You can’t really understate Jon Stewart’s influence. He defined political comedy for a generation with The Daily Show, and also introduced a platoon of other comics who went on to launch their own shows that combined news and current events with jokes. Obviously Stewart didn’t create the concept of news satire, or even The Daily Show itself (hat tip to Lizz Winstead and Madeleine Smithberg), but during his 16 years behind that desk he turned it into appointment viewing for everybody exasperated by the Bush Administration, the rise of partisan right-wing media, and the general incompetence of mainstream media.
He’s taken a bit of a break from the public eye since leaving Comedy Central back in 2015, and not necessarily by choice. A big four-year deal that he signed with HBO in late 2015 was a bust, with neither a proposed series of topical animated shorts nor Stewart’s announced return to stand-up ever seeing the light of day. That failure and Stewart’s reduced profile didn’t stop Apple from signing the host up as soon as he was available, though, with the tech firm touting the late night host as an important part of their streaming service’s future. And now, less than a year after his deal was announced, we know exactly when to expect Stewart’s new show. Stewart will finally make his return to TV in exactly a month, with the debut of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+ on Sept. 30.
The first trailer, which you can see below, doesn’t reveal much about the show. Apple press releases have said Stewart would be hosting a weekly hour-long show that looked in detail at a single issue each episode. So it sounds like the main segment of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, but instead of 25 minutes it’ll last a full hour, and instead of one (very funny) man ranting about an issue, Stewart will be discussing it with people who have direct knowledge or involvement. Each episode will also have an accompanying podcast with even more discussion of the central issue. And if you’re worried that Stewart will be toning down the comedy, well, this trailer should set you at ease: it’s literally just one single joke, with no specific information about the show or its format at all. Yes, Stewart has seen all the talk about how much he’s aged since leaving The Daily Show, and yes, this entirely trailer hinges on that.
So here it is: the first trailer for The Problem with Jon Stewart. If you’ve missed him, you’ll be able to catch his new show on Apple TV+ starting on Sept. 30.