1x21 Democratic National Convention

First episode of the show I've seen, and it wasn't really my cup of tea. Many of the articles I've seen recommending this show compare it to Last Week Tonight, and I don't think the comparison is a favorable one. At his best, Oliver walks a nice line between information and advocacy, while throwing in some quality humor (that may be related to the topic at hand or may just be a fun flight of fancy) to help the medicine go down. In this episode, Bee seemed much more interested in scoring political points and getting in the usual digs than achieving anything like that. Even the non-political humorous asides felt flatter compared to Oliver's. (Though the description of Hillary "breaking out of the phantom zone" in the video package for her acceptance speech tickled my funny bone.)

For better or worse, I think Bee is a more direct inheritor of Jon Stewart than Oliver, Stephen Colbert, or Trevor Noah. She has his political snark and his "look at this asshole" qualities down pat, at least in this episode. Her rhythm and delivery don't seem quite as natural as Stewart's yet, though I expect that will come with more time. But more than that, there's the same smugness and sanctimoniousness that always kind of bothered me when it came to The Daily Show, particularly as compared to its sister show, The Colbert Report, which offered the same political perspective through the lens of satire rather than sanctimony. Bee certainly has a perspective, and that's vital to standing out in the crowded Late Night landscape, but I've heard this song and dance before, and I'm ready for some new notes and new steps. Colbert offered that with his satirical, goofier bent; Oliver brings it with his eclectic focuses and self-effacing comic energy, and by comparison, Bee just feels like Stewart mk. II.