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Trevor Noah not exactly a Daily beast

When you’re the new Daily Show host following in the footsteps of a beloved comedian, you better find a new path. Trevor Noah stepped into Jon Stewart’s chair last night and didn’t make the late-night program his own. It had more or less the same set, the same writers – with a few exceptions – and the same rhythm.

Noah started out strong, giving a shout-out in an opening monologue to Jon Stewart, joking about how he’d taken a job no American wanted and declaring his intention to continue the war on bullshit.

But what followed qualified as a stand-up routine that was an attempt to skewer personalities making the news. As such it was so-so: a joke about the Pope’s penis was juvenile and an AIDS punchline in reference to John Boehner quitting as Speaker of the House fell flat. Only a mention of his good fortune in having an indoor toilet while growing up in South Africa showed that he might take on global issues – and even then the joke didn’t get much of a reaction.

In all of those cases, Noah tapped into the qualities that distinguish him from Stewart. The first is his willingness to push the envelope. As soon as he was named as the new host, his borderline offensive tweets began to surface. At the time, he tried to deflect the flak but at this moment, it would be a mistake to run away from his persona as a provocateur. He needs to be even more outrageous so that people will tune in to the next scandalous comment.

At one point Noah made a reference to the fact that the Mets made the playoffs. Then he looked up and allowed, “I don’t know what that means.” That’s another card he could play to distinguish himself from Stewart: the role of a man blissfully ignorant of American culture. This would make him the anti-Stewart. Stewart, at his core, loved America and was appalled at how crass media – especially Fox News – and dumb-ass politicians were letting him down. 

That’s not Noah, and that could be a problem. Americans notoriously believe they are the centre of the universe and that it behooves people all over the world to tune in to everything that matters. I’m not sure Noah’s “Huh?” approach will ever work.

He could succeed if he mines the talents of his correspondents. The highlight of the show was Roy Wood Jr.’s riff on what the existence of water on Mars means to black Americans (which is not much). And why not add some new features? A music spot would work really well.

Not that Noah has no chance. I’d never send a food writer to review restaurant the first night it opens and think she’d get the whole picture. Give Trevor Noah a few weeks to find his groove. But it’s got to be his groove.

susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole

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