TDS 3.0: Season One Talk

[formerlyfreedom]

Discuss episodes of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah here!

[Victor the Crab]

It'll be interesting to see if Christie tries to throw his weight around with Trevor (no pun intended).

[rujasu]

That list of guests seems pretty underwhelming for opening week.

[Paws]

I agree! Stephen's first week was headliner after headliner. However, TDS isn't a big 3 network show and wasn't often a "headliner" guest show when Jon hosted...lots of authors, documentarians, etc. instead.  I imagine it will have some growing pains these first few months.  

[jaytee1812]

Those guests seem standard Daily Show guests.

Honestly it's seems like most people want Trevor to fail.

[The Luvly Junkie]

Honestly it's seems like most people want Trevor to fail.

       In everyone's defense, it's not that people want Trevor to bomb his first official taping; it's more that they are not expecting Trevor to be spectacular in the first episode. Likewise for Jonny-bun, Ollie-Scone and Stephen's first episode of their respective shows, I think people are catching onto the pattern that every first episode the host will likely make a few slip-ups. With Trevor, it's that expectation along with the ridiculous stretch of critics who judged him based on Twitter posts that weren't prevalent to his development is why everyone is feeling open-ended on it. 

 

      Personally, I was a late bloomer when I started watching TDS during Jon's tenure, and I was skeptical about his POV because I didn't carry a specific political voice and giving so much prestige and gratitude for a comedian felt a little ostentatious for him. So I don't blame anyone who's been following Jonny-bun since day 1 and are not yet ready to embrace Trevor because they've clung onto the former in tougher times. 

 

       Maybe if viewers and longtime viewers would keep their expectations low-key in Trevor's debut then the final outcome won't diminish the hype or criticism. Perhaps that's why TNS was hurt in its ratings as it progressed, because everyone was profiling Larry Wilmore in a high status expectation that would succeed beyond TCR because of his unique political voice as an African American. 

 

       All I can say before TDS airs is that the moment the first episode begins is the moment people will draw their own conclusions about him at face value and decide once and for all if he lives up to Jon's promise of a good host. 

[rujasu]

Those guests seem standard Daily Show guests.

Honestly it's seems like most people want Trevor to fail.

 

I'm actually fairly optimistic about Trevor and I'd like to see him knock it out of the park.  But really, I don't know how good he'll be, as I just haven't seen that much of him.

 

If this was a standard TDS week and not the first week, I'd still be unexcited.  Christie will be interesting just because it will be Noah's first crack at interviewing one of the candidates, but he's pretty far off the radar.  I realize Noah won't get anywhere near the kind of guest list Colbert has had, but you'd think they'd try to start off with as strong of a lineup as they can muster, and I'm seeing a lineup of one B-list presidential candidate and three other people who I don't care about in the slightest.  Not saying the show is ruined or anything, but this week's lineup is not getting me excited.

[trow125]

I'll bet Christie wouldn't have dared to appear on TDS with Jon post-Bridgegate (he was a guest once, back in 2012, when he was at the peak of his bipartisan popularity post-Sandy). Especially since by that time, Jon was living in New Jersey.

 

Frankly I'd rather not see ANY presidential candidates on late night entertainment shows, since with rare exceptions those conversations aren't particularly illuminating or newsworthy -- it's usually the candidate doing all s/he can to show s/he is a good sport; Bernie Sanders' "soul food sit-down" with Larry Wilmore is a perfect example of that. But I realize that's all part of the "game" nowadays.

[dusang]

Frankly I'd rather not see ANY presidential candidates on late night entertainment shows, since with rare exceptions those conversations aren't particularly illuminating or newsworthy -- it's usually the candidate doing all s/he can to show s/he is a good sport; Bernie Sanders' "soul food sit-down" with Larry Wilmore is a perfect example of that. But I realize that's all part of the "game" nowadays.

 

ot: The first time I saw Bill Clinton was playing saxophone with Arsenio Hall's band and then he walked over and joined Arsenio for an interview.  I remember nothing about the interview but I will always remember that he was playing sax with the band./ot

[LJonEarth]

I'm cautiously optimistic, but that was enjoyable, probably the most enjoyable of the late night debuts since Craig on the Late Late Show. I understand why he was there and I'm a fan, but the Kevin Hart butt kissing was a bit much. However, I think I prefer that to a super dull or intense candidate interview. Ease into that stuff.

