Fox's Attempt at Creating a Colbert Report/Daily Show Competitor

[Ksyrup]

Ugh. This is lame with a capital L bigger than the L in Liberal. It's like a mix of Jimmy Fallon-era SNL News and Not Necessarily the News...except decidely less funny than that.

Rather than create a legitimate contender to Colbert/Stewart, they've just created the conservative TV version of Air America - utterly unwatchable/unlistenable to anyone from the opposing viewpoint. The beauty of Colbert and, less so now but originally, The Daily Show, is that you can view them as strictly entertainment or for the message, if you were so inclined. This is nothing more than preaching to the choir (which, unfortunately, is the trap I'm finding Daily Show to be falling into more often than not these days). It's a fine line, but this obliterates that line to the point that even as a conservative, I'm insulted.

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjIfaMwIFxU&eurl=


Oh, and this is created by Joel Surnow, co-creator of 24.

[Dutch]

You're preaching to the choir.

[Crapshoot]

Heh - It got a laugh out of me, but I assume that's a filler bit, and not the crux of the show. If so, the only people it will appeal to are the Bubba's and PSUColnel's of the world.

[cthomer5000]

Politics aside, I got a chuckle out of the "Don't Tell Mama - I'm For Obama" shirt

[Young Drachma]

Wow. This is AWFUL and I'm not even through the first few minutes. I mean, it's a blatant rip. And while Colbert stopped being funny to me a while ago...and I'm not really a Daily Show fan, this is just silliness. If you're going to try to compete, at least do it with some sort of skill.

[WVUFAN]

I thought it was much funnier than any drivel the Daily Show puts out.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

I thought it was much funnier than any drivel the Daily Show puts out.

Roffle - no surprise.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

I'm not the core audience for a show like this (surprise!), but why run it on Fox News Channel? Does this mean CNN is going to start their own satire news show (avoiding the obvious joke about the current quality of CNN)? Is Comedy Central going to start a legitimate news show?

And if you're going to do something like this, by God, be funny! That clip was painful to sit through.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Roffle - no surprise.

Why, because I might like a show that makes fun of liberals the way the Daily Show makes fun of conservatives? The way that moronic show Real Time on HBO makes fun of conservatives? If so, you're right, no surprise. Surprisingly enough, I like Stephen Colbert comedy as well.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

1. Some of the worst comedy writing I have seen;
2. However, the completely terrible laugh track was funny in itself;
3. Why is this on a news channel? I don't get it.

[Maple Leafs]

My favorite part is the "studio audience". It's like they couldn't even bother to get a laugh track, they just made like a half dozen members of the crew stand around and laugh hysterically at every line.

[Ksyrup]

Actually, I thought some of it sounded like a laugh track.

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

I thought it was much funnier than any drivel the Daily Show puts out.

LOL shocking

[Butter]

Seriously, though, The Daily Show has become tiresome in its relentless Bush bashing. It was funny for a while, but then I just stopped watching it. It needs to get back to being funny just for the sake of funny instead of trying to be funny for a purpose.

[Ksyrup]

I tend to agree. Colbert is still funny, and even though you're aware of the purpose, it doesn't feel like a bash session. Stewart has let the mission get in the way of the entertainment.

[Maple Leafs]

I actually think Daily Show is better now than it was in the runup to the last election. It felt like Daily Show and SNL Update both decided to take it upon themselves to educate everyone on who to vote for in 2004. When it didn't work, Daily Show sort of shrugged and went back to being funny, whereas Update (i.e. Tina Fey) decided they needed to hit us over the head even harder.

If anything, Colbert has sort of forced Daily Show to pick up their game.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Why, because I might like a show that makes fun of liberals the way the Daily Show makes fun of conservatives?

Surely a show like the Daily Show can only really work if it is making fun of those in power?

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Surely a show like the Daily Show can only really work if it is making fun of those in power?

That is in fact how it works. While the Daily Show will poke fun at Obama (if he wins), I highly doubt this travesty of a show will ever poke fun at conservatives or Republicans.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Surely a show like the Daily Show can only really work if it is making fun of those in power?

Admittedly, I haven't watched this show in the past few months. Is Stewart making fun of Pelosi and the Democrat Congress? Perhaps I was soured on him because the last time I watched, he was probably in the pre-election run up and I saw nothing but a one-sided calculated effort as opposed to funny stuff about politicians and elections in general. As opposed to Colbert, who actually got a Dem Congressman from Florida to say on camera that he enjoyed cocaine and hookers.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Admittedly, I haven't watched this show in the past few months. Is Stewart making fun of Pelosi and the Democrat Congress?

Yes, although not with the same vigor he goes after the right. But he does target the Dems often for being too soft and wishy-washy.

Let's face it, Stewart knows his audience is younger and leans left, and he's still going to cater to them.

