The Daily Show (1996– ) User Reviews

Very original, very creative, very funny, very cool

[Xophianic · 9/10 · 18 February 2000]

THE DAILY SHOW is one of my favorite television shows. In a similar style of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, THE DAILY SHOW delivers the news with a comedic sense, and then the host/anchorman, Jon Stewart, will interview a celebrity for four minutes. This show is informative as well as funny, because the news and interviews are all real with a comedic spin to them. Jon Stewart is very funny and talented and is much better than Craig Kilborn, who was also very good. Steven Colbert, Beth Littleford, Lewis Black, Vance Degeneres (better than his sister, for sure!), Mo Rocca and Steven Carell are all very talented comedians. Every episode is just as good as the next and it never gets old.

Last Week Tonight would've not existed if this show happened....

[justin-fencsak · 8/10 · 6 June 2017]

The success of a show like The Daily Show, especially during the John Stewart era, has inspired countless imitators and changed the way talk shows were marketed at young audiences weaned on watching the nightly news with their baby boomer parents. With the Daily Show being shown a half hour early than most late night shows and being shown exclusively on cable TV, it makes sense.

One anchor, four correspondents, zero credibility.

[Lady-of-Rohan · 16 October 2004]

When a big story breaks, where do you turn for news coverage? CNN? FOX? BBC? CBC? No, no, no, and no. It's....Comedy Central? Oh yes. Believe it.

The Daily Show is the #1 fake comedic news show out there. Every weekday night on Comedy Central (or Comedy Network for me) Jon Stewart, officially the second funniest man in America, hosts a show that everyone needs to see. The whole show follows the main news stories of today and comments on them with hilarious political satire. Not only that, but everyday, a guest comes in for an interview. And I'm not talking guests nobody has heard of. We're talking about Bill Clinton, Matthew Broderick, Desmond Tutu, John Kerry, etc.

The Daily Show is definitely worth your time. Give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Now for your moment of Zen!

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 6 July 2006]

The Daily Show has evolved into a cult status and it's popular especially since Jon Stewart took over the helm some years ago. I remember Jon Stewart and Lisa Edelstein (Dr. Cuddy of House) being the video jockeys on MTV in the Morning which only seems like yesterday. Anyway the Daily Show has evolved into an exciting half-hour of fun, entertainment, and even enlightenment. You can't help but notice that Jon's guests are no longer celebrities but mostly authors, educators, and politicians. He seems to be at ease with them than at the Oscars. How many times can you interview somebody about a movie or television show? As Stephen Colbert would say, Stewart has the balls and makes this show a success but he doesn't maintain that standard fare that would make us tune out. The short features from his correspondents are always worth watching as well. I love Samantha Bee and the ever changing titles of his correspondents as well. I remember Nancy Walls and Steve Carrell (now of "The Office) doing their reports. Lewis Black is always welcome on the show. Chris Rock doing the Republican conventions is always a scream.

Jon Stewart & Craig Fergusen my 2 fav late night shows!

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 9/10 · 24 October 2016]

Yes, we miss Craig and no dice with James Corden but Jon Stewarts The Daily Show is still killing it! Jons demeanor and attitude were just plain fun and outstanding! So after retirement and bringing in Trevor Noah, I thought it would be a flop like James Corden did to LLS with Criag, BUT I think this is the first LN show that has finally picked a great successor! (sorry, Colbert to Letterman is an insult). Trevor is a natural and hats off if Jon had anything to do with the selection process, because I have zero complaints! The transition was smooth and entertaining, and oddly enough, although the format didn't change much (if even at all), Trevor has his own 'thing' going on that keeps you smiling and laughing just as Jon always did, yet he is not imitating Jon. I'd like to see Jon as a guest back on his own show once in a while, both him and Trevor would be a blast. Oh, and the ONLY thing Trevor did better: I FINALLY after all these years noticed that what I thought Jon always said in closing "this is your moments end" is actually "moment of zen" lol. Thanks for clarifying that for me Trevor! Keep up the great work guys!

Ignore the Trolls Dumping Here

[he88 · 10/10 · 16 May 2019]

Trevor Noah has his own style, but he is a very intelligent host like John Stewart was. He is on top of things pretty well, and he seems to run a tight ship there. My one complaint is that the show is four half hour segments per week yet they seem to take a week off once maybe every six weeks. I realize it takes a lot of work to keep such a show fresh. John Stewart in his last episodes took the audience on a tour behind the scenes to show just how many people and departments it takes to run the Daily Show.....It was astonishing. Still...When they aren't doing the show or St just showing highlights....They really are missed.