Edited September 29, 2015 by LJonEarth

[Paws]

I missed Jon when the music started but Trevor was funny right out of the gate, and it was a much fresher, faster show. Well done.

[SmithW6079]

I laughed several times throughout the show. Sure, there were some misses, and I could have done without Kevin Hart (I don't find him funny), but overall, I liked Trevor's debut.

Plus, his dimples are adorable.

[calliope1975]

I enjoyed it. I'll miss Jon, but TN was pretty good. He was confident and comfortable - much better than Larry Wilmore's first night. I enjoyed the new correspondent. And you know what else? I like the new font.

[The Bullpen]

I don't like how the announcer has changed to a more clipped tone, but I like the studio for the most part, and the font is nice (small, though).  Oh, and Trevor was good too!

[Temperance]

So I just saw this episode and I think Noah was strong although it felt very like when Jon was host. 

Jordan Keppler did very well.

Kevin Hart was a good guest. I think they tried to pick someone who would be happy and excited for Noah and someone with whom he would be comfortable and natural. When Jon left, they showed his first episode again and I felt this interview reminded of Jon's with Michael J. Fox in terms of a guest he could be comfortable with.  (Also a little of Colbert with Clooney.)

I did think he was talking too much about Hart's body, but other than that I thought it was a good first showing. 

Plus, his dimples are adorable.

Absolutely!

Edited September 29, 2015 by Temperance

[bmoore4026]

Well, I watched the first episode, and I thought it was OK.  Trevor Noah seems charming enough.  I thought the bit about colonizing Mars was hilarious.

 

My jaw did hit the ground over the "crack/Whitney Houston" comment.  I thought, "Oh.  It's going to be that kind of show."

 

I'll still watch.  See how things go.

[Human]

The comedy is definitely there.  I laughed nonstop pre-interview segment.  He's funny, though it's maybe a bit light on the bullshit critique.  But for a first show, it's probably high up there.  

 

The interview wasn't good.  I rarely watch the interviews anyway, but for those guests that I want to watch, I fear Trevor won't be able to perform.  I can't see him as the type who can ask those biting questions.  Hopefully practice will make improvement.  

 

But again, the funny was front and center.  I could tell he was testing boundaries, seeing how far he could go with some slightly un-PC things, but for comedians I think that's good.  He's got to find his audience.  For now, I'm still in the daily show audience.  

[Lantern7]

So far, so good. Interesting that he and Roy Wood Jr. can say "shit," but it gets bleeped out when Larry Wilmore says it on his show.

 

Anybody else figure Kevin Hart was the first guest because of his lack of stature resembled that of the last host?

[formerlyfreedom]

I think the decision was to go with a 'if it ain't broke' philosophy out of the gate, and make changes slowly. Which I give them kudos for. I think that was wise.

 

I LOVED Jordan's segment. Just LOVED it.

[LJonEarth]

I'm surprised that he didn't go for a more substantive interview with Kevin since he actually had something substantive to discuss. I had completely forgotten about the 5K challenge thing. I would have been interested to hear about how it's grown since Kevin started. Then they could've mentioned the tour. Either way, both of those topics got glossed over.

 

They're in the language safe harbor, right? If their advertisers are fine with a few "shits," then I'm sure we'll hear more of it. A bet Larry doesn't have that much latitude with his sponsors.

Edited September 29, 2015 by LJonEarth

[Victor the Crab]

Trevor did good on his first night. I thought he was a bit on the stiff side and that his delivery needed some work, but that is to be expected when you're replacing someone like Jon. His voice characterizations could be a big asset to him as he certainly brings the right tone to what he's saying. The set and graphics looked sharp.

 

Jordan played it well in his manic style with the comparisons between John Boehner leaving and Jon doing likewise. But holy shit, Roy Wood Jr. was hysterical in his correspondent debut! I see great things in him.

 

Meh on Kevin Hart. Probably not a good gauge to tell how Trevor will handle the interview segment of the show. A more interesting test will come later this week with Chris Christie.

 

He just might do all right.

[Ms Blue Jay]

That face/smile/dimple action is so incredibly pleasing, and that accent is like gorgeous music.  It's really shallow and not substantive what I'm saying, I do realize that, but I'm distracted.  Anywho, pleasantly surprised and optimistic.  

 

His smile is like the sunshine, man...

 

Roy:  "Martians saying the N word at me.. how'd they even learn the word?"

Edited September 29, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[33kaitykaity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_JwpfrVoBc

 

Opening segment really funny.  

