xkcd on the writer's strike: I miss Jon Stewart
Today's xkcd webcomic nails the writer's strike in one: I don't miss sitcoms, but I can barely parse the presidential nomination campaigns without Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. Those cats should break their Viacom contracts, do a startup and start webcasting -- they'd make a mint.
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Lucky for us all, The Daily Show (and The Colbert Report) are coming back with new shows starting on January 7. Both are returning sans writers, but at least Jon and Stephen will be back to show their wit on current events once again.
With the effect he has on most of the women I know, webcasting is small potatoes. He just needs to figure out how to tap into that vast network of women desperate for contact with a witty, sexy Sears catalog underwear model and he'd be able to buy Canada.
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Truly, the only thing I've missed is the Daily Show. But I have rediscovered the BBC new service.
Much as I enjoy the comic, it and the first comment above miss the fact that Stewart and Colbert aren't funny entirely on their own. Those witty analyses come from the writers.
(See also that video linked to at the bottom of the post.)
They've released a great statement today: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."
It's The Daily Show version of scrub football. Can't wait for that. Maybe they'll tank the show so horribly that it will drive the networks back to the negotiating table.
@Shmuel, the writers also aren't funny on their own. (See that video linked to at the bottom of the post.)
Apparently, nobody is funny. Who gives a damn?
I've been waiting what seems like FOREVER to see the 4th season of Battlestar, and if this strike fraks it up, I'm gonna have to push some writers out an airlock.
That's hysterical. :)
The networks need to wake up already and realize they're in trouble.
i'm with dave x, but i also love and miss the stewart/colbert 1-2 punch.
Dave X, even if the strike is solved today with a happy agreement for the writers, you can be guaranteed at this point we wont be getting all of Season 4 of BSG this year.
We are slated to get the first half starting at the end of March. Writing (let alone the production and post work on the rest of the episodes) is not done yet for everthing. Pretty much you can expect to see the end of Galactica in 2009.
Dave X, you might want to save some of your airlock-pushing for the greedheads running the studios--they're the ones who are refusing to negotiate with the writers on a new deal.
Is it really necessary to re-post every single XKCD comic?
I'm actually this close ][ to canceling my cable thanks to the daily show disappearing. Comcast just raised their rates in my area, in addition to taking away 3-4 channels. I can get the channels back if I want to pay another $5 a month to go digital (which I don't want to do).
Before I thought I'd never survive without Daily show or Colbert, but this has taught me I can.
I just can't decide if I should wait for BSG to return or just wait til that comes out on DVD.
I also would like an explanation as to why TDS and CR are coming back. Is it against their will? How do they plan on putting on a decent show without writers? This could be really bad for Jon and Steven. Lol, I can just picture them sitting at their desks for a half hour in a dark studio just reading a book :)
#1: Hooray!
#9: Agreed.
#12: Godsdamnit!
#15: You don't want to go digital? Enjoy your TV-free future.
And don't miss the Alt text for the comic:
"He's just jealous because everyone's up in the attic listening to Stephen Colbert."