He's no Jon Stewart, but I really like Trevor Noah!!!

[LiquidPoetry1921 · 8/10 · 22 March 2017]

It's hard to fill the shoes of someone who was such an iconic host...as is obvious with Trevor Noah taking over 'The Daily Show' from Jon Stewart. Admittedly less successful than Jimmy Fallon was replacing Jay Leno on 'The Tonight Show', Noah would probably be taken a lot more favorably had this been his own show from the start and not as Stewart's replacement ~ a VERY hard act to follow.

That being said, Trevor Noah IS funny...especially his comedic take on the current Trump Administration and all its pathetic minions, from Sean Spicer to Kellyanne Conway. Add into that the corrupt Vladimir Putin, deranged Kim Jung Un, and our entire dysfunctional Congress, Noah could easily do an hour long show five nights a week!

This South African native has spot-on comedic timing and sarcastic facial expressions that really bring the jokes home! Although 'The Daily Show' still has dozens of writers like it did with Stewart, without someone to deliver them in a funny way makes them completely useless. And unlike many of the reviewers here, I find Trevor Noah hilarious ~ and really look forward to the show the four weeknights it's on!

So so Partisan

[timbmatthews · 10/10 · 12 October 2019]

We all know that Comedy Central and the Daily Show has been on the liberal side, but at least John Stewart was equal opportunity of making fun of whichever side was saying/doing stupid things. I tried watching Trevor for 4 years and the show now has a total 1 sided hate agenda. They don't even get the facts straight for a number of their stories. It made me so frustrated and I realized the show was making me so angry I had to stop watching. I like Trevor as a person, but I miss John Stewarts version of the show which had a more diverse view of the world and interviews. I wish the Daily Show would work harder on fact checking stories and moved a little more away from the partisan agenda. Bring us news of the world, make sure it is factual, and let us all laugh about it. I'm not sure if the show forgot, but liberal people do funny stupid things too.

For the most part, wonderful

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 18 May 2016]

As Comedy Central's longest running show, it is impossible for me to say bad things about this...except when Jon Stewart left. I remember first watching the show back in 2003. I was first becoming a teenager and wanting to look into more adult shows and this fit the bill perfectly. The reason this show has been going on so long is the same reason "South Park" has been going on so long. They are the most topical shows of their entire genre. It's simply hard to specify any single episode of "The Daily Show" because they have a seemingly infinite number of them. Jon Stewart has hosted the show for 95% of the entire run and it's strange to see even the consideration of someone filling his shoes. Trevor Noah seems nice enough, but is obviously not as good.

I realize how much this show has grown. It's not just the show, it's that there are so many correspondents on this show who come and go. The best of them all was of course Stephen Colbert and I was quite disappointed to see HIS show end as well. I guess this has shown that change is good, just not with the host. It is true that I do not watch the show as often as before. It is still on all the time and I still watch a lot of Comedy Central so it's simply hard for me to simply avoid it altogether. I would be lying if I said I didn't get a lot of my news from this show.

You could argue that the show is too massive and that younger people are getting misinformed about the most important news stories. This is still the most entertaining (fake) news show ever made. To be able to observe how the world always has new crazy things going on is something everyone should be aware of. It shows that are always new things to talk about. I guess I'm not really a fan of talk shows that much, but I will make an exception for this great series. I mean, look at how it has a higher rating on the IMDb than so many other talk shows! It's even hard to think of a single joke from "The Daily Show".

Okay, I can think of one. One episode talked about the show "Tomorrow's Pioneers" featuring an evil knockoff of Mickey Mouse telling children to kill Jews. Jon said, "He looks like Mickey Mouse, but he sounds like Walt Disney". Lewis Black is always hilarious and I am so glad this show introduced me to him even though he's not really a full time correspondent. This stuff isn't stupid. It's stuff that's more relevant to you than any other comedy on TV. I always preferred this show over Bill Maher. Bill Maher's show can definitely be witty and insightful, but he's a lot meaner than the people on this show.

For whatever the future may hold and whoever the host may be, please watch this wonderful and unique show that's a big part of a lot of our lives. I guess "The Colbert Report" is technically a better (talk) show, but this is at least going on. Perfect ****.

-sigh- Have to drop my two bits re Trevor

[rzajac · 10/10 · 17 October 2017]

Choosing Trevor Noah to replace Stewart...

