Friday, October 16, 2015

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Must See TV?

After returning from two weeks in Japan I finally had the opportunity to watch an episode of the new Daily Show with Trevor Noah. I only watched one episode because my Direct TV DVR makes a distinction between The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and didn't record The Daily Show with.. while I was away (yeah, I know I could watch episodes online, but c'mon, I'm old and old people need the big screen. Plus The Daily Show with... is supposed to be a news show, faux or not, and who wants to watch two week old news). 

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but after watching that one episode, perhaps Direct TV is correct in making the distinction.

I didn't laugh. Noah seems uncomfortable. And his accent feels strange in a way that John Oliver's doesn't. It probably didn't help that I watched E12 which had a clearly wasted Jack Black as the guest.

Many of the reviews I've read give Noah a pass, so I will too: 

  • Vanity FairThough there was an air of something forced and synthetic about the show last night, we’d be wise to remind ourselves that this was Day One after 16 years."Stewart had 16 years";
  • Indie Wire: Noah's take on "The Daily Show" will evolve... "I think if any show launches in its fully matured form, that's not necessarily a good sign because it won't necessarily keep evolving, and I think the best shows do evolve."
  • Hollywood Reporter: Noah's Daily Show debut was not about intimacy. It needed to be quite the opposite. It was about being as broad and welcoming as possible, reassuring a nervous fan base that even if the guy at the desk is more dimpled-and-dapper and even if the world is spinning in a different direction, it's still The Daily Show. Check back in a few weeks or months, and maybe it will be time to review The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.
But, at least to this point, while the DVR will keep recording, and I will check back in a few weeks or months, I'm not sure that The Daily Show with Trevor Noah will be must see TV for me.








1 comment:

Bruce & Marijo said...

We tested Trevor Noah and really wanted him to succeed, but we found he came up short. Jon Stuart left some awfully big shoes to fill. We no longer record The Daily Show.