The Problem with Jon Stewart | |
---|---|
Genre |
|
Created by | Jon Stewart |
Written by | Kris Acimovic (head writer) [1] |
Presented by | Jon Stewart |
Theme music composer | Gary Clark Jr. |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 20 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | Apple TV+ |
Release | September 30, 2021 – April 6, 2023 |
Related | |
The Daily Show |
This article is part of a series on |
Modern liberalism in the United States |
---|
The Problem with Jon Stewart is an American current affairs television series hosted by Jon Stewart on Apple TV+. Each episode focuses on a single issue. The series premiered on September 30, 2021. The second season premiered on October 7, 2022. The series was canceled in October 2023 after two seasons. [2]
In October 2020, as part of a multi-year production deal with Apple, it was announced that Jon Stewart was creating a new current affairs series for Apple TV+, marking his return to the format since leaving The Daily Show in 2015. [3]
Throughout early 2021, the show was building out its production team, hiring Brinda Adhikari to serve as showrunner and executive producer, Chelsea Devantez as head writer, and Lorrie Baranek as Stewart's executive in production in February 2021. [4] Adhikari was a longtime network news veteran before coming on to the show. [5] Around the same time, Busboy Productions posted job listings seeking to fill positions for all aspects of the production. [6]
On April 7, 2021, the title of The Problem with Jon Stewart and a late 2021 premiere date for the series were announced. [7]
Each episode lasted one hour and focused on a single issue that was "currently part of the national conversation and [Stewart's] advocacy work". Apple had said that the show would run for multiple seasons, and that each season would be accompanied by a companion podcast, co-hosted by Stewart and his writing and production staff and following up on each episode. [8] [9] [10]
The series began filming in front of a live studio audience in New York City on July 14, 2021. [11]
On October 19, 2023, it was announced that the show was cancelled due to creative differences between Stewart and Apple, [2] [12] which reportedly involved the show's coverage of artificial intelligence, Israel, and China. [13] [14] On The Daily Show on April 8, 2024, in an interview with FTC Chair Lina Khan, Stewart "rip[ped] into Apple", [15] saying that when he wanted to have Khan on the show, "Apple asked us not do it", presumably due to the FTC's antitrust actions against Silicon Valley firms under her leadership:
“They literally said ‘please don’t talk to her,’ ...having nothing to do with what you do for a living, I don’t think they cared for you.”
According to CNN, Stewart also stated that Apple "wouldn't let him talk about AI", which he did on the same episode of The Daily Show before his interview with Khan.
“What is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to have these conversations out in the public sphere?”
CNN also cited Israel among the list of topics Stewart clashed with Apple on. Stewart addressed the Israel Hamas war on The Daily Show in two segments on February 26, 2024. [16]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [17] | Prod. code [17] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Veterans" | September 30, 2021 | 101 |
Jon Stewart addresses American war veterans' health issues, specifically from burn pits. He speaks to some veterans who say that the Veterans Health Administration doesn't completely cover their treatment if the standard of proof for causality isn't met.[ further explanation needed ] Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough sits down for an interview. This episode concludes with a cameo by Ken Burns. | ||||
2 | 2 | "COVID-19 Restrictions" [18] | October 14, 2021 | 102 |
Jon Stewart sits down with Bassem Youssef, Francisco Marquez Lara, and Maria Ressa for a discussion on the inconsistency and vagueness in American discussions of "freedom".[ further explanation needed ] The panelists contrast their repression as journalists and activists in Egypt, Venezuela, and the Philippines with perceived abridgments of freedom in America. Ressa argues that the Philippines, where she claims per capita activity on American-run social media platforms is the highest globally, is a bellwether of the destructive influence of algorithmically tailored misinformation on democracies. | ||||
3 | 3 | "Working-Class Economy" | October 28, 2021 | 103 |
Jon talks about how the US government frequently bails out corporations and the rich, but any talk of government assistance to the non-wealthy is dismissed as "socialism". He says that Tim Geithner told him that the government shouldn't pay the mortgages of people who had defaulted during the 2007–2010 subprime mortgage crisis because of "moral hazard." Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen sits down for an interview. Panel: Douglas Holtz-Eakin (former director of the Congressional Budget Office). Darrick Hamilton (professor at the New School). Amy Jo Hutchison. Magaly Licolli. Guest(s): LeVar Burton, Jason Alexander, and Adam Pally star in a mock movie trailer satirizing Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson's ventures in space tourism. | ||||
4 | 4 | "Gun Control" | November 11, 2021 | 104 |
Jon focuses on the link between domestic violence and gun violence.[ further explanation needed ] [19] He interviews two women, April Ross and Janet Paulsen, whose husbands sought to kill them for wanting to leave abusive marriages. Jon interviews David Chipman and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Guests: Niecy Nash and Thandiwe Newton. [20] | ||||
5 | 5 | "Stock Market" | March 3, 2022 | 105 |
Jon discusses the stock market, juxtaposing its ownership inequality with its supposed democratization. He explains that with Robinhood Markets, an investor's money doesn't go directly to the stockbroker; instead, the money goes to a payment for order flow (PFOF) handler such as Citadel LLC. Sometimes, market makers "slip the order into what are called dark pools" according to Stewart. He describes "dark pools" as "private exchanges." Steward expresses cynicism about PFOF because he credits Bernie Madoff with the idea. He next jokes regarding investors' money, "Bernie made off !" Later, he compares Robinhood Markets to FanDuel.
