The Problem with Jon Stewart

I love what Jon Stewart and his team are trying to do here. Outline really big, tough issues, meet some of the people directly impacted and also some people with power who need to use it to make change. Season with a dash of humour. It should work, right?!

Yet....somehow it doesn't quite seem to come together. The panels with the impacted parties seems a little too fast/glib and "show me your trauma" and the segments w/ the powerful people seem a little flat - maybe they need to get them all in a room to have a civil, but frank conversation? The segments with the writers are actually quite enjoyable.'

Will I keep watching? Yes, but i no longer wait for the next episode to drop.

I really like the format of this show and how diverse the team is. Its nice that we get to see the team discussions. And its really fresh to see not just one person running it. I like how even the people being interviewed really take the discussion forward. All in all very interesting! Just don't watch it with the lens of the daily show.

From the first episode Jon immediately reminds you how passionate, clever and funny he still is about the issues he cares about. The great part about the show is the focus on the issues puts the show closer to Last Week rather than the Daily Show, so there's no celebrity fluff or promotion.

Can't wait for more!

This really is the Daily Show to the next level but be ready for a way more serious tone....and rightfully so considering how F*&%ED up things are. I see a lot of reviews on here saying "its not funny enough" well thats not entirely it's intention. Yes he adds humor to the show but thats actually brilliant since these topics are way easier to digest when you can laugh here and there. Anyone who thinks the world and more specifically the US govt isnt completely backwards is probably going to give this show a bad review.

Jon Stewart's brief excursion into Apple before returning to the Daily Show was eagerly anticipated but never really found its feet. He did seem a bit stiff during the intro segments throughout but I admire the analytical format generally - even if the central panel discussions did tend towards the superfluous at best and downright awkward at worst. Where he really shone was interviewing the heavy hitters - his stunning wrong-footing of the Shell CEO in the first season was one of the highlights of the year for me and may be revisited in future times. Ultimately "Problem" lacked consistency and for me sits in the shadow of the far superior (and sadly cancelled) "Problem Areas With Wyatt Cenac". More to that, at the end (or mid point) of the slightly leaner second season, he ditched the long-form analysis model and briefly re-entered contemporary critique again and the vibe was palpable. That he then returned to his ideal format and excelled in the pre-election time makes this now a bit of a forgotten curio rather than anything worth seeking out particularly but there were some really bright spots.