...what a tough call/high bar in the hiring of the torch-bearer for this show.

And, as far as I'm concerned the choice of Noah reflects both the toughness of that call and the height of that bar: Noah is an amazing person.

He has much of the spirit of Stewart, and then some.

Stewart did a great job, and he's a national treasure. But it's instructive to make a reasoned comparison; what does Noah bring that Stewart may have (somewhat) lacked?

Here's the deal: A comedian/comic can acquire skills from years working in front of crowds in stand-up... and that's what Stewart did.

But... Noah HAS THEATRE CHOPS. Noah has, really, everything that Stewart did, PLUS theatre chops. And that's an amazing thing to see.

So, the way I see this transition is that Noah has *everything* Stewart had (not forgetting top staff!), and then toss in very mature theatre chops, and you've only improved the product.

There is one other thing: One senses that the Daily Show producers used this transition as a cover to make some changes in content programming: That is, The *new* Daily Show (with Noah) both bumped up the produced content quality AND nudged over a bit in the direction of including more global perspective... which the old show did rather lack. These are *great* decisions!

So: If'n yuz asks me, the new Daily Show took an amazing show and only made it better.

Good commentary

[briancham1994 · 8/10 · 3 June 2020]

To be honest, I prefer Jon Stewart over Trevor Noah but I still like them both. The commentary in this show is compact, informative and entertaining at the same time. The host is not just a comedian as he has insightful commentary as well to put things into context.

It used to be extraordinary

[JWJanneck · 6/10 · 17 December 2015]

Jon Stewart took over a nondescript comedy show and turned it into a venue that aired some of the best political satire on television on nearly a daily basis for about a decade and a half. In a world where politicians and the media that are supposed to cover them seem to compete with each other over who is most morally bankrupt, most corrupt, most cynical, and most stupid, Stewart's show provided moments of relief and sanity and common sense, packaged as comedy around a body of top-notch research.

The Daily Show used to be extraordinary. It spawned a few other shows where former cast members explored interesting variations on the theme of satirizing public life, and might have created or defined a genre in the process. Those days are over.

I tried to like its new host, Trevor Noah. There is a phase of comparison anybody in his position has to overcome, where he is seen as replacing somebody rather than simply a voice of his own. There are all these small differences, some deliberate, others maybe not, that might annoy old fans just because they are different from what they are used to, and wouldn't have been even noticed otherwise (the out-of-breath voice of the announcer in the opening credits, introducing the Moment of Zen standing up, ...). It takes a while to find one's voice in this kind of job, and Noah still looks like he can't quite believe his luck, or how funny the jokes are (even when he messes them up), but it took Stewart a little bit of time to find the Zone of Anger at "the system" necessary for his brand of satire, so maybe Noah just needs more time to get there. All of these things are fixable.

A more serious problem, I think, is that Noah is moved by something less interesting than Stewart. When news people, cornered by public opinion that trusted a comedy show more than what they tried to create, "accused" Stewart of being their (biased) competition, he would insist that his primary motivation was comedy based on the absurdity of the system, rather than a specific political agenda. Many (especially conservative) folks dismissed this as a tactical response, but I think it was essentially true. Of course most viewers of Stewart's show would be "liberal", but I think it could have been watched and enjoyed by a conservative, too, for its irreverent criticism of across-the-aisle stupidity and callousness and Stewart's non-partisan sense of fairness that allowed him to have many productive and interesting conversations with people he deeply disagreed with.

Noah's show is different. His primary motivator isn't comedic wonder at the theater of the absurd that is American public discourse, but a specific political view. He wants viewers to think about things in a certain way, and he has little to offer to those that don't. Where Stewart's classical foe was Fox News, Noah just piles on the Trump, an easy target, but without its refraction in incompetent and biased media only of passing comedic value. Of course, Trump would have found a prominent place in Stewart's show, too, but while we enjoyed laughing at his antics, we would also have learned something about how his story was told to us by our media. Noah tries to emulate the taste of Stewart's show, but without the fiber. He has lost the essence of TDS because his interests are essentially different from Stewart's, and we are just a little poorer for it.

Jon Stewart vs Kilby

[mattryan00 · 8 January 2003]

Ok, I'll be the first to say: When Craig Kilborn left the show, i thought it was going to suck. Boy was I wrong.

