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The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

I would like to tell you that The Daily Show, hosted by Jon Stewart, is incredibly funny no matter what your politics are, but I’m sure those of you out there who lean right politically would disagree. Whatever the case, I’d wager that The Daily Show is one of the most important media tools over the past decade. Though they’d probably say it wasn’t because of Stewart, CNN has made two major decisions in the past few years that could be attributed to Stewart: in 2004, they canceled Crossfire only a few weeks after Stewart’s epic, galvanizing appearance where he told the hosts they were hurting America; only a few days ago, CNN fired anchor Rick Sanchez, ostensibly because he made controversial remarks about Stewart and Jewish people running Hollywood. Also, as I write this, we’re only hours away from the Rally to Restore Sanity, a joint event hosted by Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Newsworthy or not, the reason why The Daily Show remains one of the best shows on television is very simple: it’s consistently funny. Again, I imagine that finding the show funny depends on your politics, but Stewart and his team of correspondents (known as the Best Fking News Team) manage to make the most shocking, the most jaw-dropping, and the most infuriating news stories of the day into comic fodder. What’s more, the show rarely - if ever - goes for the easy joke, and if they do, Stewart’s more than likely to comment on it during the show. For those wondering, I’m also a fan of The Colbert Report, but that show is more like watching a brilliantly satiric one-man show each night, whereas The Daily Show allows for more variety in the type of comedy they provide. Still, both are frequently hilarious and worth watching, for humor and some news.

Community

Though it wins by sheer volume, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart wouldn’t win my vote as the funniest show on television when it comes to laughs and enjoyment. For that, the answer is simple: Community is the most fun show to watch on television. The show, which begins NBC’s Thursday night comedy block at 8, has been a joy to behold since it began last September. However, the show that the pilot foreshadowed - about how a snarky douche of a lawyer learns to be a nice guy - has mostly morphed into a show about a group of people who shouldn’t be friends in any world, but by coming together at a community college for different reasons, they’ve become closer to each other than to anyone else. Community can be sweet (as evidenced by a recent episode dealing with religious beliefs), it can be sharp, and it can be silly.

For the latter, look no further than Community’s Halloween episode, airing tonight at 8:30, thanks to a Shrek special. The college is overrun by zombies (of a sort), and a few members of the group have to hold out against these “undead”. The episode is clearly intended to reference, tribute, mock, and spoof horror-movie conventions. Last season, in the episode titled Modern Warfare - easily the show’s most memorable installment - Community managed to make fun of Glee, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, and every other movie with action sequences in between in just 22 minutes. What’s more, the show has a great cast of characters, including Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, and many more. Some critics have rightly noted that, for the most part, the network sitcom is dead. Help save at least one and watch Community.

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