Das Problem mit Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart's brief excursion into Apple before returning to the Daily Show was eagerly anticipated but never really found its feet. He did seem a bit stiff during the intro segments throughout but I admire the analytical format generally - even if the central panel discussions did tend towards the superfluous at best and downright awkward at worst. Where he really shone was interviewing the heavy hitters - his stunning wrong-footing of the Shell CEO in the first season was one of the highlights of the year for me and may be revisited in future times. Ultimately "Problem" lacked consistency and for me sits in the shadow of the far superior (and sadly cancelled) "Problem Areas With Wyatt Cenac". More to that, at the end (or mid point) of the slightly leaner second season, he ditched the long-form analysis model and briefly re-entered contemporary critique again and the vibe was palpable. That he then returned to his ideal format and excelled in the pre-election time makes this now a bit of a forgotten curio rather than anything worth seeking out particularly but there were some really bright spots.

I was ECSTATIC when I heard Jon Stewart was producing a new show. I am desperately in need of another news source that has just enough comedy to keep me from throwing heavy, pointy things at the screen in anger. This is *almost* it.

Laughter is what keeps despair away, despair that has loomed all too large these last many years, and my sense of humor is so dark Anish Kapoor wanted to co-opt it for his exclusive use. However there just wasn't the sharp, dry, cutting dark humor I was hoping for in the first episode.

They do an excellent job of laying out the issues, and presenting various aspects of a complex problem in a clear way... and then... that's it.

With not enough humor, a resolution, or a call to action, then it has the impact of a long format click-bait article that gets one all wound up and pissed off, and then left feeling impotent and powerless in the face of such a massive, systemic problem.

That's how I've been feeling far too often over the last 5? 50? Years (I've lost count, time lost all meaning once I started seeing pajama pants as acceptable to leave the house in and had to start genuinely helping my tween do math) and I desperately NEED to feel like I can do SOMETHING, ANYTHING. Send a mildly offensive postcard to someone, buy a sarcastic stuffed animal, tweet a snarky meme to help raise money, or just scan a QR code that pops up on the screen at the end that will auto deduct $10 from ApplePay for a related charity... SOMETHING.

You did a great job of bringing these issues to our attention Jon, and getting us all passionate about it, don't leave us here with activist blue balls... tell us how the people in your show need help so we can ALL have a "happy ending."

I love what Jon Stewart and his team are trying to do here. Outline really big, tough issues, meet some of the people directly impacted and also some people with power who need to use it to make change. Season with a dash of humour. It should work, right?!

Yet....somehow it doesn't quite seem to come together. The panels with the impacted parties seems a little too fast/glib and "show me your trauma" and the segments w/ the powerful people seem a little flat - maybe they need to get them all in a room to have a civil, but frank conversation? The segments with the writers are actually quite enjoyable.'

Will I keep watching? Yes, but i no longer wait for the next episode to drop.

Update: After watching a few episodes. I have changed my views. Jon is very cautious about what he says. He just utters what his left leaning writer would write for him.

Great to see that the legends has return.

The show separates itself from what the talk shows has become in the last 5-6 years.

Shows the real problem of the society w/o choosing a political side. Reminds me of how great The Daily Show and Colbert Report used to be.

Who are these people who are so insulted when confronted with their own privileged existence? They realize that the term "woke" is used to describe people who are fighting for rights and equality, right? But somehow, that's now a bad thing and being "woke" is an insult. LOL!

It really is quite sad.