This is the one show on television that i make an effort to watch. Amidst a wasteland of stupidity, this is the last bastion of entertaining intelligence. Since the major television networks have turned into crap factories: turning out one crappy reality show after another, it's comforting to find a place in The Daily Show that makes fun of those people.

Jon Stewart is one of the funniest (not to mention brightest) people out there. Whenever I get bored, i watch old clips of him interviewing the Spice Girls or the one about Executing the Retarded. Somebody give this man a raise (no--that was not a short joke); he has earned it.

Jon is the man!

Hip, funny, clever.

[MovieAddict2016 · 9/10 · 18 August 2005]

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" is one of the funniest shows on television and probably the cleverest show on Comedy Central (perhaps tied with "South Park").

Jon Stewart was the perfect host - his dry humor and quick wit is great. His group of news correspondants are equally humorous - Steve Carell (who has now left to pursue a film career) is the best of the bunch, always doing wacky, crazy stuff for the sake of laughter.

The show features interviews, news clips, and so on and so forth - it's a big hit on college campuses because it seems to appeal to the new generation: it reports news but in a sarcastic, cynical fashion.

I'm a very cynical person so this show fits me just right.

It's time to replace Trevor Noah (SOLVED)

[Fernando857483 · 9/10 · 2 July 2016]

Last year I wrote the review below, but a lot has changed since.

I must say Trevor Noah is doing a stellar job, and I was wrong and impatient. I think I wanted Jon Stewart back, but there is only one Jon Stewart. Which doesn't mean nobody else would be able to do a great job.

I also loved Noah's new Netflix stand-up show! He is seriously 5- star funny!

***************************************************

Look, it's not that we have to be stuck with Noah. I mean, in every business it's like this: if you are not competent you get fired.

Noah is not smart enough, also pointed out by him saying things like 'I didn't expect there would be so much journalism involved', he brings down the ratings, and he is by far less funny than any single member of the old crew. The constant laughing about his own jokes doesn't help either.

Yes, nobody can replace Stewart, but at least do your best to find someone who *understands* the concept. Do your due diligence before making such a big move.

Comedy Central really screwed the pooch by not considering/ignoring/letting Samantha Bee leave. She was the perfect choice. Just look at her current ratings. By the way, she brought with her the two head writers from Stewart's team.

And about the old crew, look at the new crew. Someone like Trevor Noah attracts mediocre talent, mediocre writers and a mediocre production. That is why Jessica Williams is leaving this week.

There are enough smart not-too-young women and men who can do a much better job. But if they don't make me laugh out loud to begin with, then don't even bother.

I never did see the Jon Stewart version

[susancvan · 9/10 · 17 November 2019]

We (my husband and I) started watching this after seeing Trevor Noah doing stand up on a comedy special. We thought he was so hilarious that when we saw he was on a TV Show regularly, we started watching it. We were not disappointed, Yes he talks about Trump. Trump tweets things and says things that really, all you have to do is repeat them. The jokes write themselves. He has ALSO been commenting on all the democrats running and not always in a favorable light. He also does talk about other things. His sidekicks are also funny. I think the problem is the country has become so divisive that we've forgotten how to laugh and take every comment too personally. It's time to relax and let that sense of humour out. Also to address a couple of comments in here about "Go back where you came from" .We must remember USA is NOT the only country in the world. When we make fun of Angela Merkel or Prince Charles for example, do you think it keeps them up at night making them angry? Probably not... they probably laugh and think it's funny.

From Stewart to Noah this show rocks

[view_and_review · 9/10 · 3 November 2021]

When Comedy Central aired "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart it was something totally new and exciting. It had the format of your traditional serious news show except it was full of satire. It was so funny because it was Jon Stewart simply pointing out many of the absurdities in politics and current affairs that many of us thought anyway. I was skeptical of Trevor Noah when he took over because he was an unknown to me. Now I think Trevor Noah is an indispensable asset to the show.

One of the funniest shows around, But I prefer Stephen Colbert

[bspice · 10/10 · 23 August 2006]

Jon Stewert is a kickin' show but it has lost most of it's funniest people(Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert were the funniest). Though it has gotten a little bit worse I still think it deserves it's Emmy's. Ecpecially since he and Stephen Colbert have Gorge Bush and other politics to laugh at(but Stephen Colbert makes fun of more then politics which is why i like him better)

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are slowly becoming T.V comedy classics such as The Simpsons. WARNING: If whoever is reading EVER becomes famous for whatever reason, be careful that you never do anything stupid because Jon Stewert and Stephen Colbert WILL BE ON YOU IF THEY DISAGREE!