[Muffyn]

Roy Wood Jr. was very funny.  What a great addition.  I really enjoyed “A brother can’t catch a cab.  You think we’re getting a space ship?”  The bit regarding Boehner’s resignation with Jordan Keppler was also a good way to address the fears and speculation of Trevor replacing Jon.  The correspondents rocked it tonight. 

 

The Kevin Hart interview was a throw away for me.  Trevor’s big laugh when Kevin was doing his interview performance seemed totally fake to me – too OTT for the material.  Maybe that’s just because I don’t find Kevin Hart all that funny, at least not when he’s just being himself.

[shok]

A good first show overall. Trevor's adrenalin was pumping and thus the timing was a bit off but overall, I enjoyed it and once he settles down and gets into his own groove, it'll be even better. I think he's going to be a lot edgier than Jon was and that smile and those dimples will allow him to say some pretty outrageous things. Should be fun and I'm looking forward to it.

[Samsnee]

It was funny. But it did feel like I was watching an international version of the show, especially the opening.

[StatMom]

Trevor managed to look more at ease and relaxed than Stephen did a few weeks ago. Good start, I thought, but as shok and Ms Blue Jay said, I may have been a bit distracted by the dimples.

[brgjoe]

You beat me to it, StatMom.  I thought he was more relaxed and at ease than Stephen was at his Late Show premiere.  You can tell that Trevor is comfortable up there by himself.  Probably his years of standup helped in that regard.  And didn't he host a show in South Africa?

 

I thought he did very well, considering it was his first show.  Loved the opening and the shoutout to Jon.   Thought his little skit with Jordan was good too.  And really loved the debut of Roy Wood Jr.   Talk about knocking one out of the park. 

 

Didn't watch the entire Kevin Hart interview.  Kevin is sort "meh" to me.  But what I did see of the show, it was a very solid debut for Trevor.  I think he will only get better once he gets more settled in.

[nodorothyparker]

That was probably the most solid of any of the debuts in this format we've seen in a long while.  Not everything landed, but Trevor did well for his first time out.  I like that he seemed to realize that the viewing audience was going to need a bit of hand holding to ease into the change and just ran with it.  Roy Wood Jr. and the whole Martian thing was hysterical.  I'm always hesitant to read too much into a first outing, but this was good enough to make me fairly optimistic Trevor and the retooled show are going to be just fine as he makes it more his own.

 

I tend to tune in and out a lot on the interviews unless I'm particularly interested in the interviewee.  So no real opinion on that.

[Mumbles]

Not working for me. Came off as trying to pull off Stewart's delivery and style. Doesn't have his own "voice" yet. And while Stewart excelled and making everything sound as if it was coming off the top of his head, it seemed obvious to me that Noah was reading lines.

[Gemma Violet]

Not working for me. Came off as trying to pull off Stewart's delivery and style. Doesn't have his own "voice" yet. And while Stewart excelled and making everything sound as if it was coming off the top of his head, it seemed obvious to me that Noah was reading lines.

 

I agree.  I'm out after one show.  And it's not because he's not Jon.  There's something about him that irks me.  When John Oliver took over for Jon during Rosewater, he had me at his first show. He was brilliant then and is doing brilliantly on his HBO show.  I would normally say Trevor won't last two months, but I know even if he gets a fraction of Jon's ratings, Comedy Central will keep him since it'll still be sufficient ratings for a cable channel.   

Edited September 29, 2015 by Gemma Violet

[Ottis]

If Trevor makes the show more global, and Americans can handle him criticizing America as an "outsider" (as opposed to Jon being "one of us"), TDS can morph into a very interesting new version of itself. Thing is, I don't know if Americans will like someone from outside the US being critical of the US and US policies/actions.

 

They do need to drop the "we're black" stuff, though. That's not inclusive, and Larry Wilmore already has that angle sewn up. if you want to be global, that means everyone. Don't separate yourself.

 

Did they spin the Earth the correct way in the opening? Always remembered that ever since Neil Degrasse Tyson pointed out to Jon that it spun the wrong way in the opening.

 

Liked the Whitney Houston joke. The show needs more of an edge.

 

The "brother can't get a space ship" was a joke you could see coming from a million miles away. Very cliche.

 

The interview wasn't good.  I rarely watch the interviews anyway, but for those guests that I want to watch, I fear Trevor won't be able to perform.  I can't see him as the type who can ask those biting questions.  Hopefully practice will make improvement.

