I stuck with The Nightly Show for about a month, and a large part of me hopes that I'm just taking a hiatus, not giving up on the show forever. I really enjoy Larry Wiltmore, whose segments on the Daily Show as Senior Black Correspondent always demonstrated a sharp sense of humor, great timing, and a strong presence, and the idea of giving him his own show seems like a no-brainer. It would prevent him from trying to take on the in-character shtick that Colbert made so iconic, and the announced idea of the show - to focus on minority issues - made sure that the show would have its own identity beyond riffing on the news, Stewart-style. But the execution of The Nightly Show has been a bit of a letdown. Wiltmore's monologues are fine, but he lacks some of the snappiness and tightness he often brought to his routines on The Daily Show. But the big issue is the panel discussion format, which feels like it's trying to do too many things and pleases no one in the end. Mixing comedians and legitimate experts is a weird choice; is the panel there to entertain or to debate? Moreover, by confining it to a single segment, it always feels shallow; it ends up feeling like everyone gets in about a single line or two without much follow up. (As proof of this, check out the episode on black fatherhood, which features an extended panel that works far better.) And then there's "Keep It 100," a good idea that's rapidly become little more than an extended "Would You Rather" with no follow up or conversation being provoked. I still like Wiltmore, and I'm hoping that the show improves; if I hear that it has, I'm quite likely to jump back in and give it another shot. But for now, The Nightly Show is a bit of a disappointment, and with the impending loss of Stewart, I can't help but feel like we're coming up on the end of an iconic comedy dynasty that I've loved for more than a decade.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
RSS Feed
