slop101

What would you guys think of Chris Hardwick as a replacement? It would obviously turn into a different kind of show, but it could still be very topical, more social/media than political, but still relevant.

actionjackson29

Chris Hardwick will definitely get a shot at one of the these late night talk shows but, probably don't think he's paid his dues yet or is too young. However, he has plenty of experience hosting and does a good job. The problem with finding replacement hosts is getting someone that your long time fans will continue to watch.

Jay G.

What? He has a successful run with @Midnight right now, along with Talking Dead. The man is busier than ever. He also had a brief run of The Nerdist on BBC America, so he's already done one of these late night talk shows.

I'm not sure he's politically focused enough, and somehow doubt he'd even be interested.

Draven

He's 43. Not really that young. He's already hosted more things than Jon Stewart had when he got the gig.

Jackskeleton

Chris Hardwick? Nooo no no no no no no no nono nononononnonono

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

slop101

Yeah, he was the host of Singled Out, way before Stewart had a show, and has done a shit ton since then. Regardless of how you feel about him, he's definitely been around and paid his dues.

Jackskeleton

But he's just not a really good fit for the daily show. I'll gladly enjoy him in his @midnight and ignore the talking dead, but he's just not what I want out of my daily show.

DVD Josh

I feel the same way, only with more "o"s.

Shannon Nutt

Too young? The dude is 43.

I'm not sure he's the right fit for THIS show, though. I'm still not crazy about his interview style, even though he gets a lot of big names on his podcasts.

joltman

The show has become known for bring political, so I don't see changing the direction with a new host, it's gotta be someone who can handle the political stuff.

Jay G.

I remember how Louis CK had that multi-episode arc on his show about auditioning to replace Letterman, and I was thinking that he might not be a bad replacement for Jon Stewart.

majorjoe23

The Jon Stewart Show started in '93 and Singled Out started in '95. But Singled Out was way before Stewart's run on The Daily Show.

mcnabb

OMG, Chris Hardwick was on Singled Out? Geez, I'm getting old as I do remember that show from the mid-90's with Jenny McCarthy but didn't put 2 and 2 together and forgot Hardwick was on the show too!

rocketsauce

I've done that too, but even worse is that I've forgotten like 3-4 times that he was on Singled Out.

Rival11

Didn't Stewart start the daily show in his 40's? Personally I think 43 is still most definitely young but....Chris Hardwick? Bad idea.

Jay G.

Jon Stewart also hosted Short Attention Span Theater on Comedy Central from 1990-93
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_A...n_Span_Theater

He's 52 now, and started on The Daily Show in 99, about 15 years ago. According to his birthdate on Wikipedia, he was 36 when he started:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Stewart

Craig Kilborn is the same age as John Stewart, so he was even younger when he started on The Daily Show.

slop101

But it wasn't always political, not even when Stewart started. That happened gradually under Stewart. It can be whatever the show-runner wants it to be.

Still Hardwick is more than qualified - I mean, who were Jimmy Kimmel or Conan O'Brien when they first started their shows?

Jay G.

Yes and no. Stewart did steer the show towards being more political, but the show also saw an increase in ratings as a result. Comedy Central will allow a new host to change the focus of the show, as long as that change results in better ratings. But CC may be looking for a replacement host that would fit into the existing tone of the show instead of radically changing the tone of the show, so a host that may go less political might not get the job.

slop101

I'm gonna say it saw an increase in ratings due to Stewart and the ever improvement in quality of their writing, not necessarily because of increased political coverage. Frankly, I think many people, Stewart included, are getting a little tired of politics.

Jay G.

It's impossible to say for sure one way or the other, since both the increased political coverage and the increased ratings happened at the same time. However, the point is that Stewart was allowed to go more political because he got better ratings. A new host may have to prove themselves in the existing show format before they're allowed to even try to change the focus of the show, and as I pointed out, CC may go with a host that's a more natural fit for the existing format, and who thus may not want to change focus.

I don't think Stewart is tired of politics. For his first feature film directing gig he picked a very politically charged story. That doesn't sound like a man tired of politics. It seems more to me from the things he's said that he's more just tired of hosting a nightly program 4 days a week, or at least tired of doing the same thing for so long.

rocketsauce

The show went from being a half hour version of Weekend Update from SNL to more or less all political right after 9/11 (along with it the public's acceptance of a more political landscape on TV changed as well). It was a pretty visceral and abrupt change and Jon changed along with it. I don't think he's tired of politics in the slightest.

They'll definitely stay with the political direction of the show as it's harder to go back down to the lighter version of the news. And because of that I don't see Hardwick being that guy as I don't see him having that political acumen. But then again I would have said that about Stewart back in 1999.

aintnosin

Also, who wants to be guy to replace Stewart? There is almost no upside. If you're as good as Stewart, then you're just adequate. If not, you'll remind people how much they miss the old guy. You become the Jay Leno of fake news.

You need someone with an unbelievably high opinion of themselves.... And now we're back to Brian Williams.

slop101

Have you seen it? I didn't think it was political at all. More of a humanist story about a guy suffering injustice, an inward, personal story, pretty much the opposite of a political story.

Matt

Jon's not the only one leaving.

Jason Jones @jonesinforjason · 5m 5 minutes ago

For 9 & 1/2 years, I have worked at one of the greatest TV shows of all time. But... It is time for me to go.

That said, I am ecstatic to announce that I'm about to make another great show over @tbsveryfunny

Deftones

conan maybe? or another show entirely?