Media Criticism

I joked a few weeks back that Carson Daly was returning to the airwaves without striking writers to fulfill the entertainment needs of stoners and students who need a distraction late at night. The toll of the strike has apparently caused experienced and talented hosts like Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman to return to their studios. The major late night and news parody shows will be returning at the beginning of 2008 without the help of writers under the guise of helping production staff keep their jobs. I think that the shows that will result from the minds of people like Letterman and Stewart without writers will be less than stellar.

I think these hosts should stay at home to show their support for the striking writers but, more importantly, to save us the trouble of watching their act. David Letterman may be fine because his show is on auto pilot and he can have Paul tap the keys for 60 minutes. Jon Stewart has been crowned the king of entertainment by sycophantic reporters and stands to lose a lot if his show is terrible. There is no doubt that Conan O’Brien, Stewart and Stephen Colbert are talented and got to this point through their comedic abilities. The problem lies in the increasing reliance by experienced hosts on their writers to vet material on a daily basis.

As a fan of Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart, I feel it necessary to encourage them to stay home. I know that the rash of reality shows, the glut of great news to make fun of (Britney’s sister would give Conan O’Brien about a month’s worth of material) and the return of American Gladiators makes a return seem necessary. I know that if I turn on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and it stinks without the writers, it will give me one more reason to hope for a protracted strike. I cannot wait until the actors go on strike in the summer and movie studios put out their straight-to-DVD collections featuring Clint Howard, Kato Kaelin and Chyna. A long strike means that studios and fans will finally appreciate the power of the pen to entertain.