If you want to see the truth behind the news...

[faincut · 8/10 · 27 November 2006]

Using comedy to comment news - this is what "The Daily Show" is about. Even CNN broadcasts this show - means - people can be updated on what is going on in the world in a comic way. It is said that the show has become better once Jon Stewart started hosting - so I don't know how good it was before him. The show is basically starts with an announcement of the date following by rocky tune, and a greeting by John. Usually he has an opening monologue featuring the top stories of the day, then he will talk to one of the hilarious correspondents. Furthermore, there will be some kind of parody that is done with some kind of graphic manipulation. Next, usually John brings a guest who is not an actor, but the person himself. In the end, we go to see Stephen Colbert who was a former correspondent and now has his own spin-off show "The Colbert Report"

Trevor!!!

[fiftycentqueen · 10/10 · 14 February 2019]

Jon was ok but Trevor is really funny. I see all the stuck up Republicans giving low reviews..smh... ridiculous

Funny, addictive, and just plain great

[okg-11122 · 10/10 · 28 June 2015]

This the show the daily show has been around for quite some time. The show basically tells you about the news that is currently happening while making fun of it. This show unlike most comedian shows actually has character, it has started the comedian genre ( even though I know that Saturday night live did that)

Many people have left the daily show and started their own careers in the same space, and you can see in their style and set and jokes they are much like John Stewart. Just look at John Oliver's set up, it's almost exactly like John Stewart's.

I also love how in every chance he gets John Stewart makes fun of Arby's which I find hilarious because there are many places like Arby's but he chooses to make fun of that particular brand.

The last thing is that John also really inter acts with his guests when they are on the show, you also might see guests like that on other newer shows that pick up on it. It's really sad that he is retiring though. If you want a good laugh then you should watch this show, it's great.

So unfunny it hurts

[MajBlade2 · 1/10 · 1 May 2020]

I was forced to watch one of these shows while in a waiting room. He tries so hard to be funny and nothing he says is remotely so. And when your whole show is bash on Trump, Republicans and white men no wonder his ratings are terrible. Then he brings on a serious guest and he tries to act like a serious reporter and its hilariously bad its the funniest part of the show watching him try to ask serious questions when he obviously knows nothing about what he is talking about.

Now better than ever.

[Tug-3 · 4 March 1999]

I have always liked the edgy, sometimes-cruel humor of "The Daily Show," but now that it has Jon Stewart at the helm I like it more than ever. Craig Kilborn was a talented host, but he often bordered on being severely unlikeable, and somehow malicious towards his guests. Jon Stewart brings to the show a much more developed sense of comic timing, plus a split-second wittiness and a knack for snappy comebacks. He has an obvious rapport with his guests, and consistently produces the funniest and most honest interviews on television. Meanwhile, the On-the-Spot reports have maintained the same level of hilarity, assaulting the pretentiousness of people who can't seem to realize they are the butt of a joke. And as sacreligious as it is, I can't get enough of the hysterical "God Stuff" portion of the show, which manages to strip bare the ignorance and hypocrisy that surround tele-theology in a few short minutes. The folks at "The Daily Show" would be well-advised to keep up the outstanding comedic work.

Quite Simply, The Best Thing on TV

[davideisaura · 10/10 · 5 December 2006]

This is the only show that is capable of making me laugh 'til I cry. 'Friends' used to. Occasionally. But this show does it on a regular basis. Forget everything else that purports to be comedy. This is the real deal. There is, of course, the occasional unfunny segment. But that's to be expected. It's not easy coming up with burning satire four days a week. And people's tastes vary. (A weekly format would probably suit the content better.) But in general, I can't see how anyone could have a bad word to say about it. (Except, of course, O'Reilly, Hannity and all the other GOP/Murdoch stooges at Fox News. And anyone else who doesn't have an open mind and the ability to laugh at themselves.)

Yikes

[ebber31 · 10/10 · 7 September 2006]

It's really too bad that the truth can only be spoken these days by comedians. News ain't what it used to be, thanks to corporate interests. If you disagree, it's got nothing to do with opinion; you're just blind to the fact that corporate interests decide the news, which help wealthy tax cuts for the rich, and profit the war profiteers (who own the news networks and press, dummies). Show me I'm wrong. Liberal press, indeed.

Hopefully this show will continue to speak the truth to power, those that abuse power, and anyone profiting off the misery of others, particularly the military and the poor. Go Jon! You rock buddy!