As a Daily Show newbie I’m surprised, as I find Stewart to be the most consistent part of the show. For me, he’s often best when he’s with his guests and things are the least scripted. But each to their own.

I confess I don’t think I’ve ever watched Conan O’Brien, but frankly I watch very little TV (gave it up in high school) and what I do watch is mostly driven by my obsessive family :-).

I find the Daily Show a bit of a quagmire myself. The show is, in my opinion, hilarious, but Jon Stewart’s performance seems less than optimal. He seems to do some Conan O’Brien antics, but he just isn’t really fluent in their execution. I do, however, find Conan’s antics hilarous. Other than that and the show’s moments of stuipdness, i like it. Of course, none of this really helps when you don’t have cable.

A good friend of ours watched it regularly during the election, but has given up due to their (quoting them) “increasingly vulgarity”). We weren’t watching last fall, so I can’t compare. The show can certainly be hit and miss, however. It seems to me that they’re best when they really understand the issues they’re digging into, at which point the humor tends to be very intelligent and thought provoking (more comparisons to classic Mort Sahl). When their grasp is more superficial (e.g., their piece on the end of the Tour de France) or when they choose to focus on the slapstick instead of the issues. then it becomes much more like a zillion other comedy shows, and therefore less interesting to me. The bits where they interview otherwise well meaning folks and act truly bizarre without any particular point can become nearly painful. Still, for now, we’re on board and enjoying the ride!

The Daily Show is a favorite at our place, although one has to sit through some rather stupid segments. And, as with you, my son Derek is responsible for getting us started on this family tradition a couple of year’s ago. Aren’t kids wonderful.