 

 

Jon's interviews with celebrities were terrible for years. Whatever they talked about had nothing to do with any reason the celebrity was topical. Just riffing mindlessly.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Ottis

[Shermie]

It was a home run to me. Fonts, graphics, music, sets - who cares? It's all background fluff and I barely notice it.

The important part was TN and he was on game. His accent is so soothing and lovely to listen to, but he's also really good with other accents/voices. Lots of potential there. It was funny and smart and quick, which is what I want. And nice homage to Jon.

The correspondents' pieces were great and his interview with Kevin Hart was good, considering I don't usually stay awake for the interviews. It was a win all the way and I look forward to more.

And it's pointless to keep saying "he's not Jon" because he's not Jon. He knows it, we know it. Jon announced his retirement months ago, so there has been lots of time to "grieve" and get over it. I loved JS, but he was tired and clearly over it and I never thought he was a good interviewer anyway. I'm glad to move on to a fresh personality and Trevor Noah is obviously up to the challenge.

[dusang]

My jaw did hit the ground over the "crack/Whitney Houston" comment.  I thought, "Oh.  It's going to be that kind of show."

 

I thought it was funny (peculiar) that the writers/TN seemed to be banking on a negative audience reaction to the Whitney joke but the audience actually seemed okay with it until Trevor made a face (and/or they were cued off-stage) and then the response morphed to a bit of shock.

 

I really enjoyed it.  I didn't watch the entire interview but I always considered Jon a terrible interviewer so that's hardly a make-or-break for me.

 

Oh, and for those wondering about the spinning globe: Neil deGrasse Tyson has given his seal of approval:

 

https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/648697410894594048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Edited September 29, 2015 by dusang

[BaseOps]

I thought he was fantastic. I know tons of people are lining up waiting for Trevor to fail, but I went in optimistic (I'm a fan of his.) Those who watched the early days of Jon's Daily Show know he didn't exactly hit the ground running; he was always good, but he wasn't the Jon Stewart we now love for a few years. This stuff takes time. I thought Trevor came off as intelligent, comfortable, and quite funny. For a very 1st episode, I'd say he absolutely killed it. The writing remains strong, the new set is nice.... I'm overall very excited to watch this play out. I think if people give him a chance, Trevor will be the political voice of a new generation just like Jon was. 

[attica]

the font is nice

 

I had to nod in solidarity with Jordan, "They changed the font!!!" Change is jarring, but now that it's done,  I gotta fly my sans-serif flag here. Come at me!

 

Not every joke landed for me, but I think TN was comfortable and assured. And his line delivery was solid. The "what a waste" crack about the pope's endowment was entirely predictable, but his delivery of it made me laugh. 

 

The new black globe will undoubtedly garner the predictable racist reactions. Fear of a Black Planet, indeed.

[TwistedandBored]

I think Trevor Noah did an amazing job for his first time as host of the show. Roy Wood and Jordan Klepper had great segments too. 

 

My favorite line of the night has got to be...
"So once more a job Americans rejected is now being done by an immigrant." LMAO

[peeayebee]

I thought that was a very good debut. Funny thruout. I like the new look of the show, too. It's not completely different, just slightly altered. Same with the music.

 

Roy Wood Jr was fantastic. Looking forward to more of him.

[lookeyloo]

We liked it a lot.  Of course he is not Jon!  We laughed during the monologue, enjoyed the sketches, not a fan of Kevin Hart, but, Jon had folks on we didn't love either, and some of his interviews weren't so great.  I remember when TCR started, I didn't enjoy it at all.  But, gave it a chance, and then became a big fan.  So we are in for the long haul with Trevor unless the show goes in some odd direction.

[RockShrimp]

I had to nod in solidarity with Jordan, "They changed the font!!!" Change is jarring, but now that it's done,  I gotta fly my sans-serif flag here. Come at me!

 

Serifs are the devil. Full Stop.

 

I laughed a few times, I like that it's the same format with a new twinkle in its eye. Although I honestly feel like I'd have been just as happy if they'd held off on the Nightly Show and given Larry Wilmore this hosting gig. This format just works better than the panel show.

[atir]

By and large, Jon did great with authors, polticos, pundits. Will TN? That will test his mettle.

[Ms Blue Jay]

They do need to drop the "we're black" stuff, though.

 

Trevor (and Roy) are black.  It's not "stuff".  Jon talked about being Jewish all the time.  Trevor is also half white and South African.  They're not objective News Robots without colour or creed, they're humans, and that is going to be a part of the show.

