The Power of The Daily Show

Has it Replaced Saturday Night Live for Showcasing Up and Coming Comedic Talent?

Christina M., Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 31, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Both are beloved icons, well established in their field and respected for their talents. One could convincingly be called the voice of his generation, and the possibly the following generation as well. One has such a strong influence that he's had numerous days named in his honor, and has even received honorations from cities outside of the United States.

Their sway is so powerful that it's well noted in Washington that any politician who wants to promote their candidacy needs to rub elbows with them on their turf to gain valuable visibility. The same could be said for any author, sociologist, or noted news anchor wishing to publicize their work.

These two men are so popular, they've had to repeatedly refuse requests for them to make up a ticket for the White House in 2008. Instead, they're comfortable with being the two most popular comedians today.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have elevated themselves to a new level in comedy, combining the rebellious anti-authority spirit of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin with the respectful aura of Will Rogers and Bob Hope. Their status ensures their invite to prominent shows and events, but it's their defiant streak that keeps them relevant with the cynical yet idealistic youth movement. During his October 15, 2004 visit on Crossfire, Jon Stewart startled his hosts by refusing to engage in clever banter.

Stewart used his time on the program to calmly but vehemently argue that their format of spinning news stories to promote their opposing political beliefs was "hurting America". When Tucker Carlson teasingly attempted to goad Stewart by asking him to "be funny", Stewart fixed an imposing stare on him, his mouth in a sardonic half-smile. "No," he responded in a low voice.

"I'm not going to be your monkey." The comedian's temper flared for a moment when Carlson remarked that Stewart wasn't as fun as he usually was on his own show. "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show," Stewart shot back, making the political pundit break into nervous laughter while staring into the camera.[i]

A more publicized spectacle took place when Stephen Colbert hosted the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 29, 2006. Colbert had already established his on air persona as a parody of Bill O'Reilly, a political talking head who believed in following gut instincts rather than facts. The term he coined to describe this phenomenon, "truthiness", had already been voted the word of the year in 2006 by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, beating out google in a reader's poll. Colbert spoke in character at the Correspondents' dinner, standing on the stage in a tuxedo with President Bush and delivering a roast that criticized the Bush Administration under the guise of a praising speech.

"I stand by this man," Colbert stated, gesturing to President Bush. "I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers, and rubble, and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message: that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound-with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world."[ii] The president's surly expression sparked a debate; should Colbert have shown more respect for the commander in chief as he delivered a scathing, sarcastic discourse to Bush's face? While Colbert's performance was vilified by the Washington Post's Richard Cohen[iii], Colbert received praise from liberal NPR host Al Franken and left-wing Canadian columnist Heather Mallick, who likened what Colbert did to Bush as "what Mark Antony did to Brutus, murderer of Caesar"[iv]. The internet also boosted the speech's popularity, dominating search engines and topping the list of iTunes when the speech became available for purchase on the online mp3 site.

While Stewart and Colbert are undoubtedly the most prominent comedians from The Daily Show, Steve Carrell has garnered his own share of success. He stars in NBC's "The Office" for which he has won two Golden Globes, and starred in the 2005 comedy "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" which grossed over one hundred million dollars worldwide. Most recently he was part of the ensemble cast of the Oscar-nominated ironic film "Little Miss Sunshine." Ed Helms, another popular Daily Show correspondent, also found a part on "The Office."

The staggering successes of these four men left vacancies for new correspondents such as John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Larry Wilmore, and John Hodgman, who undoubtedly are hoping for their own successes stemming from their work on the Daily Show. Assuming that correspondents will eventually move on to other projects, one wonders - has the Daily Show replaced Saturday Night Live for showcasing up and coming comedic talent?

With the question posed, there's no denying that Saturday Night Live is legendary in its own right, having housed comic legends and brilliant musicians through decades. Famous sketches have coined new phrases, prompted impressions throughout the world, and have even become the basis for box office hits. Still, gone are the days of Belushi and Radner, of a young Eddie Murphy prior to his film career, and the frat boy tenure of Sandler, Rock, Farley, Spade, and Schnieder. Brutal critical reviews (Entertainment Weekly gave the recent season a D+, while viewers gave it a C+)[v] maintain that the recent years on SNL have been lackluster, even with the first duo of female anchors on Weekend Update featuring the clever and talented pair of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Being a live show, SNL showcases the cast members' talents for improvisation and also can carry the element of surprise, such as the November 11^th 2006 show when Paul McCartney suddenly appeared at the end of a skit.

