In a culture dominated by 24?hour news networks and media oversaturation, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" is a refreshing change of pace, with pointed political commentary filling out its half?hour running time. Now entering his 13th year as host of the show, Jon Stewart continues to deliver sharp political satire by deftly balancing current events and sophisticated humor.
"The Daily Show" airs four nights a week for the majority of the year, with the exception of a few brief hiatuses, and this consistent television presence allows Stewart and company to cover a variety of issues and current events. The basic structure of the show remains the same night to night, beginning with a monologue segment by Stewart that remarks on current trends or events in the political landscape. This is usually followed by a segment hosted by one of the show's correspondents - comedians who deliver commentary or reports while being credited as "experts" in whatever field is being discussed. Afterward, Stewart interviews the night's guests, who range from celebrities and politicians to authors discussing their latest books.
Stewart's willingness to directly address controversial subjects remains one of the show's core strengths. During the opening segment of the night, Stewart's jokes typically adopt an exasperated tone, as he serves as a frustrated observer reflecting on the hypocrisies and gridlock that currently plague America's political system.
Depending on the subject matter, Stewart's tone and approach can vary, but his humor works best when he acts as the voice of reason in a way that serves as a stark contrast to the often ridiculous subject matter the current news cycles provide. Despite taking a comedic approach to the majority of his material, Stewart is not afraid to directly address controversial topics, as he proved with his chastising of Penn State students for protesting the firing of football coach Joe Paterno over the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Politicians and our political system are not Stewart's sole targets on the show, as he also regularly takes cable news networks to task over their coverage. After the recent Super Tuesday elections for the Republican Presidential primaries, Stewart aired a clip of CNN's coverage of the primary, which featured hosts and analysts counting down to the closing of Ohio polls only to announce they could not call the contest seconds after the voting had ended.
This example of the wasted time and false suspense used by 24?hour networks achieved its comedic effect, while also allowing Stewart to air his frustration with major networks' coverage of the Republican primaries. Though "The Daily Show" definitely has a left?leaning character, Stewart has also demonstrated that he is not afraid to call out Democrats when appropriate, as shown in his recent interview with Nancy Pelosi, during which he pressed her insistently after deciding that she was avoiding his questions.
The Republican primaries and general election upcoming have provided Stewart and "The Daily Show" writers with an endless goldmine of comedic potential, which is put to use in the show's "Indecision 2012" coverage. It is clear that Stewart relishes pointing out the hypocrisy and flip?flopping on issues by candidates that is bound to occur in an election, and he is aided in this by the show's use of clips that display a candidate's current stance right before airing a clip of a speech by the same candidate that directly contradicts that stance.
When Republican candidates offer ludicrous statements, such as Newt Gingrich's recent vow to build a base on the moon, Stewart adeptly mines these stories for comedic effect with the help of his team of correspondents.
The correspondent segments are easily the most hit?or?miss aspect of the show, with some bits coming off as somewhat flat depending on the correspondent. While nearly every correspondent has some form of chemistry with Stewart on display in their interactions, their comedic relationships with him are not very well?defined, leaving viewers with the sense that some segments could have been covered by anyone. Certain correspondents like John Oliver and Aasif Mandvi consistently deliver great performances, but unfortunately not all of them maintain that level of consistency.
Watching Jon Stewart host "The Daily Show" gives you the sense of someone who is giving an honest assessment of many of the problems facing America today and who genuinely wants to see a solution occur. He uses comedy as his medium to address these issues, and it is this mix of humor and thoughtful commentary that helps "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" continue to retain its status as one of America's most potent satirical shows.
