The Daily Show with Trevor Noah 2017: African Host, African President

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > The Daily Show with Trevor Noah 2017: African Host, African President

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

mdemone posted:

I dropped out of TDS watching several years back, for no particular reason, just lost track of it.

Having caught a couple of Trevor's episodes in the last weeks, I'm really enjoying his style and angle. Also his voice/accent is weirdly addictive.

So it's back on ye olde DVR list, but having kids kind of makes it hard to work through even a small backlog. Urgh.

I was wondering why this year's Daily Show thread was only two pages deep when we're almost two months into it. I guess it's not for lack of quality, just lack of interest. Honestly, I thought that Jon Stewart got less funny and more angry in his last few years, it just took until Colbert left the Report for it to become apparent. I haven't really come back to it post-transition, mainly because political comedy recently has emphasized laughs less and righteous anger and catharsis more (see: Last Week Tonight starting around mid-2015 or so).

I've heard the correspondents are still good, though. Their segments were always the highlights as Jon descended deeper into hopelessness.

bull3964 posted:

Viacom has repeatedly said in the past few months that they want to bolster the traditional pay TV model and would be withdrawing from streaming.

This seems like a way for Viacom to give the finger to people who don't pay their ISP for cable TV as well, but whatever makes them more money is what's gonna carry the day, so who cares what I think? At least, I assume that's why they're going this route. It's not the most well-run media conglomerate.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2017 04:04

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 05:39

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

My friend watched some of The President Show and hated it, and he has low standards to begin with. It sounds like they did that concept better almost 15 years ago with Crossballs and the Jiminy Glick show. Good to hear Jordan Klepper got his own show, but that cuts the last link to Jon Stewart's Daily Show, so it's also a bit sad.

Speaking of Jon, I read about Trevor Noah defending the money that Obama gets from events where he speaks. That strikes me as a thing that Jon never would have gone to bat for. He got stale in his last couple years, but he was always cynical when he covered those kinds of stories.

# ¿ May 2, 2017 04:34

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

That's My Bush was just a take on the "typical" sitcom that just so happened to involve George W. Bush. It wasn't political but that didn't stop it from being axed after 9/11 regardless.

# ¿ May 2, 2017 19:21

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

But as I said, I don't think Jon wouldn't have viewed Obama's $400k speaking fees as "how dare the first black president get paid after leaving office!" like Trevor did. He could be elitist, but he was definitely a cynic when it came to people in government doing nakedly awful things.

Justin_Brett posted:

When that's part of why the President they don't like was elected, you'd think they'd lighten up on the 'you're with us or you're stupid/racist/sexist/etc' stuff.

Nobody with establishment Democrat mentality has done this, and Sam Bee fits that mold for sure. I haven't heard much about Trevor Noah since he took over, but after his comments about Obama's speaking fees, I'd say he thinks the same way too.

# ¿ May 3, 2017 04:39

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Mars4523 posted:

I mean, there appears to be at least a number of African Americans that sees the sudden liberal media furor as a slap to the face. And I get it. It's perfectly fine, or at least not worth any concern, for former Presidents and other elite to make tons of money from taking speaking fees until the only black President does it? Same with the thinkpieces about how Obama is living the life of a rich man following his departure from office even though all 42 of the guys who preceded him were pretty drat well to do themselves.

Hell, it's telling that "earns tons of money from giving speeches to people willing to pay for them" only became a serious political problem after a woman benefited from that trough.

With that attitude, you can get a job at the DNC. Also, Truman and Carter took no money from speaking fees after leaving the White House.

# ¿ May 3, 2017 09:07

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Is anyone planning on watching that Jim Jefferies show? I think he's a funny comedian and I loved Legit, but I really think we're reaching the saturation point of "comedian talks about current events" shows, and none of them really bring anything new to the table, so I'll pass.

# ¿ May 31, 2017 00:28

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

I also like Jim Jefferies and listen to Chapo, but I don't see how the two are related. When I think of his standup, I sooner think of the story he told about having a sex toy stuck up his rear end than anything political.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2017 23:18

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

GutBomb posted:

His last special was a lot of talk about American politics and I guess he's continuing with that.

These days, comedians who talk about that subject are a dime a dozen. When is the tipping point gonna happen? Comedy always goes in phases, but it feels like the political/social commentary comedy fad we're in is taking forever. While I don't agree with Norm MacDonald when he says that kind of comedy is never funny, it feels like being funny is secondary to making a point.

