# Samantha Bee is not funny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520 "2009-01-09T14:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/41 "2009-01-13T05:54:01Z")
I think Samantha Bee isn’t just funny - she’s pretty damned cute. Is that weird? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/42 "2009-01-13T06:12:36Z")
No, just creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/43 "2009-01-13T06:14:21Z")
I think she’s unfunny, but most of the correspondence pieces are. I guess there’s only so much you can do as a TDS reporter. They always do the furrowed brow/concerned reporter bit, curse, and say something stupid. I thought Colbert was a great correspondent, though, and I loved “This Week in God.” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/44 "2009-01-13T06:40:02Z")
John Oliver is my favorite, I also got a lot more respect and like for him when watching “behind the scenes” stuff on Indecision '08. John actually TALKED about his feelings and what was going on and what they were trying to accomplish, everyone else just tried to up the satire to 11 and do a meta-segment about their experiences doing the segment and it really put me off their videos. Wyatt Cenac is good. I don’t really like Samantha, I think she’s really good when working with others, but no so much on solo. I thought she was perfect when playing “say choice” with the RNC, and even more perfect when doing that segment a few days ago about Canada with John Oliver as Britain vs Aasif Mandvi as India. She seems better when she has something to react to. They all have their little annoying things though, I love annoying people as much as anyone, but a lot of interviews and “funny bits” just make me cringe more than anything (“are we gonna heal?” STFU John). The rest are all okay, Kristen was really, really hit or miss but I can’t really form an opinion. The other ones are just “meh” nothing special, nothing terrible. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/45 "2009-01-13T07:20:09Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > John Oliver is my favorite, I also got a lot more respect and like for him when watching “behind the scenes” stuff on Indecision '08. John actually TALKED about his feelings and what was going on and what they were trying to accomplish, everyone else just tried to up the satire to 11 and do a meta-segment about their experiences doing the segment and it really put me off their videos.. Is this online somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/46 "2009-01-13T07:43:11Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Is this online somewhere? I imagine it’s somewhere [here.](http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml) Not that I’d know, being In Canada, where The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is available on the CTV Broadband Network. (except that it’s not) ☹ For those big fans of his, I hope you know that John Oliver does a [podcast](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/the_bugle/) with Andy Zaltzman. It’s well worth listening to from episode 1, and is one of only two podcasts that I absolutely must listen to right when it comes out. As for Samantha… I’ll agree that she’s not as strong as she used to be, but then the whole show isn’t trying as hard now. They seem to be off on a break more often than they’re on nowadays. On the other hand, it’s still one of my favourite to watch, and I can’t imagine how I’d get my 15 minute zeitgeist update without it. Perhaps Google will have to step in. ---
**Author:** ![Anomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Anomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomie)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/47 "2009-01-13T13:13:09Z")
I don’t watch the Daily Show religiously, so I don’t see her often enough to judge. …but Samantha Bee is responsible for the skit that made me start watching in the first place: [Al Jazeera English](http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=114727&title=al-jazeera-english) Peppermint Gomez 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/48 "2009-01-13T17:12:13Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > I imagine it’s somewhere [here.](http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml) Does anyone have an idea what episode it was, or approximately when? ---
**Author:** ![DoubleJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@DoubleJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoubleJ)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/49 "2009-01-13T17:15:49Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > I agree that she’s not at all funny, but then the Daily Show as a whole lost me years ago. I tune in occasionally to see what’s going on, but I now find Jon Stewart’s shtick tired and the correspondants worse every year. Pretty much this. I don’t think I’ve seen the Daily Show since 2005, and even then I’d watch Jon’s intro, fast-forward through whatever steaming pile of crap their correspondents were shoveling, and see if the guest was someone I wanted to see. The fact that anybody from the show 3+ years ago is still there is disappointing, because those middle ten minutes were just a black hole of comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/50 "2009-01-13T17:24:24Z")
I’m indifferent on Sam Bee but always liked Rob Riggle. His week in Iraq was not only funny but surprisingly gutsy - how many comedians would go off to a war zone to do their shtick?\* - Apart from Sinbad, that one time with Hilary Clinton where they came under sniper fire. And the late great Bob Hope, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/51 "2009-01-13T17:28:53Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I don’t know if Samantha Bee is funny. I do know that she doesn’t make up her parts, the show’s writers do. And I know that the writers can’t write for her worth a damn. Women apparently baffle them. Sure she does! Maybe not every segment, but she’s got a real office and computer and everything where she researches and writes (I think the level of correspondent/writer collaboration varies from cast member to cast member). And again, she’s [hilarious](http://www.mytopclip.com/play.php?vid=13286) (though if someone dislikes both her and Demetri Martin, we probably just don’t share the same sense of humor). ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/52 "2009-01-13T21:47:23Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Is this online somewhere? > **[Comedy Central | Homepage - Shows & Schedules](https://www.cc.com)** > > Comedy Central makes you laugh with satirical shows, stand-up special and classics, including The Daily Show and South Park. John Oliver’s is the 4th one down, it’s not entirely serious, but I like it the most because he actually expresses opinions and tells us what they all observed while making the segment. Jason Jones’ segment (as an example) kind of deadpan mocks Wasilla farther instead of actually talking about the SEGMENT and how they made it. Well, that or he has a very, very different sense of politics in real life. Riggle’s started off okay, but quickly went a little wonky. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/53 "2009-01-13T22:20:04Z")
Cool! I will check that out tonight! Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/54 "2009-01-13T22:56:23Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Sure she does! Maybe not every segment, but she’s got a real office and computer and everything where she researches and writes (I think the level of correspondent/writer collaboration varies from cast member to cast member). The Daily Show has 15 writers and she’s not listed as one of them. Jon Stewart, John Oliver and Wyatt Cenac are. It’s possible that she contributes to and modifies her sketches, probably more so when she’s out of the studio. But those 15 writers have to do something to justify their salaries. People always overestimate how much original material people do in sketch shows. The vast majority of it is written out beforehand by the writers. Disillusioning, but true. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/55 "2009-01-13T23:01:43Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > His first show back was definitely weak. I like the show still, but that wasn’t a high note to come back on. Comparatively, Colbert just destroyed with bringing Colmes on. Weak? It was one of the worst I’d ever seen. Clearly the writers spent the day talking about what they did on break. The entire middle segment was the CNN doggie debate - cute, but it is not like CNN was doing that seriously. I agree that Colbert was much better that day, and I was amazed that Colmes played the stereotype of himself. Notice the little blurb in the opening is saying “Colmes Free Since 2009.” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/56 "2009-01-13T23:08:06Z")
Interesting that the diversity of material leads to a diversity of favorites. Bee is okay with good material. Jason Jones is playing the shmuck way too much. Once people caught on to them, they’ve done a lot of interviews where the correspondents make fun of themselves, which is feeble. Gilmore is brilliant - but he is a very experienced comedy writer. I love John Hodgeman, but I can understand him not appealing to everyone. I thought his last bit, which was meta-analysis of book tour interviews, was absolutely brilliant. Lewis Black has gone downhill a lot on TDS segments lately. Nothing he does there is very original. I agree that Colbert interviews suffer from him being in character. He almost goes out of character when there is someone he supports. But the best ever was Oliver Stone. When touting the Bush movie he steadfastly maintained that Bush was actually a great president, and much underappreciated, which gave Colbert’s character absolutely nothing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/57 "2009-01-14T00:40:59Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > [Comedy Central | Homepage - Shows & Schedules](http://blog.indecision2008.com/tag/behind-the-segments/) > > John Oliver’s is the 4th one down, it’s not entirely serious, but I like it the most because he actually expresses opinions and tells us what they all observed while making the segment. Jason Jones’ segment (as an example) kind of deadpan mocks Wasilla farther instead of actually talking about the SEGMENT and how they made it. Well, that or he has a very, very different sense of politics in real life. > > Riggle’s started off okay, but quickly went a little wonky. Hmm, just rewatched them, not as bad as I recall, I never saw Sam’s or Wyatt’s which were good. Not fond of Assif’s, Rob’s or Jason’s still. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/58 "2009-01-14T01:03:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He does. How sad. I suppose that most of them just don’t get it, then. Or perhaps they lack the split second timing and reaction skills of excellent comedians. I agree that the writers don’t know what to do with Bee. She had some really spot on election stuff (I also loved the Vagina American), but she has had some horrible stuff as well (I dimly remember some bit with Jason about throwing babies or some such). I liked Demetri Martin when he first started. He was quirky. And then he got old. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/59 "2009-01-14T03:22:31Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > How sad. I suppose that most of them just don’t get it, then. Or perhaps they lack the split second timing and reaction skills of excellent comedians. They pretty much HAVE to be dense if they’re actually not getting it. [Observe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfiL2hpnmZ0) “You know I’m in character. And that I’m an idiot[…] And willfully ignorant of what we’re going to talk about, so disabuse me of my ignorance.” ---
**Author:** ![bcbuttmoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f475e1/32.png) [@bcbuttmoore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bcbuttmoore)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520/60 "2017-01-02T15:50:51Z")
Agreed. She’s just obnoxious. And she tries to be “shocking” but it’s all been done before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bee-is-not-funny/480520.md?page=4)