Media top headlines September 30
In media news today, liberal journalists celebrate YouTube censorship of anti-vaccine content, Matthew Dowd announces he is running for Texas lieutenant governor, and 'The View's' Joy Behar calls Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin 'enemies' of U.S. democracy
Rolling Stone was one of multiple outlets to publish a poor review of Jon Stewart's new Apple TV+ series, suggesting the comedian's latest venture was stale and antiquated.
"The Problem With Jon Stewart," Rolling Stone writes, includes one too many references to his old popular show "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," now hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. The show features extended dives by Stewart and a panel into serious political issues.
"That Stewart keeps invoking The Daily Show, both explicitly and with many of his creative choices, will be a feature rather than a bug to those who missed his sardonic voice while he sat out the Trump years as a public voice," Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall wrote in a piece entitled "The Problem with Jon Stewart Review: New Show Is Stuck in the Past."
"But the problem with Jon Stewart is that he hasn’t changed since we last saw him rocking out to Bruce Springsteen in his Daily Show finale, while the world has — both on television and outside of it," Sepinwall continued.
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The reviewer claims Stewart did not know how to balance the seriousness of his topics - veterans' health, the COVID-19 pandemic, etc. - with a touch of humor, suggesting his jokes often didn't land or seemed out of place.
In all, Sepinwall wrote Stewart is out of his depth trying to compete with his comedic competitors who have been tackling these issues for the past six years while he was on the sidelines. Stewart exited "The Daily Show" in 2015, in the middle of the stormy GOP primary eventually won by future President Donald Trump.
AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 28: Host Jon Stewart at "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" covers the Midterm elections in Austin with "Democalypse 2014: South By South Mess" at ZACH Theatre on October 28, 2014 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Comedy Central)
The New York Times, which published a review not quite as biting as Rolling Stone's, was nonetheless underwhelmed by Stewart's new project.
"In its first two episodes, his show is ‘The Daily Show’ but longer (around 45 minutes), more sustained and passionate in its attention and less funny — often intentionally, sometimes not," the Times' James Poniewozik wrote.
Poniewozik commended Stewart for raising awareness about the plight of veterans and other important causes, but, like Rolling Stone, suggested the comedian's humor often falls flat.
"The first monologue hits air pockets of wan laughter — maybe the audience was unsure what to expect, maybe it was jarred by the contrast between the grim subject matter and the punch lines. Either way, it throws the momentum off."
The Guardian took a similar issue with the show, publishing the most direct headline of the three, "The Problem with Jon Stewart review – full of righteous rage but not very funny," calling it a "bit dull."
The Washington Post's Inkoo Kang panned the show's lack of humor – "I didn’t laugh once during the two 45-minute episodes screened for review" – and admonished him that his "noble" pursuits might not find an audience without "some jokes to leaven the proceedings."
"A big chunk of the left-leaning audience, I think, still grok with his Jersey-centric worldview, his reflexive self-deprecation and his sneering sarcasm. After being such a longtime fan, I’m just thankful to Stewart that we’ve got so many other alternatives to him now," she wrote.
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When he's not cracking jokes on television, Stewart has been pushing the case for 9/11 victims and first responders still dealing with illnesses since the 2001 terror attacks. In 2019, the comedian went to Capitol Hill to blast Congress for failing to ensure that a victims' compensation fund set up after the attacks never runs out of money.