We don’t yet know what The Daily Show will be like with Trevor Noah taking over as host from Jon Stewart. Until Noah debuts behind the anchor desk on Sept. 28, all we can do is speculate.
And even after that first show, first week of shows and maybe even first month of shows, we likely won’t have an idea of what Noah’s version of the program will be like until he really settles in, establishes his own identity as a host and commentator, and eventually distances himself from the large shadow Stewart figures to cast over the forum he built into a cultural powerhouse for 16 years.
But perhaps we were given a hint as to how Noah’s Daily Show might distinguish itself with the New York Times reporting that the show has hired Baratunde Thurston as a supervising producer to oversee the creation and production of digital content. Thurston is a writer and comedian perhaps best known for being the director of digital content for The Onion from 2007 to 2012, in addition to writing the humor book How to Be Black.
Thurston’s humor and commentary has often touched on social and racial issues, but he’s also had a great interest in tech culture. That’s probably best demonstrated by his co-founding of Cultivated Wit, which produced comedic content and design for clients. There might not be a better person for The Daily Show to hire for leading the program’s increased presence on the internet and social media.
But what’s most interesting about adding Thurston to the staff is the indication that The Daily Show is going to produce more content for digital platforms. That might seem curious if you’re someone who typically watched the show online, either in its entirety or through individual clips. The Daily Show certainly had an online presence through blogs, websites and social media. Yet other than the show itself, no content was produced exclusively for Comedy Central’s website and app. That is apparently going to change.
“There’s more to what ‘The Daily Show’ can make than what people have seen,” Thurston told the NYT‘s Dave Itzkoff. “This is a 21-and-a-half-minute show that airs on a box in your house, and it can also be a great experience on these other platforms.”
Though The Daily Show carved out its own space in the late-night landscape for sharp commentary on current events, politics and media criticism, competing with the likes of Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel means it has to step up its viral game by producing exclusive content and clips better suited for internet and social media consumption.
“What can we say that is the ‘Daily Show’ take on a space like Instagram?” Thurston added. “These places are real communities. They’re not just technical platforms. They’re like Soylent Green — they’re people.”
Here is Comedy Central’s official press release.
It sounds like we’re going to be getting more of The Daily Show to consume on a regular basis under Noah and Thurston’s supervision. Presuming that everyone involved produces content that we enjoy, makes us think and informs us, that’s a good thing. Above all, this demonstrates that Comedy Central doesn’t just want the same Daily Show with a different host. Although hiring Noah in the first place should have been a tip the network wanted to go in that direction.