| ||||
6 | 6 | "Climate Change" | March 10, 2022 | 106 |
Jon lampoons the media’s over-reliance on sensationalist tactics to convey urgency while still failing to provide meaningful, actionable solutions; covers the oil industry’s 20th-century propaganda campaign to individualize the collective responsibility for environmental stewardship, discusses how humans’ track record on similar issues suggests further inaction, shows montage with public statements about tackling climate change reaching back to George Bush 41. A short satirical video from Ed Begley Jr. leads to the panel. Sunita Narain, PhD, Director General at the Center for Science and Environment, hosts an intermission piece about the material impacts of climate change on the global south, relevant broken political promises, and future needs. After a second convening of the panel, Jon interviews with Ben Van Beurden, CEO of Shell.
| ||||
7 | 7 | "Media" | March 17, 2022 | 107 |
Jon Stewart discusses the United States cable news networks and their attempts to boost Nielsen ratings. Stewart also discusses Christopher Rufo receiving media attention for voicing his opposition to critical race theory (CRT).
| ||||
8 | 8 | "Racism" | March 24, 2022 | 108 |
Stewart criticizes white politicians' responses to the George Floyd protests and says that black American intellectuals and artists, including Frederick Douglass, Angela Davis, and Sister Souljah have been articulating similar messages about systemic racism in America for centuries. In montages of news clips at which Stewart aims his criticisms, Bill O'Reilly cites Oprah Winfrey as an example of a successful woman "who made it on her own in America." Anthony Scaramucci says, "LeBron James is a great American success story." Bill O'Reilly blames poverty on the "collapse of the traditional family that is hurting the African American community." Bernard Goldberg says, "72% of black babies are born to single mothers." Stewart compares racial stereotypes in news coverage of drug crises and poverty. [21] Stewart cites the GI education benefit as an example of racial discrimination against black Americans. He interviews Lisa Bond, who says, "All of us white people do this [engage in racism]." Bond goes on to claim, "Every single white person upholds the systems and structures of racism." [22] Stewart travels to Washington DC to interview U.S. Senators Tim Scott (Room 104) and Cory Booker (Room 717) in the Hart Senate Office Building.
|
This section needs to be updated.(October 2023) |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [17] | Prod. code [17] |
---|---|---|---|---|
9 | 1 | "The War Over Gender" | October 6, 2022 | 201 |
10 | 2 | "Where Is Our Tax Money Going?" | October 13, 2022 | 202 |
11 | 3 | "Globalization: Made In America" | October 20, 2022 | 203 |
12 | 4 | "Midterms: This Is What Democracy Looks Like?" | October 27, 2022 | 204 |
13 | 5 | "Allies: Friends Without Benefits" | November 3, 2022 | 205 |
14 | 6 | "Election Wrap-Up Special" | November 10, 2022 | 206 |
15 | 7 | "Chaos, Law, and Order" | March 2, 2023 | 207 |
16 | 8 | "The Military Industrial Excess" | March 9, 2023 | 208 |
17 | 9 | "The Inflation Blame Game" | March 16, 2023 | 209 |
18 | 10 | "America's Incarceration Epidemic" | March 23, 2023 | 210 |
19 | 11 | "Searching for Allies" | March 30, 2023 | 211 |
20 | 12 | "Trump Indicted" | April 6, 2023 | 212 |
The Problem with Jon Stewart premiered its first episode on September 30, 2021, on Apple TV+, with one new episode initially scheduled to premiere every other Thursday. The series is accompanied by a weekly podcast that premiered on September 30, 2021. [10]
Michael Rosenbaum is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville, a role that TV Guide included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".
The Daily Show is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+. The Daily Show draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, and media organizations. It often uses self-referential humor.
Jon Stewart is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor and television host. The long-running host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central from 1999 to 2015, Stewart returned to the satirical news program in 2024. He hosted The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+ from 2021 to 2023. Stewart has received numerous accolades, including 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and five Peabody Awards. He was honored with the Bronze Medallion in 2019, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2022.
