I'm not really sure of how they're making new shows in the middle of the writers strike, considering that many of the hosts are also in the guild, but its likely that the show is far less scripted.

Anyway, I've only watched one new Daily Show and one Colbert so far, and they weren't bad. Maybe not quite as funny as either used to be, but its still entertaining, and less sensational than real news.

Anyone have any thoughts? Or know how they're running during the strike?

1/9/2008 10:27:55 AM

I've watched them both so far since they have been back and Colbert seems better off since he knows his character better than anyone. Stewart seems a little lost, lingering way too long on some bits but I doubt anyone would have been surprised by that.

1/9/2008 10:32:22 AM

i watched it and pretty much agree with you...it wasnt that bad, but it wasnt that great

the best line imo was when stewart was like, after 9/11 tv went off for a week...so according to my calculations, the writers strike is 9 times more powerful than 9/11

went to commercial after that

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 10:33 AM. Reason : ^agreed...colbert>>>stewart since they came back]

1/9/2008 10:32:56 AM

i saw monday's episodes. It looks like Colbert really hasn't skipped a beat. The guy is just a comedy machine. I watched The Daily Show after reading and hearing several reviews that said that Stewart was off and he just stumbled along, but I didn't think it was that bad. It was actually about on the same level as a below-average normal TDS. Of course, he had 2 real interviews instead of using a correspondent, so that will take away humor as well, but his monologue really wasn't bad.

Stewart and Colbert are both in the union, and I heard that technically they are not allowed to prepare anything before going on the air. Obviously they are preparing, working with at least the Director and Editor.

When it comes to late night guys, since the strike, people have been treating these guys like they are just stooges who sit there and read what other people write for them. Obviously they have writers and obviously the writers generally do a lot of the heavy lifting, but all the late night guys (letterman, conan, leno, stewart, colbert) are former stand-up comedians and writers themselves, so it's not like they're left wandering in the darkness without their team of writers. They have to rely on the writers because of the volume they are required to do. A normal stand-up comedian writes his own routine, but he can use the same routine over and over again for months without adding much new stuff. These shows, though, have to have 30-60 minutes of fresh material every night, so lots of people, including the hosts, have to come up with it all.

1/9/2008 10:54:41 AM

The thing that sucks with both shows is that this is their bread and butter time. They thrive during these election times, there is just so much material and without the writers to help sift through it we are missing out on what would have been some of the best episodes.

It is still funny because both guys are good comedians, but I really hope the strike ends soon especially since both shows actually impact politics and hold people accountable.

1/9/2008 11:31:15 AM

what's odd is that letterman is still getting beating by leno

1/9/2008 7:33:14 PM

aha i love letterman, but he's an old man and i understand why a lot of people would like the more upbeat and hip jay leno

1/9/2008 7:53:44 PM

daily show was way better than colbert report last night.

1/9/2008 8:32:34 PM

Quote :

"the more upbeat and hip jay leno"

Are you kidding me?

1/9/2008 9:58:02 PM

for the baby boomers he is

1/9/2008 10:33:58 PM

will it float is way more hip than anything jay has ever done

1/10/2008 12:17:59 AM

And Grinder Girl?? C'mon, old men can't get more in touch with the destructively minded younger audience .

1/10/2008 7:52:00 AM

hey i'm perplexed too

i tried finding some demographic breakdowns, but my google skills are failing me...i'll try and keep lookin

1/10/2008 6:28:40 PM

I hate watching letterman only when the damn band comes on.

1/10/2008 6:46:10 PM

So for anyone that watched Tuesday night is it true that John Oliver is not allowed to strike cause he's here on a work visa?

Not too bad. Save their jokes about the writers' strike itself, to me they seem like normal episodes except for Stewart not using any of his correspondents (except Oliver).

1/10/2008 10:23:19 PM

They aren't nearly as funny and you can tell they don't have the man power to sift through the hours of footage and back logged stuff that they normally do.

1/10/2008 11:05:45 PM

haha colbert just broke down which candidates each of the aqua teen hunger force were supporting

1/11/2008 1:36:35 AM

^

I hate not having cable.

1/11/2008 1:41:45 AM

i was watching daily show the other night and i was confused did they change the name? they called it (even john stewart) "A Daily Show, not The Daily Show.

1/13/2008 5:20:00 PM

They showed it as "The A Daily Show with Jon Stewart" a few days ago, I think there's some joke behind it... possibly something to do with the writers strike and almost certainly not a permanent change.

[Edited on January 13, 2008 at 5:22 PM. Reason : .]

1/13/2008 5:22:05 PM

i was kinda thinking that but wasn't sure

1/13/2008 5:23:39 PM

they made a point of that on the first episode they were back. You know.... as long as they don't have their normal writers, they're not "the" Daily Show. It's just "A" Show that's on Daily.... A Daily Show.
It will go back when the strike is over.

btw, Colbert doing his Ellen "Sexy Back" dance was one of the funniest things i've ever seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUmKnSdCcKk

1/13/2008 5:26:55 PM

lol your name contains boner.

1/13/2008 6:57:04 PM

I thoroughly enjoyed the first return of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. A Daily Show/The Colbert Report were fairly decent too.

1/14/2008 5:44:19 PM