The Daily Show vs. The Colbert Report

I look at you, then you me
Hungry and thirsty I wait
Holding the lion share
Holding the key
Holding me back 'cause I'm striving to be
Better than you

Metallica - Better Than You

The Daily Show is one of the most important television shows of my generation. What it has done for bringing politics into the national consciousness of teens and young adults cannot be measured. The Jon Stewart-led show has actually managed to make the news interesting and relevant. In a society so satiated with other stimuli, getting people to be interested in something that actually matters is quite a feat indeed. Sure, it's been done with SNL's weekend update, but that's a 5 minute segment as opposed to an entire show. Much of the success of the Daily Show must be placed on the hosting abilities of Stewart. His clever, self-depracating delivery seems both earnest and welcoming. If you are a politician, you have probably been mocked on The Daily Show (especially if you happen to be Republican). But since late-2005, following The Daily Show, helmed by Stewart protege Stephen Colbert, has aired the Colbert Report. Unlike Stewart's Show which is more of a fake news type show, Colbert's is clearly more personality driven without any contributing comedians. It also must be mentioned that Colbert takes the stance of being staunchly pro-American, pro-Republican, and pro-Bush. So after only one and a half years on the air, has the Colbert Report passed The Daily Show in influence?
I say yes. The reason for Colbert passing Stewart in cultural influence can be explained by his willingness to self-promote and try and be bigger than "just a show". Examples of this include Colbert getting a Canadian minor league hockey team to name their mascot the Colbeagles (which subsequently led to 'Stephen Colbert Day' in Oshawa, Ontario) and Ben and Jerry's creating a Colbert inspired ice cream (Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream). Obviously, Colbert's influence has now spread far beyond the average Comedy Central viewer and Colbert has seemed to have flown way by Stewart. Stewart's show is consistently good. But in comedy consistency is never a good thing. Risks ultimately get the most laughs. The Colbert Report dares to go the extra-mile, and in so doing succeeds where The Daily Show fails. It is similar to if one were comparing Jay Leno's Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien's show. You know what you're getting with Leno. It's generally entertaining, but it's safe. O'Brien dares to push the envelope. Many of his bits are hit-or-miss (and on the off-chance that they miss, O'Brien is skilled enough to get a laugh out of the audience). The situation is similar to The Daily Show vs. The Colbert Report. Both are high-quality, well-done shows. And though personally Stewart is the better comedian (in my opinion), the boldness and grandioseness of Colbert has allowed him to push his show beyond the normal boundaries and into the American zeitgeist, somewhere that Stewart has not yet truly entered. Maybe Stewart just needs to get a more aggressive PR rep. But for now, it seems that the student has truly overtaken the teacher.