Five and a half years have passed Jon Stewart left The daily show, ending a term that saw him rise, in the eyes of some fans, to the level of a minor god in the world of political comedy. In later years, Stewart has tried several new vocations: Film director, recurrent Late Show prophet, cattle fight. But we always knew he would probably someday return to the comforting if of the TV where he came from, and now we know when that day will be. Anyway. (It will be sometime this fall.)
This is for Apple, who announced today that Stewart’s new series, The problem with Jon Stewart, will hit streaming TV this fall, bringing Stewart back into a world of comedy and commentary that he and his disciples helped shape. This is not for nothing The problem—Described as “a series of multiple seasons, one hour and a single number” – seems very similar to the previous programs Daily show correspondents like John Oliver, Hasan Minaj, i Wyatt Cenac all have in recent years embraced deep dives on topics that deserve more than the time given to a monologue joke. (Meanwhile, it’s unclear if this “single number” descriptor means Stewart is tackling a single issue per episode or season, but the intent to combine journalism and comedy in a family package is clearly there.)
Apple signed a deal with Stewart last year, after a previous deal with HBO failed to produce a series of promised projects, including an animated series and a couple of stand-up specials. Apple is obviously betting on Stewart’s continued appeal, but there’s a clear question at stake: is this love still working? The Trump era, which Stewart highlighted primarily, was extremely harsh with the idea that political satire, in itself, had the ability to make real-world changes, once a fundamental part of the Daily show appeal. Is Stewart’s particular and once powerful mix of sharp comedy, moral outrage, and intentional absurdity still in demand? We’ll probably find out some time this fall, when The problem with Jon Stewart above.
[via The Verge]