Published on: August 19, 2016
by Kevin CoupeThe world of television satire is a little smaller today, with the cancellation, effective last night, of "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore."
"The Nightly Show" consistently focused on the issue of race during its 20 or so months on the air, with an abandon that was refreshing and occasionally, I must admit, a little discomfiting. But we're always talking in this country about the need for a "national conversation about race," and "The Nightly Show" actually dared to have it. And Larry Wilmore, the show's host, seemed committed to, in his words, "Keep it 100" ... which is code for no B.S.
I didn't agree with everything they said on "The Nightly Show," but I often learned something - I got a sense of how other people viewed issues, in ways different than I viewed them. And that was valuable. Plus, the show often was very funny. Unfortunately, not enough people watched ... and the reality of television is that if you don't get the ratings or the so-called desirable demographics, you're not going to be on the air very long. On the other hand, Jon Stewart stopped by the last "Night Show" last night and made a salient point - that in TV, cancellation is not the same as failure.
(Viewers can find solace in the fact that "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," direct descendants of Stewart's "Daily Show," remain very much in the game.)
In recognition of "The Nightly Show" and the intelligence that it brought to the late night conversation, I want to offer you a link to a segment that they did some months ago, and repeated earlier this week - in which one of its correspondents, Jordan Carlos, went in search of a mythical food desert. It is funny, but pointed ... and worth watching here.
It is an Eye-Opener, as Larry Wilmore was, almost every night.
- KC's View: