I’m not talking about Jon Stewart’s interview style. I’m talking about the “correspondants”. They typically make fun of the interviewee by asking stupid questions and by applying various set-up techniques and camera tricks. I don’t mind them doing this when they are interviewing some wacko. But oftentimes, the interviewee is someone with a valid position on an issue. I think that people like these should be interviewed in a respectable manner. While I understand that the show is meant to be comedic, the interview style is a bit too Borat-like for a show like TDS.
I love this show - my must-see favorite right now - but I agree. It was cute for a while, but it has gotten old, old, old. Time to move on - there are plenty of other bits that are much funnier and don’t come across as bullying…
The interviews can get a little predictable and the correspondents haven’t done much to amuse me lately - or hadn’t when I was watching regularly - but I’m not sure what you mean about “respectable.” It’s a comedy show.
Yeah, I’m tired of it. I fast-forward through them unless my husband wants to watch. They don’t do them evey night like they used to, which I appreciate.
Yes, yes, yes, and I’ve been saying this for years.
They’ve evolved some so that they make the correspondent the joke more often these days, but it’s still not funny.
Keep the correspondents inside the studio.
But you know they’ll be on the road all next year for the election, which is a horrible thought.
I never liked the interviews. It makes me cringe when they’re doing it to someone that should get at least a little respect and when it makes stupid people look stupid…well how creative is that?
I miss This Week in God. They don’t do it often enough, since Colbert’s departure.
I do like Wilmore’s bits on Being Black or Oliver’s on Being British.
The interview last night, with Wilmore and Oliver saying over and over to that woman, “is it?” was painfully not funny. I can’t believe someone just doesn’t roll her/his eyes at them.
I disliked them from the beginning. Although occasionally it’s obvious the interviewee is playing along and it works, like the guy from the DNC with the pizza and the porn, but usually the correspondants just make themselves seem to be jerks.
I was thinking they hadn’t been doing all that much of the interview stuff lately. Mostly it seems to be “correspondents on location” and “resident experts.”
While I don’t like too much humiliation (I cannot stomach Borat), I miss stuff like the guy who wanted to supply inner city kids with toy guns, or the protester who chained himself to the back door where no one ever went, and ended up having to call for help after umpteen hours. Funny stuff, IMO.
The real problem with the show, and this has always been a problem, is that they always have a few people with no discernable talent. Samantha Bee and her hubby, and Ron Riggle, currently hold those spots.
It depends on who the subject is. Colbert is able to do it very well on his show with “Better Know A District,” but The Daily Show is rather hit or miss when it comes to interviews. The crazier the interviewee, the better- like the guy who seriously believed that Bob the Builder was Marxist propaganda encouraging children to enjoy work.
I liked the willmore and oliver one on the N-Word. It was hilarious how Willmore was only allowed to say it, plus his twisting of words to get people to say they didn’t like black people or either they were a n****** lover. “N***** please, that’s just being polite.”
I always liked Steve Carrell too. I remember one where he was in some fancy science lab and pushing all kinds of buttons, etc. But in a sense, that’s just SC’s brand of comedy that comes through the format.
Samantha is married to Jason Jones–one of my least favorite performers. I loved when Sam “pimped” Al Jezeera to compete with American commercial TV. She’s been hit or miss lately, though.
I have grown to like Riggles. My favorite is (crap, have forgotten his name) the “token” Middle East correspondent. Asif(?), Oliver, Hodgeman and Wilmore. IMO they need more women and more minorities on–not to be PC, but to lend themselves much as Wilmore does to the satire.
You’re thinking of Asif Mandvi, and I like him, too. I liked him and Hodgman from the current crop.
I don’t care for Mandvi (he’s a bit too smirky for me) but Dan Bakkhedal just did a bit about a simulated illegal border-crossing that was hilarious.