Leaving aside the riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention in Chicago, the precursors to the presidential race have always been rather staid. The most exciting thing to happen is usually a balloon drop or maybe Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair. In fact, the conventions were so famously boring that back in 2002, the West Wing aired an episode where the fictitious broadcast networks banded together and told the White House they would be limiting the amount of air time they’d be giving them. Then 2016 happened.
Thanks to the heated race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and the completely insane one-man horror show that is Donald Trump, this year everyone is obsessed with the conventions. Just like on the West Wing, television is reacting accordingly, but with even more coverage than ever before, mostly with late-night talkshows.
The Daily Show, which has always made hay out of the political process, is sending a team of nearly 90 people to Cleveland for the Republican national convention and Philadelphia for the Democratic national convention. To give themselves an even bigger advantage, host Trevor Noah will go live at 11pm ET on both 21 and 28 July immediately following the big speeches given by Trump and Clinton, respectively. (Late-night shows are usually filmed earlier in the evening.) The Comedy Central staple will also be airing those episodes on Facebook Live so all of those millennial cord-cutters we hear so much about can get a taste of the show without paying for cable.
Jon Stewart, who used to anchor the Daily Show, will be joining his old friend Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show on CBS will also be going live for the next two weeks, but at 11.35pm ET, giving Noah the slight edge timing-wise. It’s still unclear what Stewart’s role will be, but it’s sure to get his liberal base very excited. Colbert also has a great slate of political guests lined up including fellow Daily Show alum and current HBO host John Oliver, progressive saint Senator Elizabeth Warren and disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner.
Stewart, who signed a deal with HBO after leaving the Daily Show, is only on loan to CBS, and HBO is trying to capitalize on the convention with another one of their political stars. Real Time with Bill Maher, which usually only airs on Friday nights, will be adding 30-minute installments on 20, 21, 27 and 28 July at 11pm ET immediately after the conventions. For those that don’t subscribe, don’t worry. HBO is so bullish on their coverage that they’ll be streaming the shows live on YouTube for free. You know if HBO is going to give this stuff away for free, then it is going to be really good.
Seth Meyers who hosts Late Night on NBC will also go live on the 21st and 28th so he can talk about the speeches shortly after they’re given. However, Meyers won’t be on until his regular 12.35am time slot, giving Noah, Colbert, Maher as well as the nightly news the chance to weigh in before he does.
TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee may be the only show that is not going live, but is adding an extra episode on Wednesday for the next two weeks to talk about all the big happenings that they can’t cram into the show’s usual Monday night time slot.
Of course all of this is a ratings grab and interest in political fare is higher than ever before. The first Republican debate last summer enticed 23 million viewers for Fox News, making it among the most-watched shows on TV. The final Republican debate on 10 March on CNN saw almost 12 million tuning in, while the one that aired a week earlier on Fox News scored almost 17 million. The Democratic debates weren’t nearly as popular, with the CNN debate in April drawing only about 5.5 million viewers. The Republican convention, which will surely lure those who want to see what a former reality star will say on a national stage, should attract the curious as well as the faithful. All the hosts are betting on that – and the fact that everyone is going to want to have a good laugh about it.
This is going to be an important moment for the late-night field, which is more crowded than ever. The convention is a good time for some hosts to try to differentiate themselves from the pack. This is especial true of the Daily Show, which has struggled in the ratings ever since Stewart left, and failed to get nominated for any Emmys for the first time in more than a decade. Colbert’s Late Show was also shut out, but using the host’s political savvy and his much larger network platform is a wise move for a nation whose love of reality television and political theater have finally blended in a perfect storm that would make the politicians on the West Wing absolutely furious.
