THE
DAILY SHOW
In my job, one of my responsibilities is to
monitor Twitter. Twitter is, among other (better) things, a seething morass of
angry people typing reactionary, inarticulate opinions at each other, a place
where just your mere presence can make you a target for intense, personal
vitriol. It’s my job to monitor that, and it can become a bit depressing at
times when you add it to the monstrous level of cynicism and vitriol that was
in the world already. American politics in particular has given us several
examples of influential, high profile people who have an alarming level of
understanding of minor issues like, say, rape.
So when one has to wade into this
particular angry pool more often than not, the blast of common sense that is The Daily Show proves invaluable. Jon
Stewart may end his career winning every prize for humour and satire there is,
as he and his writing team maintain an absolutely spectacular level of
consistency. The writing is witty, equal parts urbane and profane, eloquent and
sensible. The delivery by Stewart is almost always first class. He still
interviews authors of books despite the fact he’s just about more popular than
the network late night shows. The Daily
Show is a constant, unrelenting breath of fresh air.
If I were to put together a list of the
best television shows of this millennium (any genre), The Daily Show would unquestionably be in the top three. I can’t
bestow enough hyperbole upon it.
Honourable
Mention: These days, you can’t mention The Daily Show without bringing up its
stable mate in The Colbert Report. Both
shows are outstanding and while I believe Colbert
to be a little less essential, they are both outstanding television satire.
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