It’s been five and a half years since Jon Stewart leaves The Daily Showand ended a term of office that rose in the eyes of some fans to the level of minor god in the world of political comedy. In the intervening years, Stewart tried his hand at a number of new professions: Film director, repeating Late show prophet, cattle wrestler. But we always knew that he would probably one day return to the comforting bosom of the television from which he originated, and now we know when that said day will be. Anyway kind of. (It will be somewhere this fall.)
It is by appeal, who announced today that Stewart’s new series, The problem with Jon Stewart, will appear on streaming TV this fall, bringing Stewart back to a world of comedy and commentary he and his disciples helped shape. It’s not for nothing The problem– Described as a series of more than one season, ‘single issue series’ – sounds a lot like the previous series Daily show correspondents such as John Oliver, Hasan Minaj, en Wyatt Cenac all presented in recent years is deep dive into topics that deserve more than the time offered by a funny monologue joke. (In the meantime, it’s not clear whether that “single-issue” descriptor means Stewart tackles a single issue per episode or per season, but whatever it is, the intention to combine journalism and comedy into a familiar package) .
Apple signed a first-time deal with Stewart last year after a previous deal with HBO failed a number of promised projects, including an animated series and some stand-up specials. Apple, of course, boasts of Stewart’s continued career, but here’s a clear question: is that love still active? The Trump era, which Stewart mostly ousted, was extraordinarily difficult with the idea that political satire in itself has the potential to bring about change in the real world – once a core part of the Daily show appeal. Is Stewart’s particular, and once powerful, mixture of sharp comedy, moral indignation, and deliberate absurdity still in demand? We will probably notice a time this fall when The problem with Jon Stewart arrive.
[via The Verge]