Jon Stewart recently announced that he was leaving The Daily Show after hosting it for 16 years. Right off the bat that sounds like bad news–and it is. After Stephen Colbert left The Colbert Report in early December of last year to host The Late Show, people were hoping that The Daily Show would continue to be a main source of political satire, a type of entertainment that not only reports the news, but criticizes society through a humorous perspective.
Unfortunately, that won’t be the case anymore. The Daily Show won’t be gone, but Jon Stewart will be replaced. Who that will be is not yet known, as the news was just announced. A date has not yet been confirmed by Comedy Central or Stewart as to when he will leave. So the big question is: What will happen to political satire now? Who will we watch, now that the two big heads are gone?
Luckily, political satire isn’t completely gone. There are still two other shows currently airing that you can watch. The Night Show with Larry Wilmore, while also based on political satire, has a unique format compared to Colbert and Stewart. Host Larry Wilmore (a former correspondent for The Daily Show) chooses a specific topic for each episode. It begins with a monologue, followed by a panel-like debate with several John Oliver has guests ready to give their opinion on the episode’s matter.
The last segment of the show, “Keep It 100,” involves both Wilmore and his guest answering a specific question honestly. If they are completely honest, they get a sticker. If they aren’t being completely honest or if the audience thinks not (the audience judges the panelist) then they get teabags. It’s funny, it’s informative, and it’s entertaining. All episodes can be watched on the Comedy Central website.
John Oliver has his own show on HBO entitled Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. This show is one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2014. The formula is basic: John Oliver talks about two topics, one long and one short. What makes the show entertaining is Oliver’s accurate commentary on the subjects. Since this is still a satirical show, Last Week Tonight has a good amount of comedy and jokes that help prove his point. All segments can be watched on their YouTube channel on the Last Week Tonight channel.
