Jon Stewart’s return to TV fast approaches, and it could be argued that he’s never been needed more on TV than this particular moment. That was the case when he finally surfaced (in 2021) on Twitter to express fury over the GameStop/Robinhood stock fiasco. Expect him to offer more of the same vibe on his upcoming Apple TV+ current events show, The Problem With Jon Stewart. Previously, the show’s synopsis revealed that the series “won’t have a nightly or even weekly cadence,” but Hollywood Reporter updates the situation to reveal that we should expect a new episode every two weeks.
In the above teaser, Stewart appears to reference how it’s been a long freaking six years since his The Daily Show retirement. He’s seen in sharp-dressed man mode while dressing for his impending return to the small screen before he does a double take that matches his steadfast reputation. “What the hell happened to my face?!?” he screams into a mirror. “Why would I go back to a visual medium?”
Aside from humor and according to Apple TV+, viewers can expect Stewart to go deep on a single subject per episode with a “solutionary” approach:
“Stewart will be in discussion with the people who are impacted by the issue — as well as those who have a hand in creating the impact. Together, they will discuss tangible steps that can lead to a solutionary path forward. The companion series podcast will extend the conversation from each episode, featuring staff members from across the show who will bring us interviews with activists in the space, the facts on the issue, and yes, lots of jokes.”
Oh, we need the jokes. Hopefully, they’ll be less confusing than the moment when Stewart recently appeared to go all-in on the controversial “lab leak” theory (while noting that COVID may have originated in a Wuhan lab and somehow escaped) as Stephen Colbert maintained a skeptical stance. That gave the right-wing plenty of conspiracy-theory fuel, though Stewart still hasn’t clarified his (surely?) satiric stance on the subject. Meanwhile, his Apple TV+ show will do its thing in front of a live studio audience, so get ready.
The Problem With Jon Stewart debuts on September 30.