Hot damn, HBO is on a roll lately always.
Jon Stewart, the godfather of comedic political commentary, is moving from Comedy Central to HBO. Just a couple months after his last episode of The Daily Show, Stewart has signed a four-year deal with Home Box Office to create “short-form digital content, which will be showcased on HBO NOW, HBO GO and other platforms”. “Other platforms”? What the heck does that mean? Will Stewart be skewering newsmakers on my toaster?
The deal also includes a “first-look option for other film and TV ventures” and states that Stewart and OTOY Inc. are making “new technology that will allow him to produce timely short-form digital content, which will be refreshed on HBO NOW multiple times throughout the day.” Simply put: Jon Stewart will be taking over your internet.
This is a brilliant move. Stewart doesn’t need a full 22 minutes to get people talking. In fact, his opening monologues on The Daily Show were the most-shared segments so this is a very smart move by both HBO and Stewart. Cut out the fat and make something substantial and important, regardless of the length. And while a timeline isn’t in place, one can hope and pray that we will see some of Stewart’s work before the election in November 2016. Many people were lamenting that they wouldn’t have Stewart’s guidance during another presidential election but, hey, maybe they will!
Source: Variety