It's the opposite of over 10 years ago when Comedy Central leaned in hard on shows like Mind of Mencia, The Jeselnik Offensive, and any number of Daniel Tosh shows because they wanted to get that edgy comedy dollar.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2017 21:48

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Steve Vader posted:

The minute Trump is removed from office, we'll breathe easier and laugh at more farts.

Until then, it feels MANDATORY to pay attention and tear apart everything that piece of poo poo does.

Then watch the news. The belief that entertainment, and comedy in particular, has to play to our politics results in crappy new shows on Comedy Central like Problematic.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2017 22:59

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

My problem with the oversaturation of these shows isn't that they have an agenda per se, it's that a lot of them aren't good. I thought Last Week Tonight was funny and had a lot of effort put into it in its first year, but by mid-2015 or so, I felt it got less concerned with being funny than it was with being right. That's when I stopped watching, and from what I've read, it's only gotten worse. As funny as Jim Jefferies can be, I don't see him bucking the trend. TV tastemakers, both the people that make these shows and the critics that seem united in the belief about their "importance," are still wedded to the idea that our entertainers should also be social commentators. And yet, I feel like there's more public disenchantment towards that model than ever before.

It's at the point where I see a short description of an article about the declining relevance of Jimmy Fallon on late night TV, note that it equates that phenomenon with "late night becoming partisan," and start to feel sorry for him. Pity shouldn't be an emotion one feels towards Fallon.

get that OUT of my face fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Jun 5, 2017

# ¿ Jun 5, 2017 05:28

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

IRQ posted:

The main story segment has been pretty devoid of anything resembling comedy for awhile now and has become "hey idiot, here's a thing that sucks about america you should probably already should have known about.".

Don't forget pop culture references and reminders of what year it is as the only sources of levity. It's good to be informed, but I expect more than that from John Oliver. He hasn't pulled stunts like buying 5 minutes of airtime on Trinidadian TV to talk poo poo about Jack Warner for a couple of years.

At the same time, he's at least putting effort into something, which is more than you can say about every other "comedian acts important" show out there.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2017 06:17

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

pwn posted:

I want these shows to be political, but they need to cool it with analojokes - describing whatever Trump et al said/did, followed by "that's like..." whatever. That's just an analogy, not a real joke. If you have a real zinger then sure, but Colbert, Meyers, Oliver, and Noah are leaning on 'em way too much.

I blame Oliver, he was the leader in doing this, everyone saw how many hits his segments got on Youtube, and followed suit. I realize 10 minutes of material a night is a lot but that's what you're paid for.

It's Family Guy-esque "reference as humor" laziness. I blame Oliver too. He's capable of making actual jokes but he doesn't have to anymore.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2017 06:42

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

I'm not sure how old your dad is, but at a certain age, most people get stubborn and set in their ways politically. My parents are DNC-style Democrats, my mom is 70 and my dad is approaching that milestone, and I know that no amount of Chapo Trap House and Jacobin will get them to change their minds. My advice to you is to not bother.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2017 19:58

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

IRQ posted:

And it's... the Colbert Report again?

I doubt it'll be as good. Colbert made his character work partially because he's an actor by trade, and Klepper's just a comedian. He's not a bad one, but there's more to making a character than just being funny. Also, I don't think that Klepper was the most sought-after correspondent at any point on TDS, although admittedly I haven't been keeping up.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2017 03:39

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Far less people subscribe to that philosophy than you think, given the last election.

It seems like the only time people talk about The Daily Show anymore is when Trevor Noah fucks up. I don't hear that happening very often, though.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2017 03:41

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Hearing that TDS is pulling its punches on cable news is kinda sad. Jon always made it a point to show that cable news is rotten, although MSNBC got targeted a bit less than CNN and Fox News. I wonder what he'd have to say about Maddow now, but he retired for a reason.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2017 20:03

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

LinYutang posted:

Occasionally I see these NYC Millionaire Rants That Destroy Trump pop up on my facebook feed. they're uniformly terrible, and they do not in fact destroy trump

Yeah they're garbage

# ¿ Sep 3, 2017 02:36

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Duzzy Funlop posted:

that show was in what, late 2012...months after the massacre?

Then why are we talking about this? Didn't all the yelling and teeth-gnashing over years-old tweets months before Trevor became host teach us that digging up old things is a worthless, feelgood exercise for woke assholes who just want to scream and be outraged? How can you be sure that he still believes this 5 years after the fact?

# ¿ Sep 3, 2017 17:59

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Oh Snapple! posted:

Apparently it's relevant enough that it being thrown in his face after his recent dipshittery spooked the poo poo out of Viacom and sent them on a cleaning spree through youtube and twitter.

