The great satirist is back with articulate anger, acute intelligence – and hardly any gags. But is his new show so worthy it’s a bit dull?
At first, it is horrible. The Problem with Jon Stewart (Apple TV+), a series of hour-long dives into different issues, marks the former The Daily Show presenter’s first proper return to television since he left the satirical current affairs show in 2015.
The first episode, dedicated to military veterans’ (lack of) healthcare, opens with behind-the-scenes footage of Stewart working on the content with his writing team. Although I suspect the intention was quite the opposite, this teasing glimpse of the inner sanctum has the same whiff of smug self-congratulation about it that had started to hang around The Daily Show by the end of Stewart’s run – and augurs ill for the new venture. So does the fact that the first joke cracked on set falls unmistakably flat. “Well,” says Stewart into the silence. “I guess that answers the question of whether the show will be funny or not.”
