Blue skies have returned, but it’s still autumnal out there.
If any of yis should find the “deep thought” dispensed here as shallow as a hoofprint on concrete and infrequent as a desert blizzard, well, take heart, Grasshopper. There are alternatives.
For starters, Jon Stewart is returning to television with a new talk show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart.”
And James Fallows, who has been hard to find lately at The Atlantic, is posting regularly to “Breaking the News” over at Substack.
Fallows is the main reason I subscribed to The Atlantic, a decision I am now reconsidering, since he seems to have been downsized from staffer to contributing writer. But I might keep the sub’, since science writer Katherine J. Wu is doing good work there, too.
The other fella you may recall from his 16-year run as host of “The Daily Show.” I’ve missed both Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s previous incarnation at “The Colbert Report.”
Speaking of TV, here’s another recommendation: “Reservation Dogs,” on FX/Hulu. Shot in the Muscogee Nation and run entirely by people of Indigenous descent, it’s a real gem; sweet without getting sappy, sad without descending into cliché, and funny without telegraphing every comic punch.
I think Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) may be my favorite character, but Dallas Goldtooth crushes it as a bumbling spirit (William Knife-Man) who occasionally visits Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-a-tai) to provide some rambling, less-than-useful advice.
Tags: James Fallows, Jon Stewart, Katherine J. Wu, Reservation Dogs, Stephen Colbert, The Atlantic
Mad Blog Media 
September 29, 2021 at 9:19 am |
We watch Stephen Colbert every night on Youtube. He’s pretty damn funny. We also watch John Oliver every week although he’s a bit annoying but his commentary is usually good. I never watched Jon Stewart on a regular basis but we might have to start.
We’re sorta between shows right now on Amazon Prime. Nothing looks good. I think the golden age of tv is over.
September 29, 2021 at 9:40 am |
A lot of the stuff I enjoy has gone away, like “High Maintenance” on HBO. I thought that was brilliant. I think “Get Shorty” may be a goner too.
“Better Call Saul” is still good, and still with us, shooting its final season here in the Duke City.
“Only Murders in the Building” is mildly amusing, mostly thanks to Martin Short.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” started strong but faded. “Westworld” likewise. Haven’t watched any of the most recent “Star Trek” spinoffs or superhero stories because that stuff is boring the arse right off of me.
The Bug® really took a giant shit in our home-entertainment options. All the standup comedy just went away, poof, like that. I’d set my mother on fire for an hour of Bill Burr ranting and raving.
September 29, 2021 at 11:12 am |
Wanna know how freaking stupid I am?
First of all, no bigger Steve Martin fan than yours truly in the ’80s.
And you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger SCTV fan, so Short has always been on my radar.
But I was this week years old when I realized that the first guy’s last name from the last guy’s first name.
September 29, 2021 at 11:15 am |
Dammit! The first guy’s last name is also the last guy’s first name!
( I swear, WordPress must have an extra grammar and spelling checker than works on top of macOS. I got a little red squiggly line telling me it didn’t like the way I was trying to say it, but I never saw it actually change my words until I hit the POST button.)
September 29, 2021 at 5:03 pm |
I’m tellin’ ya, there are days when my old Ampad reporter’s notebook and a ballpoint pen look pretty damn good. That pair never sassed me back.
September 29, 2021 at 10:17 am |
Hi Carl. We also watch Colbert on YouTube. Oliver does his great research and writing on his topic of the week, but the comedy bits of it are anything but funny. The voting program has a guy fucking the wheel of fortune. Not funny or related. I think the working alone during the plague has messed him up. Doesn’t even wear his First Cav lapel pin anymore.
Since we haven’t had cable in years, our TV viewing is PBS or movies that we rent, iTunes, or own.
September 29, 2021 at 11:21 am |
It’s interesting that Oliver cleans up at the Emmy Awards every year, even though Colbert is funnier 5 x week, 40-ish weeks a year, and Oliver puts in a dozen shows over a couple of months and calls it good. But then, Colbert won for his special election night episode, which was his worst show of the year.
September 29, 2021 at 9:27 am |
Ed Yong at the Atlantic is also fantastic!
Reservation Dogs is very enjoyable! There are fun easter eggs to spot in the background of the show. Bear and his Mother live in a house with the house number 1491!
September 29, 2021 at 9:42 am |
Also, Dallas Goldtooth co-founded an Indigenous comedy group called The 1491s. There are a lot of homages going on in this thing.