Stephen Colbert, long time correspondent on the Daily Show, debuted his new show last night after the Daily Show on Comedy Central. The Colbert Report is a mock-news program in the vein of the O'Reilly Factor.
I wasn't sure whether this show would turn out any good. I had hopes, but I was keeping them low in case of failure. Jon Stewart and other members of the Daily Show team are working on this project, so I knew it should have decent writing. In all, I was pleasantly surprised.
I thought the first episode showed a lot of promise. Colbert has clearly spent hours and hours studying the mannerisms and set designs of cable news program anchors. There were points where his style was spot on O'Reilly. Several jokes were hilarious, and those segments that flopped can be weeded out. For a first episode, it was quality.
My fear is that I don't know what they will do four nights a week with this show. How long will it take for the style to get old? How many bits can the writers and Colbert come up with? I don't know, but I hope that this show can finally be the quality back-up to the Daily Show that comedy central has been searching for.
Good luck, Stephen. Your home state of South Carolina is with you.
--ApostleRadio
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Ohhh! I'll have to check it out Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I dunno, but the Gravitas-Off with Stone Phillips was hilarious.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I started watching it after The Daily Show and left at the first commercial break. Those were the longest ten minutes of television I'd ever watched. I don't really watch television news at all, so there's a good chance that's why nothing seemed more than mildly funny. It also bothered me that the action wasn't broken up more. The Daily Show works (for me at least) because things move very quickly. In The Colbert Report, there was much more time spent on each segment.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I meant to post on this last night, I thought it was awesome. The interview with Stone Phillips was a little lacking, but the Gravitas competition was hysterical. I think they will learn from this show and do other things in the future, I'll bet the Daily Show wasn't awesome when it first started either. But I love Stephen Colbert, and he is a really funny guy. I imagine this show will do well, and I'll watch it every night to support it.
Posted by Parsimony (Member # 8140) on :
The second episode was even funnier than the first. The interview with the Georgia congressman was the funniest interview I have seen from him in years. I was dying. You should watch the show.
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Chris, I agree. I laughed so hard I was in tears. I can't believe what a good sport Stone was!
(Colbert is already starting to get on my nerves. I hope he tones down the whole "Look, I'm cool because I have a TV show. It's all about me, Colbert" thing.)
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
He isn't serious about it. It's satire. He's coming on so strong in an obvious mockery of the pundits he detests so much.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Kayla - that's pretty much the premise, the idea that the host of this type of show is ready and eager to pronounce conclusively his opinion on anything at all, regardless of actual knowledge or pesky facts.
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
I just love that they pronounce "Report" to rhyme with "Colbert". And I'm impressed that Bill O'Reilly was dumb enough to go on The Daily Show to advertise for it! That had me rolling. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
That was a good back and forth between Stewart and O'Reilly last night on the DS.
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