By Claire DuMont
Staff Writer
“Thank you for joining us as we continue the war on bull***”
Familiar but different describes Trevor Noah’s performance as the new host of “The Daily Show.” Following Jon Stewart’s sixteen year run as host, Noah has kept his approach to the role, his humor and the structure similar, while still bringing a new perspective.
The first season of “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah,” premiered on September 28 on Comedy Central as a satirical comedy late-night talk show. Every episode features monologues based around news and politics, and a guest ranging from actors to world figures.
The show first started in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn and in 1999, Stewart took over. Over time, he became a favorite among audiences until his retirement in 2015. Over those sixteen years, the show won a total of 21 Emmy Awards.
Many of the structural features were kept consistent with Noah’s introduction to the show. Viewers were met with the same theme song, introduction and the familiar “moment of zen” to end the episode. This similarity results in a degree of comfort as viewers are not forced into an unfamiliar environment.
Having grown up in South Africa, Noah seems to have a different perspective on American politics and news. When the same jokes made by Stewart were comically self deprecating. In Noah’s performance, the jokes seem mocking. Maybe as he becomes more comfortable, audiences will have a different perception.
While it’s too early to make an accurate prediction of Noah’s performance down the line, he is already embarking on controversial topics and jokes with relative ease. This is a brave choice, because viewers are still getting used to Noah as a host.
Trevor Noah has kept the sarcastic nature of the show unchanged from Jon Stewart’s time as host. Because the show is a satire, the humor has to be backhanded and sometimes pushes boundary of being offensive. In his first episode, Noah made jokes suggesting that members of Congress have “aides.”
One of the best features of “The Daily Show” are the team of correspondents that cover longer stories filled with hilarious twists that poke fun at modern journalism. They offer a different voice from the host, keeping the significant humor of the show varied and intriguing.
Even though there are differences between Noah and Stewart, the essence of the show has remained. It still serves as an entertaining, comical satire that audiences love. Although it will take some time for Noah to fully establish himself, the change is not significant enough to push away viewers.
Although the change from Trevor Noah to Jon Stewart was evident, the smaller changes in structure helped it seem more gradual. The changes in Noah’s performance aren’t drastic and it seems that over time, Noah will gain more practice and become more comfortable with hosting.
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” is definitely worth watching for new viewers and previous fans of Jon Stewart’s run. Because shows such as “The Colbert Report” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” are spinoffs of “The Daily Show” fans of most late night comedy will enjoy Noah’s performance.
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” airs on Comedy Central Monday through Thursday at 8 pm.
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