples too much-- a quality I find annoying in women who toss their hair all the time, as well, but which I think actually stems from insecurity, so maybe it will fade. I don't really want him to adopt a self-deprecating persona, either.

 

I do think the interviews so far have been very bland and kind of boring. But I don't care if the interviews are stupid because a lot of Jon's were, too, and maybe they'll get better over time. And he might genuinely be a little star-stuck with the kind of people he's suddenly interviewing, so the gushing might actually be honest and not just pander (like how Fallon panders). If so, it should calm down after a while. I don't mind if he's enthusiastic, I just want him to ask meaningful questions while he's got the chance. If the people are interesting, let's find out why instead of just being told they're awesome. Show, don't tell, Trevor! But again-- I'm not too bothered because I think while he's got some comedy experience, he may have absolutely zero interviewing experience, so it should improve as he gets more practice.

 

I take the laughing at his own jokes stuff to be nerves, and I hope that will fade as well.

[Victor the Crab]

He's Seth Rogen.

 

Upvoted you for that!

 

 

And is the new correspondent's big joke is that he's Asian and his dad thinks he's a failure?

 

It is if he's wearing a clunky virtual reality headset while thinking Trevor is his dad as he attempts to hug him.

[brgjoe]

I still think Trevor's doing a good job.   Yes, some shows are hit and miss.  But not every one of Jon's shows were Broadcast Hall of Fame material either.  And let him settle in for awhile.  He hasn't even had a month's worth of shows yet.

 

And I particularly liked last night's show.  Loved his mocking of Dr. Ben Carson.  It was almost like Carson was trying to use his Jedi Mind Trick powers or something, "This is not the person whom you want to rob....move along to that guy over there..."  He was dead on with that bit.  And it seemed he had more of an edge to his comments as well.  That is one thing I do miss when compared w/ Jon -- Jon definitely did have a lot of edginess to him at most times when he went into one of those bits.  I saw a bit more of that in Trevor last night.

 

Don't usually stay long for most of the interview segments.  But did enjoy the interview with Rachel Maddow.

[Victor the Crab]

Rachel Maddow never hugged Jon before. Wonder why she did so with Trevor? I don't watch her show, because I don't get MSNBC, but it's clear she wants Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee for president but is resigned to the fact that Hillary Clinton will win it.

[nowandlater]

Rachel Maddow never hugged Jon before. Wonder why she did so with Trevor? I don't watch her show, because I don't get MSNBC, but it's clear she wants Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee for president but is resigned to the fact that Hillary Clinton will win it.

 

I never miss her show, and I've never had that impression. Even when she interviewed Bernie Sanders.

 

She always seemed to be a detatched observer, who of course is more amused by the Republican foibles.

 

Her show is my Daily Show...as Trevor pointed out,, she spent much of last week playing Kevin McCarthy talking....Stephen Colbert didn't get to it until Wednesday night...and The Daily Show never got to it at all.

[gesundheit]

Rachel Maddow never hugged Jon before. Wonder why she did so with Trevor? I don't watch her show, because I don't get MSNBC, but it's clear she wants Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee for president but is resigned to the fact that Hillary Clinton will win it.

I watch her regularly and that's not what I get from her at all. I think she'd like a world in which Bernie Sanders could be a viable presidential candidate in the general election but knows the world we live in.

 

I thought last night was another really strong show, and a much less shaky interview. Trevor can keep on mocking Ben Carson every night; works for me.

[attica]

I liked Trevor's accent work. It's no Cecil Turtle, but we gotta start somewhere.

 

Also cute was his little self-mocking nod to Twitter mishaps.

[Traveller519]

I think we got his first over "I'm not from here, and here's my outsiders perspective on things that are Crazy" take. It was pretty benign being about going to jail being a part of Monopoly, but backfilled nicely with the Afrikans accent.

 

The show definitely isn't quite a biting yet, but I'm really okay with that. His energy is so much more positive and infectious than late period Jon was. And Hasan's bit killed for me last night. He was a perfect mix of the Jones assholishness and Helm-sian wonderment. He was funny and also really shined a lite on a good topic that rolled from Trevor's anchor piece. We've seen all the correspondents now, and I think it's a pretty solid cast of characters.

[33kaitykaity]

I love Trevor's accents.  He does them all so well.  

 

Well, speaking as a convicted felon, I loved that segment.  (It was almost as good as the Ehrenreich/robo-journalism one.)  I work from home as an independent contractor, have done so since 2004.  I get paid by the piece (word, page, minute), nothing else, no benefits, no health insurance.  I do this because I hate that fucking box.  The offense was in 1989 when I was 24, ten days after I graduated from college. I got probation.  I never got to use my degree because of the fucking box.  I'm going to recommend this option to the guy running that organization.  It has its drawbacks, but I've been free from the box.  My clients don't care as long as I deliver a quality product by my deadline.   

Edited October 9, 2015 by 33kaitykaity

[stillshimpy]

What the hell was wrong with Seth Rogen?

He's Seth Rogen.

 

Oh God, what is about to happen to me is going to be so weird:  I'm about to defend Seth Rogen, who I have no particular fondness for, or belief in any true talent on his part.  I watched that god awful stupid, piece of crap movie The Interview because I felt like it was my duty to do so, to give a brutal dictator the finger, which seemed about the least I could do in the name of decency.  It was a truly terrible movie.   Only in the name of free speech and all that.  God it sucked.  

 

But maybe it's because I actually skipped the show on the 5th and doubled back to it today, knowing going in "Okay, they are both going to laugh throughout it and Seth Rogen is apparently high as a kite, which is absolutely fine in private life, but ....probably best kept to private life if you're promoting something. "  

 

And the interview didn't bother me at all.  His laugh really doesn't irk me as much as it does other people, although I find it charmless.   I spent most of my adult life in Colorado, I still spend a large chunk of my time there and I've seen a lot of high people and actually don't think he was high.   The interview was actually fairly coherent and talked about the movie.  He just chortled his way through it....which describes every interview he's ever done.   

 

I never had an ounce of affection for Steve Jobs.  I'm sorry the man died in a lingering, painful manner, and I do think he made great devices.  I just don't think he was a great man.  Or even a good one.  Or even a passably good one and personally that matters to me in my opinion of pretty much anyone outside of a fictional construct.   I do find it wryly amusing that Aaron Sorkin is making something of a habit of biopic movies that dissect highly successful men in the tech field and examining what crappy personalities they have or had or he perceives them to have.   I wonder if it is like some form of therapy for his own issues?  

 

I did think Trevor Noah seemed maybe a little Star Struck and a little too prone to big, booming laughs, but it's his second week in a huge gig.  There are going to be some nervous ticks he has to work out.  John Oliver had them too on his own show.  In the very first episode his timing -- normally excellent -- was a little off and he would rush through to the next line before the first joke had a chance to land.  

 

That's kind of the same thing I see going on with Trevor Noah.  He's normally a very confident performer and all I see it a little bit too much effort ....and I'm not seeing it all the time.  Some of his stuff has been great.    

I admit, the only interview I've bothered to watch was the Seth Rogen one and it was in that "guess I'll rubber neck the....huh....yeah, not too bad." Not great.  I'm fairly certain Rogen was as sober as he ever is -- I mean if you cut that man he will almost certainly bleed THC at this point so I don't think  he's ever entirely sober, but he didn't seem actively high to me.   

 

I really appreciated the "stay away from Twitter" joke just because I appreciated that he acknowledge that he Tweet Bombed.  

 

I don't know, I'm not in love here or anything, but I'm liking him enough to keep going.   I still miss Jon Stewart every night though.