But again, five years ago. I know I had views that were different back then. Society doesn't give a poo poo, apparently.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2017 20:00

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Duzzy Funlop posted:

I think you're confusing me with someone else, I said I think Trevor would have treated that topic differently had he known then what we know now. And we're talking about it because a dude said Trevor is all Blue Lives Matter and gives the police a pass for gunning down miners like it defines him

I wasn't responding to that entire post, just that snippet that says people are getting in a frenzy about a five-year-old clip from his standup because we've seen it many times before. And I agree with you on his change in views.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2017 21:02

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

LinYutang posted:

I used to sometimes dislike Jon Stewart's handwringing about how he was "just a comedian" but for the most part he did not lean into the same type of sanctimonious antics that Oliver / Bee / Noah eagerly engage in. There was a little more humility on his part which was refreshing.

In hindsight, I get what he meant when he said that. Jon knew he was making a difference with The Daily Show, but he viewed himself as a comedian first and foremost. JO, Sam Bee, Trevor, and the real Stephen Colbert (as opposed to the character Stephen Colbert) think that they're difference makers that just so happen to tell jokes.

Oh Snapple! posted:

Man if "Jones and Bee objectively opposed their school integrating" is unhinged to you, I don't know what the hell.

Jones said at that parent meeting that regardless of their views on the issue, they shouldn't talk to the media. Not a smart thing to say, but it didn't divulge his belief on the matter either way. Bee, to my knowledge, didn't say anything at all. But misinformation has a way of snowballing to become Truth.

Unless you have something that says otherwise, which someone did with Trevor.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2017 05:03

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

raditts posted:

Imagine if The Nightly Show was the best we could hope for in terms of post-Colbert TDS spinoffs.
I would like to see Larry have a show somewhere else though

He does. It's called Insecure and it's a great show. Sure, he's a lead writer for it and not the star, but he was always better at writing comedy instead of acting it out.

Milo and POTUS posted:

The biggest problem with Klepper isn't even material, it's charisma.

My biggest concern when I heard that Klepper was getting a Report-esque show wasn't the concept, but how he'd manage the character. Colbert did a great job since he's an actor by training, while Klepper is just a comedian.

Personally, I'm not interested in watching it. My reaction towards political comedy these days is one big "meh." There's a large quantity of these kinds of shows but not a whole lot of quality because they hit the same notes. As someone said, the best political "humor" we've gotten from Trump is a stupid Alec Baldwin impression and Drumpf.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2017 16:05

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

IRQ posted:

Klepper's show just makes me bored. I'm not sure if it's just actually bad or there's just so much of this kind of thing now, but between TDS, Colbert, Full Frontal, and LWT I kind of have a glut of political comedy shows to watch.

To say nothing of Jim Jefferies seamlessly transitioning from jokes about sex toys getting stuck up his rear end to political comedy, or the network late night talk shows that do more than just dabble in political humor- or, in the case of Jimmy Kimmel, outright political lecturing. How much more of these political comedy shows are we going to get? They're neither politically insightful nor very funny, and I can't imagine the ratings can keep staying up. Comedy goes in phases and you'd have to think this too shall pass.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2017 18:17

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Steve Vader posted:

It'll pass when Trump is over and people don't feel like they have to be constantly vociferous and vigilant because THAT rear end in a top hat MIGHT KILL US ALL.

This current phase of liberal outrage in comedy started in the late Obama era, why would it end just because Guy We Don't Like is out? And I hope you're not implying this is a good and desirable thing. Equating good politics and good art is typically not a positive development in society.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2017 04:10

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

Steve Vader posted:

You know what happened in the late Obama era? Trump became a goddamned candidate for president.

And TV shows that focused on good politics first and entertainment second did fuckall to stop it. John Oliver can attest to that. Shows like Last Week Tonight have only increased this year. None of them are good, none of them are insightful, and none of them give me any reason to tune in.

If shows like Bojack Horseman and Broad City can turn serious topics into something that's funny and worth watching, then why can't yet another Daily Show clone do that? My problem isn't that they have a point, it's that they do nothing with it. I don't watch TV to be lectured.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2017 00:38

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 05:39

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

jojoinnit posted:

I'm not clear on what exactly you want these shows to be doing.

That post you quoted posted:

...turn serious topics into something that's funny and worth watching

A lecture from John Oliver or Jimmy Kimmel isn't that. A bunch of condescending snark from Sam Bee isn't either. If you're going to do political comedy, don't forget the comedy part.

get that OUT of my face fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Oct 11, 2017

# ¿ Oct 11, 2017 05:21

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > The Daily Show with Trevor Noah 2017: African Host, African President