Tonight is Jon Stewart's final episode of "The Daily Show." I was only a casual viewer for most of his run; I watch the local evening news out of habit, which is on at the same time, and usually I'm lucky if I can even stay awake all the way through that. I was still aware of the cultural touchstones both Jon Stewart and the show had become, using comedy to help make the ridicule and outrage of the day's news slightly more palatable.
I started watching more regularly out of curiosity last summer when John Oliver came in as a substitute host (the man was Professor Ian Duncan on “Community,” after all). He was on long enough to get me into the habit of recording the show and watching the next day, which I continued once Jon Stewart came back. I didn’t watch every episode, but it was good to know I had the choice if there was an interesting or entertaining guest scheduled, or a news story had become significant enough to demand he addressed it. In all of the media coverage leading up to his final show, I’ve noticed the same few points keep getting made: 1) During his hosting tenure, he changed the way news is presented and what the public expects from it. 2) “The Daily Show” was the primary news source for a surprising number of people, and they considered Jon Stewart to be as much of a trusted journalist as a comedian. 3) Once he leaves the show, there will be a huge void left behind.
First off, I’ll point out that people who rely on one source for all of their news are selling themselves incredibly short, whether that source is the daily paper or print magazines or websites or books or local or national news broadcasts or talk radio or a half-hour program on Comedy Central. To those people concerned about who they can trust to deliver the real news, I’d say it’s possible that broadening your horizons wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you’re really concerned about this.
I don’t deny that for hardcore fans of the show, this departure will represent a seismic shift in their lives. Using late night television as an example, all of the hosting and program changes that have occurred recently have made it unrecognizable from what it had been even five years ago. For something that can easily become a reliable part of a comfortable routine, that’s a lot to take in.
Big changes like this are always happening in our lives, though. Performers will leave our favorite TV shows, or the shows themselves will get cancelled. Bands will break up or announce farewell tours. Friends or neighbors move away. As I write this, I should be days away from getting my “Welcome Back” letter from school to begin a new year. There have been more years than not when we’ve had surprise changes in our school staff or the student population happen over the summer, to say nothing of the changes that we knew were coming at the end of the previous year. Most of the relationships we have in life, whether they are with people or even just ideas, are eventually going to end or become redefined in some way.
When that happens, we move on. We adapt, because we have to. Life continues to change, and we rarely have any control over when or how that happens.
But change doesn’t always represent an end. Sometimes it’s a new beginning emerging out of nowhere, or just a different direction presenting itself. Sometimes these changes are for the better, and never would have occurred if they didn’t have the end of something else to bring them on.
Maybe the best way to accept the changes we need to experience is to find a renewed appreciation for what we still have. If we are feeling displaced about something coming to an end, or feeling tentative about a new beginning, it can help to remember what we have in life that keeps us grounded and secure. Finding something new doesn’t necessarily mean replacing what’s gone. It might even give us something new to care about just as much. If a change leaves a hole in our lives, it’s our job to fill it.
As for “The Daily Show,” I’ll watch Jon Stewart’s final episode tonight. I’m sure it’ll be great entertainment, and I’m very curious to see what happens next in his career. I think the new guy taking over has an uphill battle in front of him, and I’m not all that sure it’s going to result in something I’ll find interesting. I'll give him a try, but I don't have high hopes right now.
If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just find something new.
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