Being a writer, it is hard for me to be bluntly critical of other artists and performers in a public venue. I don’t want to say ‘they suck’ because the truth is more nuanced than that. Case and point: Hasan Minhaj has flashes of comedic genius, but he isn’t the right fit for The Daily Show, as evidenced by his recent spate of appearances.
Again, he’s not awful, but he also isn’t what the audience has come to expect. Over the past few months following the (overdue) departure of Trevor Noah, the show has been rotating through a long list of guest hosts. Some get the script–by which I mean do justice to the legacy left by Stewart–while others see the format less as an intelligent and biting referendum on the news cycle and more as a playground for stuff they really like. Others still, like Minhaj (and frankly Noah) are bit-driven and truly incapable of carrying the weight of the multiple parts of the show. You have to be a special sort to carry the multiple parts and even more confident and team-oriented to allow your crew to do a lot of the lifting with you. That last part is where Noah failed. The show became about him and not about the show. It was Trevor Noah and the Daily Show and that showed in how much the focus was on him. Stewart focused on the issues and the controversies and is the only host among all I’ve seen able to carry out thoughtful and intelligent interviews with a variety of guests. You need that as part of the show.
Some Thoughts:
- Johnathan Majors is going to win awards. He is suddenly the ‘it’ black male lead, and is getting praise from all corners. The Yale MFA is certainly good in some roles, but he does have a tendency to overact in others. Antman and the Wasp is a wonderful example of that forced gravitas. I’m not sure I buy the hype, but the hype is buying him some roles.