The Colbert Report

Last night's first episode of the Colbert Report was a sign of great things to come. Stephen Colbert has already made his name as a correspondent on The Daily Show (sometimes under brilliantly ridiculous monachers), and branching out onto his own show I'm looking forward to more. If there is more to be expected, with more variety, it's definitely welcome, but on sight of the first episode I'm already hyped for it. Basically, Colbert is a combination of the several 'taling-head' talk-show hosts on Cable TV news networks, with huge egos in the guise of traditional journalism. In particular, one can see the lampooning of Bill O'Reilly, which whether or not you're a fan of his you'll find some humor (I'm very much not, but it may not be too deterring for O'Reilly's main base). The set-ups like 'The Word', and a competition with another TV correspondent with strange phrasing, are hysterical, and sometimes more subtle than the Daily Show material.

If you like Colbert's stuff, it's a must-see, and if you're a newcomer to the show (and might not watch the Daily Show much) it's worth a viewing. One thing's for sure, like the Daily Show, it's a breath of fresh air in the realm of the mildly outrageous.