Like Night and Day: A Week 1 Review of ‘The Nightly Show’
At the time of writing this there have been four episodes of The Nightly Show available for viewing on Hulu or through the Comedy Central website. Larry Wilmore knew the size of the shoes he had to fill and how many eyes would be upon him when taking over the time slot that had been held for almost a decade by superstar pundit and one of the greatest satirical figures of our time, Stephen Colbert.
As great as it would have been to see another talk show host continue on with Colbert’s style it would be risky for them to assume the same role, that of the overly conservative talk show host who doesn’t believe a word they say but whose character believes so with fanatical conviction, without seeming like they were doing the same thing.
Admittedly I wish they had kept the original title they were toying with, The Minority Report, but much like those people who “inexplicably” dislike Key and Peele, The Boondocks, and any other piece of media which deals with “minority issues,” the choice to switch the title to The Nightly Show makes sense from a marketing perspective. I’m incredibly happy to see that the show keeps true to its initial intent on being a special interest show which tackles issues of minority groups and marginalized people. It reminds me a lot of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Belle, both because of the show’s focus and its wit.
How The Nightly Show further differs from The Daily Show is in its format. Instead of one guest that the host takes ten minutes to interview The Nightly Show’s Larry Wilmore invites four pundits of various backgrounds, political leanings, and proven comedic abilities to discuss one specific topic each night. What is most revealing about these panels is how funny many of the non-comedians are but also how willing the show is to showcase that many of these comedians when alone on stage are more than happy to make a bold claim but when put on a panel with people who are trained in areas of these topics they are shown on national television how misguided their logic might be.
The Nightly Show is an amazing achievement and consistently gets funnier and is finding its stride as it goes on. My only worry is that it, like Totally Biased, won’t last because as much as marginalized groups need champions to push for them and to help give them a voice, the ratings aren’t always there for them. I hope the ratings for The Nightly Show continues to increase and that shows like it continue thrive.