Still, watching a skit doomed with bad writing and subpar performances break down can make the audience wince rather than laugh along. Because the show is live, cast members breaking into giggles during a performance can subsequently breaking the careful rhythm of a comedic sketch. This can be seen as endearing, depending on the popularity of the cast member breaking character and the strength of the sketch itself. Compared to the near-daily occurrence of Stewart and Colbert collapsing into laughter at the end of their teleconferenced banter (this occurs at the end of The Daily Show segueing into the Colbert Report's opening remarks), however, it is lacking. The audiences at both the Daily Show and the Colbert Report consistently cheer as Colbert breaks character and giggles helplessly, with Stewart watching and snickering with glee.

Besides massive influence and star power, Daily Show correspondents also have the advantage of recognizable presence. Obviously The Daily Show is on daily, or almost daily, Monday through Thursday, while Saturday Night Live is on Saturday nights, but already John Olivier has the advantage of more viewers knowing his name than most other SNL cast members. The Daily Show has a couple of advantages over SNL concerning comedian visibility. Using a news show format, Stewart announces the name of the correspondent before he presents his feature story, and their name is noted at the bottom of the screen in the first few moments of their presentation or their prerecorded clip. Also, The Daily Show has a considerably smaller on air cast than SNL, so while correspondents are working with less on air time, the time they have on the air is focused mainly on them.

One major discredit to the theory that The Daily Show is a better career opportunity than SNL is the immense success of Will Ferrell, who was a SNL cast member from 1995-2002. Will Ferrell has gone on to star in numerous movies and now gets top billing, almost ensuring box office success. Talladega Nights was a box office smash, and his latest movie Blades of Glory opened to $33 million in its opening weekend.[vi] Ferrell has also earned critical acclaim for his performance in the clever comedy/drama Stranger Than Fiction, obtaining a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Harold Crick. A recent story on Ferrell in Time Magazine compared his accomplishments and comedic style to Bill Murray[vii], another SNL alum who became a comedy legend nominated for an Academy Award for his starring role in Lost in Translation. Another deterrent to the claim is that, quite obviously, not all Daily Show alumni go on to have brilliantly successful careers.

Perhaps then, the best determination of the best show to foster budding talents of unknown comedians is the experience gained on the show. SNL is a legendary show, allowing cast members to learn the essential tools of improv, comedy writing and acting skills while giving them the opportunity to work with and meet popular actors and musicians. What sets the Daily Show apart is that it provides comedians with the opportunity to hone their acting skills, improvisation talents (shown through interviews and unscripted banter) and access to the most important figureheads in the world today.

Instead of performing skits with popular actors and actresses famous for their active nightlives, Daily Show correspondents have met presidential candidates, former presidents, senators, members of congress, lauded authors and philosophers, and similar personalities. Will Forte sang a song with Scarlett Johanssen; Samantha Bee demanded "a sack of cash" from Richard Brannson. Jake Gyllenhaal starred in a sketch in which he watched meatballs wearing sunglasses dance on his plate, Stephen Colbert cajoled Florida Congressman Robert Wexler on into stating "I enjoy cocaine because it's a fun thing to do."[viii] Stephen Colbert has also combined popular culture with politics. The Decemberists' lead guitarist Chris Funk guested on the December 20, 2006 show with guitar legend Pete Frampton and Henry Kissinger[ix].

The legendary status and ever-present popularity of SNL ensures that the show will always be a forefront in popular culture, but it certainly seems to have taken a back seat to the power of The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Stewart and Colbert may be impossible acts to follow, but they've ensured that The Daily Show is a strong source for intelligent comedy that speaks to and for the young generations of today. While SNL alumni have gone on to become film and television stars in their own right, they lack the sheer power that Stewart and Colbert exhude. Will Ferrell may be a talented and profitable movie star, but would he be able to book an appearance with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright or Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf? Also, when's the last time you saw anyone begging Chris Kattan or Andy Samberg to run for president?

[i] CNN Crossfire transcript [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf.01.html]

[ii] White House Correspondents Dinner Speech (04/30/06) [http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=script&program_id=17953&version_id=20967&nav=series&session=]

[iii] "So Not Funny", The Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050302202.html]

[iv] "Did you hear the one about the satirist and the president? Probably not" CBC News Viewpoint - May 5, 2006 [http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_mallick/20060505.html]

[v] EW.com [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1544959,00.html]

[vi] Blades of Glory (film) - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blades_of_Glory_%28film%29#Reception_and_box_office]

[vii] Will Ferrell: Brilliant Idiot [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599705,00.html]

[viii] The Colbert Report - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report#Robert_Wexler]

[ix] Ibid, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report#Greenscreen_Challenges]

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The Power of The Daily Show

Has it Replaced Saturday Night Live for Showcasing Up and Coming Comedic Talent?

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