Tune in Fox News Sunday Night for Conservative Satire

[fossten]

Fox News, "24" producer lean right with satire
Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:51 PM ET

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox News Channel will air the first of two episodes of "24" executive producer Joel Surnow's conservative-leaning satire Sunday night.

If the ratings for "The Half-Hour News Hour" do well, then it could become a weekly offering. Two episodes of "The Daily Show"-like project were ordered last year for telecast in the winter after a 12-minute pilot was developed.

It's hosted by comedians Kurt Long and Jennifer Robertson, and both shows were filmed in front of a studio audience last month in Los Angeles. (Robertson replaces Susan Yeagley, who was the co-host in the pilot but who was about to have a child at the time of the taping.)

Surnow said Monday that the show comes from a "right leaning point of view," more so than other shows of its kind.

"We're just going to even out the playing field a little bit and hit targets that we think are hilarious and do it in a very spirited, but warm-spirited, way. It's not mean," Surnow said.

Among the topics discussed on the first show are global warming and Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The producers were conscious of the fact that there would be a long lead time before the shows aired.

"We were very careful to choose issues that were still going to be around" by the time the show aired, said Manny Cota, who developed the show with Surnow and former "Politically Incorrect" writer Ned Rice.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

By the way, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter will be featured on the first two episodes. Must see TV, 10 PM!

 

[fossten]

From the WaPo:

ABC Kicks Its 'Dancing' Lineup To a New Level

" 1/2 Hour News Hour." Fox News Channel's answer to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" bagged nearly 1.48 million viewers in its unveiling Sunday at 10. That's about 80 percent more viewers than FNC has averaged in that slot in the first quarter. For comparison: "The Daily Show" averaged 1.57 million viewers Monday-Thursday.

[snip]

Now before you libs get all excited, remember that this was a pilot, and if the show is picked up it is likely to grow its viewership. Unlike Air America, for example.

Next pilot Sunday night, 10 pm, FNC, March 4.

 

[Calabrio]

This was also the first episode and the show hasn't hit it's stride yet. People seem to forget just how long the Daily Show was on before it actually found it's grove. That show has been on the air for almost 11 years now.

I saw the 1/2 New Hour last weekend. There were some slow spots, but they also had a couple good segments, so overall it was good, and I'll watch it again.

 

[fossten]

This was also the first episode and the show hasn't hit it's stride yet. People seem to forget just how long the Daily Show was on before it actually found it's grove. That show has been on the air for almost 11 years now.

I saw the 1/2 New Hour last weekend. There were some slow spots, but they also had a couple good segments, so overall it was good, and I'll watch it again.

Rush also pointed out that the show was filmed in January, so it wasn't precisely current. What you saw was a flavor, an example of what the show would be like if it were running regularly.

 

[Calabrio]

I happen to think that both the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are very funny shows. It frustrates me that they do have always had such an unabashed liberal agenda, but especially since Colbert joined, and John Stewart took over the show, most of the time the shows are sharp, creative and funny.

But you can not deny that there is a prevalent ideological tone. Here's a quote from one of the original creators, Lizz Winstead:

"Jon's tremendous. I feel, though, when you are interviewing a Richard Perle or a Kissinger, if you give them a pass, then you become what you are satirizing. You have a war criminal sitting on your couch—to just let him be a war criminal sitting on your couch means you are having to respect some kind of boundary."

I hope this new show catches on, attracts some more creative talent (libertarian and conservatives alike), and I hope that it doesn't have that same sort of pessimistic, sarcastic tone that the Daily Show. Unfortunately, since most people under 30 get their news from John Stewart, they're also developing this very sour brand of cynicism ("everything sucks") that isn't healthy for a Democracy.