The first stars a fake newsman with a wicked smirk, and the second stars a fake right-wing pundit with a vicious cocked eyebrow. They both skewer all the ridiculous aspects of America's take on democracy. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report share the late night 11 - midnight block on Comedy Central and have a tight-knit relationship (the segues alone are proof of this), so I'm always surprised by how so many people have extremely strong preferences over one or the other.
So, which one do you like better? Read about my personal choice after the jump.
It's a tie. Yeah, I'm horribly indecisive. I still think TDS and TCR are two of the best television shows on-air. Again, I'm surprised by how many people have strong preferences over the two shows when they're both so wickedly wonderful. Plus, I love Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert too much to choose between them.
Both shows do have weak points, but I think they balance out... While The Colbert Report makes me laugh out loud more often, I can't help but feel as though The Daily Show has more staying power. After all, if the personalities start dragging, TDS can always bring in new correspondents (ahh, the benefits of having a rotating cast). The same cannot be said for Stephen Colbert and his one-man show. If the audience gets tired of Colbert, they have no one else to turn to. Then again, Colbert can get wackier than TDS can (since he's playing a character), and that always has a hand in keeping ideas and concepts fresh.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-15-2006 @ 9:21PM
Thomas said...
Frankly I enjoy both. I think the Daily Show has suffered since Colbert Left, partly because not all the new guys have worked, partly because they tend to cover a broader range of topics and with any topical comedy it always hard to be funny all the time (moreso when it's daily).
Colbert is currently saved by the fact he has got a very strong character to work with and a number of great segments which are currently still hilarious despite being on regular rotation.
The Daily Show went through some slight dips before and during his time there so time will tell if it will reach those peaks again and if he'll stay funny - which is not to say that The Daily Show isn't strong as it is.
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5-15-2006 @ 9:24PM
Jake said...
I have always loved the Daily Show, but I feel that it is time to cut the Colbert face time at the end. Colbert has is own show and following now and I don't like that it cuts into Daily Show time. I like the Colbert Report too, but the Daily Show isnt the same.
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5-16-2006 @ 5:39AM
Batmanuel said...
I like both...but to be honest I usually cut away from the Colbert Report at the first commercial.
The 'middle act' comedy bit and the interview are the weak links in the show. For the comedy bit I think he needs some more 'characters' (like when he has David Cross play the 'Al Franken' like Russ Lieber). not sure what to do about the Interview but I feel in general they dont work. The problem is that he is playing a character...but the guest isnt. Sometimes (rarely) this works...like when he interviewed Al Franken...but usually it is just a bit weird
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5-16-2006 @ 9:55AM
Scott H said...
TDS is definitely in a downturn right now, relying way too much on Stewart mugging for the camera and doing his not-so-funny Bush impression (all he does is hunch over and squint and the crowd starts laughing). Colbert has off nights where "The Word" seems rote, but overall I do find him funnier.
As far as the interviews go, Stewart now acts like he's Charlie Rose. He's got way too many public policy guests, and he interrogates them like he's on C-SPAN. Maybe his reviews have gone to his head. It's hard to even stay awake through those. Colbert's interviews are much funnier, and more entertaining--most of his guests seem to get the joke.
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5-16-2006 @ 12:23PM
eli said...
TDS has always had it's ups and down, but it has been on the air for 10 years now so that is only to be expected. And yes, it is lacking something now that Colbert has left the show. He and Jon worked so well together.But saying that I happen to like Dan. B. and Jason Jones seems o be finally finding his feet. Dave Gorman is also a welcome addition tp the show.
To be honest I find TCR annoying, it's a rare night if I make it through 'The Word" before changing channels.Stephen's character works best when he is playing up against someone else.And while Jon may be channeling Charlie Rose I do believe that he does a beter job than Colbert. The interviews that I have seen (which I admit are few) the guests seem to be very uncomfortable and Stephen seems too focused on "nailing"them.
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5-16-2006 @ 1:56PM
Raw Oyster said...
The Daily Show is loosing it's edge. The laugh track has gone out of control and sounds so contrived. Steve Colbert (God Bless the man) brutalized Bill Kristol in a way that Jon Stewart would never had done. Stewart is a funny guy, but the mainstream media isn't afraid of him like they are of Colbert, espicailly after that Press Dinner with Bush. Not to mention his style of humor is a little more mature.
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5-18-2006 @ 10:04AM
Reindeer Jumper said...
I like both - but I also record both in their a.m. rerun time slots to zip through commercials and slow bits.
TDS has definitely suffered since losing Stephen, Steven, Mo and Vance. I am not as thrilled with the new cast of reporters and WHY can't they find a woman who would do a fine job of fake news reporting? There is certainly a host of female types begging to be satirized....I have always cringed on Samantha's reports. Instead of doing a take off of a 'female type' reporter or developing a new character, she seems to try to be one of the boys.
Of late, I stay for Stewart's first bit and am glad to see Lewis Black back. But I often fast forward through the rest.
Nobody did This Week in God like Stephen.
Right now I enjoy TCR more although, I do sometimes fast forward through some of the interviews. Stephen's character is still new enough that he has a lot of avenues to explore - in time some change will most likely be needed - but right now, I give TCR more points than TDS.
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5-18-2006 @ 2:23PM
bmpedrums said...