[sabotai]

While I do agree that Daily Show has gone downhill a bit, Stewart does go after the Left (but as ML said, not with the same vigor) and he does actually have conservatives on his show much more frequently than those who do not watch the show seem to think.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by sabotai

While I do agree that Daily Show has gone downhill a bit, Stewart does go after the Left (but as ML said, not with the same vigor) and he does actually have conservatives on his show much more frequently than those who do not watch the show seem to think.

Agreed. I don't watch the show everyday, but I thought his bit on the first 100 hours of the Democrat's takeover of Congress was a pretty funny example of this. Then again, it's kind of hard to go after Congress with the same vigor as the President. It will be interesting to see how the show does if the Democrats win in 2008.

[Galaril]

Ah........ consevatives aren't meant to be funny

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by John Galt

It will be interesting to see how the show does in the Democrats win in 2008.

Confident, aren't we?

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by John Galt

Agreed. I don't watch the show everyday, but I thought his bit on the first 100 hours of the Democrat's takeover of Congress was a pretty funny example of this. Then again, it's kind of hard to go after Congress with the same vigor as the President. It will be interesting to see how the show does in the Democrats win in 2008.

Precisely. People who think the Daily Show is a left-leaning show simply doesn't remember 1996-2000. It's an anti-establishment show, not an anti-conservative show. They're going to skewer whoever is in power and who is in the White House, regardless of party.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Precisely. People who think the Daily Show is a left-leaning show simply doesn't remember 1996-2000. It's an anti-establishment show, not an anti-conservative show. They're going to skewer whoever is in power and who is in the White House, regardless of party.

From 96 to 98, it was a completely different show. It wasn't until after Stewart took over that it took a turn for the worse.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

From 96 to 98, it was a completely different show. It wasn't until after Stewart took over that it took a turn for the worse.

If by "it took a turn for the worse" you mean "the ratings went through the roof", then you are correct.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Confident, aren't we?

Not really. And although I'm almost certainly voting for the Democrat's candidate in 2008, I don't really identify with the Democrats. I did realize I had a typo, though. "in" should have been "if."

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by John Galt

Not really. And although I'm almost certainly voting for the Democrat's candidate in 2008, I don't really identify with the Democrats. I did realize I had a typo, though. "in" should have been "if."

Ah. For some reason, I read that line as "when the Democrats win in 2008"

[M GO BLUE!!!]

This is pretty bad... A couple of chuckles, but mostly just horrible (maybe the presentation had something to do with it too, as a couple of the jokes could have been better with better talent.)

Should I mention that I just watched it in the office of Air America?

[albionmoonlight]

From 2000 through November 2006, the Republicans had complete control of the White House, control of both houses of Congress, and ~66% of the federal judiciary under their control.

It would be hard for any show making fun of things to make much fun of the Democrats--because the Democrats didn't have the power to do anything.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

From 2000 through November 2006, the Republicans had complete control of the White House, control of both houses of Congress, and ~66% of the federal judiciary under their control.

It would be hard for any show making fun of things to make much fun of the Democrats--because the Democrats didn't have the power to do anything.

And you don't think THAT'S funny?

[Joe Canadian]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Ugh. This is lame with a capital L bigger than the L in Liberal.

The "L" in liberal is not capitalized, unless it begins a sentence or you're talking about something like the Liberal Party of Canada.

[timmynausea]

Count me among the people that don't like the Daily Show as much as I used to. As others have pointed out, a big part of it is laziness and partisanship on Jon Stewart/the writing staff's part, but I also think that comedy has kind of moved on, and they are doing a lot of the same jokes. Stuff like Borat, and even Colbert (the White House press dinner was insane), have pushed the limits way beyond what the Daily Show is doing.

It's hard to remember, but it wasn't that long ago (2001-2) that President Bush was a revered figure and the Daily Show was one of few places that he was criticized. (Remember when the Dixie Chicks were hated for saying one bad thing about Bush at a concert? Even congress was scared to death to stand up to him at that time - the Patriot Act passed 99-1 in the Senate.) It seems like they still run the show like that is the case, even though making fun of the President has completely lost its shock value and is not at all funny by itself.

On top of everything else, I think Colbert's commentaries are not only funnier, but have more substance than anything on the Daily Show.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Ah........ consevatives aren't meant to be funny

true dat

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Precisely. People who think the Daily Show is a left-leaning show simply doesn't remember 1996-2000. It's an anti-establishment show, not an anti-conservative show. They're going to skewer whoever is in power and who is in the White House, regardless of party.

I think that's still an open question. Six/eight years is a long time having success primarily knocking one side to keep that up if the audience's preferred political party (not to mention the host's) is now the one taking the brunt of the joke.

Like I said earlier, I saw a lot of the show before the elections, and it was almost like watching a Democrat pep rally - 180 degrees from what I remember it being. It felt like an MTV politics show rather than a comedy show - if you recall the way MTV used to cover elections. So that may be coloring my perception of how the show is normally. I just know that I make a point of seeing Colbert, and rarely watch Stewart at this point. It also doesn't help that Stewart has talked about running for office (or it has been said about him), which makes him seem more like Al Franken than a talk show host/comedian in my mind.