Here's my early take on it. (Short version: Keep the writing at "Daily Show" quality, and give him the right people to play off of, and America will be at least as amused as they are now, and certainly no worse informed.)
And--no question about it--this will be the most formidable raised left-eyebrow in late-night comedy since we lost John Belushi.Lindsay at Majikthise attended a test taping last week, and although she remains open-minded--the whole point was to work out the kinks with a studio audience before launch--she worries that it may need some time before it finds its voice.
TCR is supposed to be a parody of the Bill O'Reilly/Sean Hannity/Joe Scarborough talkshow genre.(Somebody help me out: by the late 1990s I had gotten bored with the original host Craig Kilbourne, so I quit watching TDS before Stewart took over in 1999 and I missed most of his first year. But doesn't her description of Colbert's show sound a little like the growing pains that "The Daily Show" went through when Stewart got promoted and the show dumped Kilbourne's "laddie magazine" demeanor for a more self-deprecating [I'm trying to avoid the word "cerebral" here] approach that took awhile to gel? Stewart's show didn't hit its stride and become the Emmy machine it is today until a couple of years ago. Of course, Colbert's show only has 8 weeks to prove itself.)
TDS is funny because it's so faithful to the conventions of TV news. TCR isn't a successful parody of its parent genre (at least not yet). Most of the humor comes from Colbert being raunchier or more whimsical than you'd expect a guy in a suit to act. No question, Colbert is funny. But except for a brief sketch alluding to the rivalry between Al Franken and Bill O'Reilly, TCR feels more like a variety show than a parody.
I've had a rule for several years now: If I start following a new show, I have to dump one I'm currently watching. (Sorry, "West Wing.") Since "The Colbert Report" is only half an hour long, I'm thinking maybe I can just sneak it in for a few weeks without uprooting anything else on my schedule.
Let me know what you think.
2 comments:
I hate Craig Kilbourn with a passion. I find him so vile, I could never watch "The Daily Show" back then.
I like Colbert, but it will be interesting to see if he works best in small doses, or if he can carry an entire show.
I like your site and I will add it to my favs, but it's a little hard on the eyes, (color and contrast-wise). You'll take care of that for me, won't you, dear?
Oaktown Girl
Hi, Oaktown Girl--
I thought Colbert's show was pretty funny tonight, but you're right--22 minutes of him a night may soon wear thin. Well, "24" is about the only show I've liked in recent memory that wasn't at leat a little shaky for the first few episodes. Cross your fingers.
As for the color thing, bummer--I just got it the way I like it, though I'm so left-brain I could see why you might not want to put too much stock in that. I've had good luck wearing Ray Bans while I blog. Can't guarantee it would work for everyone, but maybe . . . ?
Thanks for stopping by!
bn
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