Honestly, TDS would be fine if it wasn't for Stewart. At first he was funny, but he seems to think that he's on CNN now and tries to inject his personal thoughts and left-wing opinions too much. I thought that TDS was supposed to be a fake news comedy show, not a debate show for Jon Stewart to brodcast his opinions. If i wanted to watch a debate, I'd turn C-SPAN on instead of comedy central.
This is why I like TCR better. Although Steven Colbert brodcasts his CHARACTER'S opinions, its obvious it is a character and its always over the top to be funny, which is why I put comedy central on.
So until Jon Stewart stops spewing his personal crap all over a comedy show, TCR wins in my book.
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5-18-2006 @ 2:50PM
Mark D said...
TDS has gotten weaker as of late. But it still makes me laugh more than TCR. The problem is that Colbert's character is the same joke night after night. But it's not his fault. He is parodying O'Reilly, Rush, Hannity and their ilk. If the source material is the same every single time, then the parody must also be a one trick pony to be an accurate take.
If I want to hear the same tired, unworkable opinions trotted out night after night with the source having no idea that his ideas are ridiculous, I might as well tune in Fox. It's funnier than Colbert most of the time. Maybe because Stephen "gets the joke" but pretends not too. The others aren't that perceptive.
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5-18-2006 @ 2:57PM
Debbie Lackowitz said...
I will admit, I am an addict. I LOVE both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Jon is funny, and even on the off times that he's not, there are still the other "Senior Correspondents" (I love Samantha Bee and Jason Jones). Steven, well he's wacky, but you know he's playing a "character" and that just makes it funnier once you "get it". My favorite is The Word, but how can you forget "Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger", Formidable Opponent, and my favorite Threatdown, and most times I love his interviews.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:14PM
George said...
TDS started off as a spoof of the news industry, not politics, and I have to admit I miss that angle these days. I watch both shows, but I agree with Scott H that Stewart relies too much on "mugging" for the camera and seems to be easily distracted by audience laughter, of all things, resulting in extended reaction bits that aren't always funny. Colbert is brilliant, TCR is hilarious, and I would have to give it the nod right now.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:17PM
Meg said...
I used to watch TDS every night, but lately Jon Stewart is getting annoying. He makes fun or any guest who does not share his views. I'm tired of all his left wing crud! Let your guests speak! He used to make fun of both sides, but it's far too political these days.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:25PM
jimmie said...
well, i think colbert has the edge on the daily show. but, colbert seems to be losing a little ground to stewart as he has been much more consistant... but colbert has his moments and when he does its momentous?
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5-18-2006 @ 3:25PM
WV Mike said...
I actually have friends who are too stupid to realize that Colbert is playing a character, and refuse to watch it because it is too "Republican." It makes me wonder how many people that dislike TCR just don't understand the satire.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:33PM
Boiled Peanuts said...
Colbert haters... you're on notice. And I'm not fond of the acronyms either.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:40PM
Deelores Cooper said...
Both TDS and TCR are at the top of my personal favorite TV shows. Jon Stewart seems to be stagnating somewhat, but generally I still find his show funny. I like his interviews better than Stephen Colbert's. Most of the time Stephen's character pushes too much, and some of the reporter interviews are just too slapstick. But I enjoy Stephen's format very much. In both shows I like the political agenda, and I would like to see more media takeoffs.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:47PM
bonnie sue marks said...
tds rocks! steven is one note and it has already gotten old. jon hits many good note DAILY! i laugh out loud mant time during each episode except at he end when they go to tired steven's tune.
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5-18-2006 @ 3:57PM
Howard Weinberg said...
Jon and Stephen are two completely different entertainers. Although they are both humorous I think Jon is more erudite of the two and in a serious discussion with a guest he can hold his own with any one. He seems to have an innate sense of when to inject humor into a discussion and when to maintain a level of seriousness. Jon does not too often try to dominaste a guest whereas Colbert tries intimidate ith his too frequent interruptions. And his humor at times descends into just plain silliness. Incidentally, Colbert's act at the correspondence dinner bombed. A part of it was warmed over TCR schticks.
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5-18-2006 @ 4:10PM
Pamela said...
Ho! The Colbert Report is slap-knee, tears in eyes, rolling on the floor, pissing my pants, busted spleen HILARIOUS! So much more funnier than The Daily Show because while Jon Stewart seems to have lost his comedic edge, not seeming to realize that we don't turn to him to "be informed" about a debate but laugh at the ridiculousness of politics in general, Steven Colbert....well let's just say I'd invite Colbert over Bill O'Reilly to my parties any day.
The thing about TDS is that when Stewart actually tries to attempt a debate with his guest, he fizzles out into comedic jest once I'm actually intrigued. It's almost as if he can't decide anymore whether or not he wants to be funny or serious, and sitting in on his indecision makes me a bit nervous.
Steven Colbert, however, knows what he's doing and does it well! He's ridiculous, full of himself, totally out of his mind and stays in character. Especially when he ruins his jokes because he's even more funny then.
Let's face it--we turn to the Comedy Central Channel to laugh, not to be confused about whether we should laugh or not.
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5-18-2006 @ 4:12PM
Peggy Weigele said...
I had to turn off TDS last night during the interview with Ramesh. Stewart's analogy of the logic against abortion and for the Iraqi war were just too much to take. He needs to understand that political comedy can entertain both sides, instead of being offensive to one or the other. He no longer entertains me, just offends.
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