 

That's not inclusive, and Larry Wilmore already has that angle sewn up.

 

Not inclusive... that's how a lot of us feel when we watch (mostly white) television.  It's utterly refreshing to me to have this man host a popular late night talk show.  

Edited September 29, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Skyfall]

Much funnier than most of Jon's shows since he returned from Rosewater filming. I'm in.

[TwistedandBored]

Trevor (and Roy) are black.  It's not "stuff".  Jon talked about being Jewish all the time.  Trevor is also half white and South African.  They're not objective News Robots without colour or creed, they're humans, and that is going to be a part of the show.

 

 

Not inclusive... that's how a lot of us feel when we watch (mostly white) television.  It's utterly refreshing to me to have this man host a popular late night talk show.  

 

 

Exactly!!! It is not "stuff".  It is who he is just like talking about being Jewish was who Jon Stewart was. 

[SmithW6079]

The comedy is definitely there.  I laughed nonstop pre-interview segment.  He's funny, though it's maybe a bit light on the bullshit critique.  But for a first show, it's probably high up there.  

 

The interview wasn't good.  I rarely watch the interviews anyway, but for those guests that I want to watch, I fear Trevor won't be able to perform.  I can't see him as the type who can ask those biting questions.  Hopefully practice will make improvement.  

 

But again, the funny was front and center.  I could tell he was testing boundaries, seeing how far he could go with some slightly un-PC things, but for comedians I think that's good.  He's got to find his audience.  For now, I'm still in the daily show audience.  

When I did watch "The Daily Show," I usually turned it off after Jon's monologues. I almost never watched the interviews. 

 

 

There's something about [Trevor] that irks me.  When John Oliver took over for Jon during Rosewater, he had me at his first show. He was brilliant then and is doing brilliantly on his HBO show.   

I found John Oliver smarmy and unfunny in his segments on "The Daily Show," and I would change the channel as soon as he started his reports.

 

If Trevor makes the show more global, and Americans can handle him criticizing America as an "outsider" (as opposed to Jon being "one of us"), TDS can morph into a very interesting new version of itself. Thing is, I don't know if Americans will like someone from outside the US being critical of the US and US policies/actions.

 

Liked the Whitney Houston joke. The show needs more of an edge.

 

The "brother can't get a space ship" was a joke you could see coming from a million miles away. Very cliche.

 

I think Americans need more exposure to international perspectives. Sure, it's great to cry "'MERICA! F' YEAH!" all the time, but all it does it show us as backwoods yokels who can't understand the rest of the world.

 

I liked the Whitney Houston joke too. A Bobbie Brown joke would have been "too soon." Whitney made her choices. The "brother can't get a space ship" joke might have been telegraphed, but it was still funny.

[Kromm]

The good news is that I thought he did better than I expected.  As arrogant as he came off in some of his interactions with the press/public before now, perhaps he learned his lesson and moderated those tendencies a bit. Being sly and wry is one thing. Being smarmy is another. Here he stayed on the right side of that line. The array of test shows I'm sure they've put him through probably has helped things too.

 

The bad news is that I think they slipped up with a few aspects. Keeping the music was fine, because it wasn't even Stewart's music to begin with.  But they should have re-orchestrated it.  The flip end of the program also had the Moment of Zen.  Now someone who remembers the Kilborn days better than me should chime in if they recall differently, but I don't think this was a Kilborn carry-over.  If that was just Stewart's bit... it should have left with him. 

 

It's not bad that he joked about the "International" stuff, or that he's black, or that he's not Jon. That said, he needs to leave this stuff at the door to some degree, and move on.  Clearly two of the three of those things will always be part of him, but he needs to be careful for a few months to establish a brand that doesn't rely on them. I know some believe the "International" stuff could be a benefit, but if so the show has to be VERY careful with it. The outsider sitting in judgment is not a good "hook" for anyone. As I've said elsewhere, the only reason John Oliver gets away with it is because he's such a transparent America-lover otherwise. Even the most liberal-minded viewers--the ones who laugh at people saying "Murica"--won't last with a platform that's waving some metaphorical finger in our face constantly, so hopefully if Noah & Company are smart about this they'll let the Correspondents to do that bit and leave Noah himself out of that part. As for the whole SHOW featuring more International stories and commentary?  That working or not is a matter of approach. Again, to use Oliver's example, he does it quite well and quite successfully, because he has the space to explain why it might matter to Americans. Can Noah and this show do it with a shorter, more news-cycle-driven platform? I don't know. If Noah is playing to the people in Europe or the UK or such (the UK at the very least is syndicating the show, by the way, after having dropped Jon's version a few years ago), then his US ratings won't hold up and the show will be gone anyway. So it's a careful thing to navigate. I mean I'm SURE Americans would appreciate the chance to laugh AT the less savory aspects of International News--like the UK PM suddenly being embroiled in a scandal about a book coming out claiming that in University as part of a secret society initiation he put his penis inside a roasted pig head's mouth. Or stories making fun of what a racist, sexist, homophobic piece of shit the now ex-Australian PM was. Making fun of them will probably work fine. But stories like those don't come around very often. The more mundane International news may bore American audiences.

