We’re coming up on almost two months since Trevor took over hosting The Daily Show from Jon Stewart, a decision that was never going to please many regardless of how well he settled.
Now the Nielsen ratings agency have released the numbers that prove many Americans haven’t been won over, viewership down by as much as 37%. One of his harshest critics is a writer over at Salon who went to town on our lad:
One of the key differences between the comedy of Stewart and the comedy of Noah is that, no matter how frustrated Stewart got over the inanities he was covering, he never gave up hope and he never stopped fighting for social justice. Meanwhile Noah seems to focus his show on finding examples of stupidity and laughing at them. It is the difference between Noah’s dick jokes and Stewart’s biting sarcasm. It is the difference between Stewart’s sincere interviews and Noah’s softball questions. It is the difference between Noah’s grin and Stewart’s grimace. And it’s a difference with political significance.
Well that’s a bit of a zinger, where was that good news I mentioned? Overall viewership might have dropped but it seems Trevor is a hit with the younger demographic, up 20% in the 18-24 demographic and on-demand streams are up 44% across all age groups.
Perhaps Stewart took with him those battle-hardened older viewers and Trevor has brought a tech-savvy and more diverse crowd. A quick look at the top rated comments on that scathing Salon article shows that he has some real support:
As I’ve mentioned before the only time Trevor seems uncomfortable behind the desk is during the interviews, his questions often long-winded and rambling. That skill and comfort will come, I have no doubt, which should put the final polish on a show that will hopefully see him cement his spot as a real political commentator.
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