Doug Herzog is an American television executive. He was formerly the president of Viacom Music and Entertainment Group, he oversaw MTV, VH1, Logo TV, Comedy Central, Palladia, TV Land and Spike. Herzog has been credited with evolving the MTV brand by steering the network away from music related programming.
Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American media production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes in films, animation, television, video games, and sports.
Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He was the host of The Daily Show, an American late-night talk show and satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 2015 to 2022. Noah has won various awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was named one of "The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the hundred most influential people in the world. In 2023, he won the Erasmus Prize.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second iteration of CBS' Late Show franchise. The program is taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, the same studio as its predecessor Late Show with David Letterman. It airs new episodes live to tape in most U.S. markets Mondays to Thursdays at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, as with its competitors Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Hasan Minhaj is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. Much of his comedy involves Indian culture and the modern American political landscape through the use of satire, observational comedy and dark comedy. His Netflix series Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and two Webby Awards. In 2019, he was listed in Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Truth Be Told is an American legal/crime drama television series. The series was created by Nichelle Tramble Spellman for Apple TV+ and is based on Kathleen Barber's 2017 debut novel Are You Sleeping. Spellman also acts as executive producer and writes for the show. Unlike the book, Poppy Parnell plays the main role, as a podcaster who revisits the case that made her famous with the hope of finally getting to the truth.
For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi and produced for Apple TV+. The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States. The title is inspired by the lunar plaque left on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 11, which reads, in part, "We Came in Peace for All Mankind".
The Morning Show, also known as Morning Wars in Australia and Indonesia, is an American drama television series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell in lead roles that premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning. The show examines the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program. After allegations of sexual misconduct, the male co-anchor of the program is forced off the show. Aspects of the #MeToo movement are examined from multiple perspectives as more information comes out regarding said misconduct. Subsequent seasons focus on other political topics and current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality, the Capitol insurrection, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Foundation is an American science fiction television series created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman for Apple TV+, loosely based on the Foundation series of stories by Isaac Asimov. It features an ensemble cast led by Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey. The series premiered on September 24, 2021. In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2023. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a third season although it had already begun filming as early as May 2023.
Apple TV+ is an American subscription OTT streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced during the Apple Special Event of March 2019, where entertainers from Apple TV+ projects appeared onstage, including Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg. The service can be accessed through Apple's website and through the Apple TV app, which has gradually become available on many Apple devices and some major competing digital media players, including some smart TV models and video-game consoles.
Masters of the Air is a 2024 American war drama miniseries created by John Shiban and John Orloff for Apple TV+. It is based on the 2007 book of the same name by Donald L. Miller and follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit in the Eighth Air Force in eastern England during World War II. The series serves as a companion to Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). It is the first series to be produced by Apple Studios in cooperation with Playtone and Amblin Television and stars Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Anthony Boyle as part of an ensemble cast. The series consists of nine episodes.
The Snoopy Show is an animated television series inspired by the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Developed by Rob Boutilier, Mark Evestaff, and Alex Galatis, and produced by WildBrain, it debuted on February 5, 2021, on Apple TV+. It is the second Peanuts animated series produced for the streaming service, following Snoopy in Space. Each episode consists of three 7-minute segments. Season 2 premiered with the first half on March 11, 2022 while the next half of the season premiered on August 12, 2022. A holiday special was released on December 2, 2022. Season 3 was released on June 9, 2023. A second holiday special was released on December 1, 2023.
Invasion is an American science fiction television series created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil that premiered on Apple TV+ on October 22, 2021. It is shown in English, Japanese, and Pashto. It has received a mixed critical response, praising the acting, music and pacing, but criticizing the underuse of the aliens. In Germany the show is called Infiltration. It was renewed for a second season in December 2021, which premiered on August 23, 2023. It was renewed for a third season in February 2024.
Suspicion is a British thriller television series based on the Israeli series False Flag. Set in London and New York City, the series premiered on Apple TV+ on 4 February 2022. It received generally mixed reviews from critics. The series was cancelled after one season.
Rob Williams is a British screenwriter and producer, best known for the BBC1 crime drama The Victim.
American Gigolo is an American neo-noir crime drama television series developed by David Hollander. It is based on the 1980 film of the same name written and directed by Paul Schrader. The series stars Jon Bernthal as Julian Kaye, the protagonist of the original film, alongside Gretchen Mol, Lizzie Brocheré, Gabriel LaBelle, Leland Orser, and Rosie O'Donnell.
CEO Tim Cook made a surprise visit to China last week to drum up sales for Apple's products and government support for the company's manufacturing operations in the country. So a potentially critical look at China on Stewart's show, streamed by Apple, may not have sat well with the consumers and officials Cook is hoping will help boost Apple's bottom line in the region.