Stewart gains popularity, but is he losing his edge?
Looking like a smart-alecky student in the principal's office, fake anchorman Jon Stewart sat across from real anchorman Ted Koppel at last month's Democratic National Convention in Boston as the veteran newsman tried to decipher why "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" had become a popular source for news, especially among young people.
Koppel, who sounded as if he were about to put Stewart on double-secret probation, intoned, "A lot of television viewers -- more, quite frankly, than I am comfortable with -- get their news from `The Daily Show.' " For his part, Stewart maintained viewers do not tune into his Comedy Central program for actual news, but for "a comedic interpretation" of the day's events. "I know my role," Stewart deadpanned. "I'm the dancing monkey."
But the mere fact the former stand-up was engaging in a serious debate about American media and politics with one of this nation's most respected journalists made Stewart's humility seem a touch disingenuous. At the very least, he's a dancing monkey who now has some powerful people waltzing to his quirky tune. But will this kind of success spoil "The Daily Show"?
Few would have predicted all this attention when Stewart first assumed the hosting duties from Craig Kilborn in 1999. Now, his program, which airs Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m., has become such a player this political season that John Kerry appeared on "The Daily Show" last week. A night later Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie appeared, presumably getting equal time for the GOP.
(And, back when he was still a presidential contender, Senator John Edwards, now Kerry's running mate, even announced his candidacy on the show.)
For years, Stewart and his "correspondents" have made a living sending up pompous TV journalists, as well as both Democrats and Republicans (OK, especially the Republicans). He's always reminding viewers and guests that his Emmy-winning program is a fake newscast with no credibility, beyond giving its audience some late-night chuckles.
After all, this is a program where the war in Iraq is referred to as a giant "Messopotamia" and the presidential campaign has been dubbed "Indecision 2004." Yet, for much of this election season, political heavy hitters have been lining up to appear on the show, though someone clearly forgot to tell Kerry that this really is a comedy show, not "Meet the Press" -- he was as animated as a spoon.
Kerry's stiffness has been a favorite target for Stewart. Yet when the Massachusetts senator sat across from him, Stewart seemed strangely mild-mannered. The spot raised the unsettling prospect that as "The Daily Show" grows in popularity and significance, the program will lose its wily edge.
How can Stewart and his writers continue to make fun of the very people now clamoring to get cozy on his studio couch? As with the DNC, "The Daily Show" is filing "reports" from this week's Republican National Convention in New York, and according to the Comedy Central website, Senator John McCain, White House communications director Dan Bartlett, and yes, Koppel, are among the scheduled guests.
For better or worse, "The Daily Show" may be on its way to respectability -- which may be fine for Sunday school teachers, but not for a smart, subversive program featuring such segments as "This Week in God."
It's all a bit unnerving for longtime fans (myself included), who liked it just fine when we felt like one of a handful of people tuning in. (The show averages about 1 million viewers per night.)
Even if no one else knew it, we thought of ourselves as the cool kids, happy with Our Thing, which we've tried to guard as selfishly as if it were an underground band or hidden cafe.
Its appeal was always evident. "The Daily Show" is a court of jesters using humor to express outrage and deflate dishonesty. It slices through the drone of pundits and sound bites, giving a sardonic voice to the national eye-rolling that accompanies most things regarding politics and media. Even ABC's Peter Jennings has acknowledged that Stewart "says in public what the rest of us tend to say only in the newsroom."
Now, Stewart is the hot boy, with Washington insiders of both parties trying to figure out how best to exploit his specific powers and audience. Need to appear lighthearted? Call "The Daily Show." Need to sell a political idea that could use more air time than the evening news will permit? Play nice with Stewart.
It's tough to begrudge Stewart his newfound success. He's smart and very good at what he does, which puts him well above most of the people on television. Without trying, he's become culturally important, and even politically influential. Yet somehow, I already miss the days when he truly was just our dancing monkey.
Renée Graham's Life in the Pop Lane appears on Tuesdays. She can be reached at graham@globe.com. 