 

Noah's interview skills were a bit sub-par, but I guess it's early days.  And Hart was an easy target too (and frankly not that interesting a one). We have to see what he does with an actual tough interview.

I think Americans need more exposure to international perspectives. Sure, it's great to cry "'MERICA! F' YEAH!" all the time, but all it does it show us as backwoods yokels who can't understand the rest of the world.

That's nice in principle. In reality, TV doesn't get to tell people what to watch--people get to tell TV what to air. If Noah tries stuff like this and people respond positively, that's great. But inherently a risk he has to be willing to take, and possible negative consequences need to be accepted too if he does. "Murica Fuck Yeah!" is a real phenomenon and we all know it. Donald Trump wouldn't magically be a frontrunner for the highest office in the land if that wasn't (scarily) so.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Kromm

[SmithW6079]

Craig Kilborn's "The Daily Show" also had the "Moment of Zen." I thought Trevor's was pretty poor. Was Nancy Pelosi actually stuttering like that, or did they dub it in? Either way, they should get rid of it. I never liked the segment on Jon's show either. 

Edited September 29, 2015 by SmithW6079

[formerlyfreedom]

The flip end of the program also had the Moment of Zen.  Now someone who remembers the Kilborn days better than me should chime in if they recall differently, but I don't think this was a Kilborn carry-over.  If that was just Stewart's bit... it should have left with him.

 

Actually, it was a Kilborn carry-over.

[zxy556575]

I was predisposed in Trevor's favor from the only time I've ever seen him, which was on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I thought he was delightfully bright, thoughtful, and funny on that and my impression carried over to TDS.

 

I agree with those who thought it was one of the best late-night debuts, both for the content and the host. I'll likely continue to watch the same as I did for Jon -- always the opening desk segment, the correspondent pieces sometimes, and the guest only if I'm interested (which is infrequent)

[possibilities]

Kevin Hart is a huge name and draws enormous sized audiences-- I think he might be the biggest seller of tickets in the business right now. So I thought having him as a first night guest was really smart-- could pull in his fans, not only people who used to watch TDS in the Stewart era. Chris Christie is another big name, and shows they are still covering politics, so he also makes sense for the first week. I suspect they couldn't get anyone bigger, and I'm personally grateful not to have Trump on the show.

 

I was sad that no one in the studio audience seemed to get they "Prairie Home Companion" (Prayer Home Companion) joke, but I liked that they risked using a public radio reference. It shows they're willing to cater to a broad audience, not just the most common denominator, but also the nerdy fringe. The "buzzle" guest later this week shows they're swinging for every possible corner of viewerdom, and yet the jokes were not sanitized. I like that. I think it's brave and smart. It shows a willingness to believe it's at least theoretically possible that people might watch your show if you could only get them to try it, and a resistance to the Balkanization of the American audience that is so prevalent everywhere else, from MSNBC to FOXNews. It's worth a try, anyway. We can only wait and see how it turns out.

 

Roy Woods was on The Wire. I never saw him do comedy before. Was pleased.

 

I had very low expectations, especially after seeing Colbert's show, which I find to be a thousand times worse than I ever imagined it could be (and more bland than even the other network shows most of the time). And while I think The Nightly Show has improved dramatically, it took many months before it became watchable to me, and it still has a long way to go, seems half-assed and disorganized a lot of the time, and has a very inconsistent voice (I wonder if their budget is 10% of what TDS gets?). And I loved Colbert and Wilmore before! So, given my disappointment with those two, and my annoyance with Noah's behavior ever since it was announced he got this job, I really didn't anticipate I'd be so pleased with the first show. But I was! I thought it was funny and smart and a little daring, all in a good way.

 

It remains to be seen how things will develop, but I think it was an excellent start.