I waited to write this post until I'd seen three episodes of "The Problem With Jon Stewart," which tested my patience a bit because episodes are released once every two weeks by Apple+. It's been six years since Stewart left "The Daily Show," and it's good to see him again. His new show is more ambitious, taking elements from "The Daily Show," John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight," and other comedic current affairs programs, and combining them with more serious long-form investigative journalism and interviews. It's not a very comfortable hybrid, though an admirable attempt by Stewart to strike a more serious tone with his work.
Each episode of "The Problem" centers around a big issue like "War" or "The Economy." The first segment puts Jon behind a desk to deliver a fairly traditional comedic monologue on the topic of the day, filmed with a live studio audience. Then there's a panel discussion with activists and experts, and sometimes a separate interview with a more high profile lawmaker or administrator that Stewart conducts outside of the studio. Interspersed with these are pre-taped comedy bits about the theme of the day, similar to the ones used by most late night comedians. There are also framing segments showing Stewart in his writers' room holding discussions and pitching ideas. These segments are fun, and seem to be included in an effort to put more diverse voices onscreen.
Clearly there's a lot of talent involved in the show, and Stewart is fully invested in what he is doing. The first episode, "War," is focused on veterans' health, an issue that Stewart has been keen to spotlight and advocate for in the past. His interview with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough is appropriately tough and enlightening. However, the format of the show occupies an uneasy space between comedic and more hard-hitting commentary, and it doesn't occupy it nearly as well as something like "Last Week Tonight" does. While Stewart's work here is extremely informative, and does a great job of framing big issues in a way that is more easily digestible for the average viewer, none of it is particularly entertaining. Instead, his occasional jokes just serve to punctuate the tension, or else they feel out of place and counterproductive, adding to a feeling of unease. The tone of each show can swing wildly from irreverent to dead serious, and not in a good way. It doesn't help that episodes of "The Problem" run nearly a full hour in length, and the energy just isn't sustainable for the duration.
Jon Stewart is committed and passionate in his advocacy, but he doesn't strike me as any more incisive than the pundits and news presenters that he regularly skewered on "The Daily Show" when he's in this mode. The fact that he clearly comes at these interviews and discussions with an agenda creates an odd sort of cognitive dissonance. Jon Stewart never tries to pretend that he's anything other than a comedian, but "The Problem" is blurring the lines more, and Stewart's not afraid of getting more confrontational. It's an uncomfortable reminder that his last few years on "The Daily Show" were plagued with similar tonal problems as he started using his platform to take positions on certain issues.
I want to make it clear that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of Stewart's contemporaries and the presenters that he's helped mentor have been able to do this kind of commentary and advocacy far better. With some adjustments, I think Stewart could have the kind of long-form examination of current events that he wants to do, while still putting on an entertaining program. I like parts of "The Problem," and I think it has promise, but there are changes to the format that are necessary. Simply splitting the show in half, and switching between different interview and discussion formats from week to week would help considerably. Or de-emphasizing the monologues and just focusing on the interviews, Barbara Walters style.
I still count myself as a Stewart fan, and I'm rooting for the show's improvement, but it may be an uphill battle. One of the reasons that his show isn't coming off so well is that he's got so much competition now, and his basic shtick hasn't changed with the times. His time away from the spotlight was clearly needed, but it's also left him playing catch-up with the rest of the crowd.
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