The 1/2 Hour News Hour

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Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 380 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 380
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 380
  3. Negative: 273 out of 380

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  1. bk
    Mar 10, 2007
    1
    i didn't expected in to be 'daily show' quality but i did expect a lot more than this. is there such a thing as a funny conservative?
  2. BoydP
    Mar 12, 2007
    1
    The 1 is for production values--this show is well-produced and looks much like The Daily Show and others you'd find on Comedy Central. But that is the problem: those shows are on COMEDY CENTRAL! This is on FOX NEWS! A news channel should not be airing comedy (as if to say Fox News's coverage isn't funny enough already). The Daily Show and The Colbert Report both air very The 1 is for production values--this show is well-produced and looks much like The Daily Show and others you'd find on Comedy Central. But that is the problem: those shows are on COMEDY CENTRAL! This is on FOX NEWS! A news channel should not be airing comedy (as if to say Fox News's coverage isn't funny enough already). The Daily Show and The Colbert Report both air very late at night, which is why they get lower ratings than a show airing at 7pm. That said, The Daily Show pulls in better ratings than this one--a midnight show trumping a prime time show? That takes some work. I watched two episodes back-to-back with my conservative parents. In the entire hour, I laughed only because it was attempting comedy and failing miserably; my parents laughed once. It is a sure sign of comedic failure when my conservative parents ask to change the channel. I'll give Joel Surnow credit for 24, which I watch and enjoy. But this Half-Hour News Hour is PAINFULLY unfunny. The show is filmed before a live studio audience and still needs to rely on canned laughter. Wow... that really says it all.… Expand
  3. ChrisM
    Mar 7, 2007
    1
    I can't imagine the producers/writers do a worse job on this. However, I'm sure it's possibleolbutt, so I gave it a 1/10. I also cannot imagine anyone, on the right, on the left, or in the middle (where the majority sit) finding this anything but painful to watch. What's with all the trolls on here spamming this site with positive ratings? If you want great humor with I can't imagine the producers/writers do a worse job on this. However, I'm sure it's possibleolbutt, so I gave it a 1/10. I also cannot imagine anyone, on the right, on the left, or in the middle (where the majority sit) finding this anything but painful to watch. What's with all the trolls on here spamming this site with positive ratings? If you want great humor with a right wing slant, go read some PJ O'Rourke. It just doesn't get stinkier than this.… Expand
  4. ChristineNYC
    May 7, 2007
    1
    This is really terrible. Daily Show is funny because it finds all politics funny. It finds humor anywhere it can find it and makes fun of democrats regularly. HHNH has an agenda and is trying way too hard. Just a train wreck to watch.
  5. cindyl.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    Feeling generous today I gave the 1/2 Hour News Hour a rating of 1. If you are in high school-well, it might be a tad bit funny. Being an adult-not so much.
  6. TrueBlueM.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    I'm extremely liberal. But I thought the first moment of the sight gag of Limbaugh as president was kind of funny, given the context. Ditto with Anne Coulter walking through the door as the Vice President. But sight gags can't carry a half hour show. So they are reduced to body odor jokes and making fun of people's names, which wasn't funny in elementary school. I'm extremely liberal. But I thought the first moment of the sight gag of Limbaugh as president was kind of funny, given the context. Ditto with Anne Coulter walking through the door as the Vice President. But sight gags can't carry a half hour show. So they are reduced to body odor jokes and making fun of people's names, which wasn't funny in elementary school. Republicans can only do grade school level political humor because sophisticated allusion and wordplay requires a certain level of critical thinking, and being able to hold two ideas at once and laugh at the juxtaposition of things you didn't expect to find together ( I smile everytime I see The Daily Show caption about "Mess O'Potamia"). Many conservatives do not know how to do this kind of thinking, or do not enjoy it. One of the other commenters made a good suggestion: Fixed News Channel should just anthologize all the Daily Show and Colbert Report humor about people on the left. That way they'd get a much funnier 22 minutes a week.… Expand
  7. JRE.
    Aug 15, 2007
    1
    The only time this show made me laugh was when they announced its cancellation!
  8. ChrisA
    Feb 18, 2007
    1
    This just sucks.
  9. BrianM
    Feb 19, 2007
    1
    Am I missing something here? After the show finished, I thought isn't comedy at it's best when practiced by the anti-establishment. It's just not funny when the Bush administration does one liners and zingers about the ACLU.
  10. CoryK
    Feb 19, 2007
    1
    Attempt at balancing out liberal-biased satire? Maybe. Funny? No, not at all.
  11. JoeM
    Feb 23, 2007
    1
    Full Disclosure: I voted for Bush in the last election. I'd vote for him again. I think he is Mt. Rushmore good. History will prove this. Furthermore, I do watch FOX, which is why I ran into this piece of poop. Their politics might be in the right place, but, holy cow, the comedy is awful. There are dozens of excellent conservative comedians out there. I doubt that any of the people Full Disclosure: I voted for Bush in the last election. I'd vote for him again. I think he is Mt. Rushmore good. History will prove this. Furthermore, I do watch FOX, which is why I ran into this piece of poop. Their politics might be in the right place, but, holy cow, the comedy is awful. There are dozens of excellent conservative comedians out there. I doubt that any of the people involved in this show would know comedy if it walked up and bit them on the keister. What I'm saying is, P.J. O'Rourke this is not. If this is the best we can come up with for comedy we're going to lose the culture wars in the long run.… Expand
  12. aj
    Mar 22, 2007
    1
    Not as funny as the Fox news channel. The rest of the 23 1/2 hrs on Fox news is funnier. Please keep this show, it fits FNC pretty good
  13. ixat
    Mar 26, 2007
    1
    Look, I believe that conservatives can be funny, and the left in America does give plenty of material for derision. But... this... oh my god. You know the show is in trouble when their supposed antagonist - Jon Stewart - skewers Democrats so much better.
  14. racqueteer
    Jun 11, 2007
    1
    This show makes fun of liberals the way a 5th grade class clown makes fun of a substitute teacher. Luckily there's a Disney-Channel-style laugh track (roaring laughter immediately following every supposedly humorous line) so the viewer can tell what to guffaw at. To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy: "I don't care who you are, that's just not funny right there."
  15. TonyS
    Jul 28, 2007
    1
    I'm not going to rate this show based on its ideology. I don't think that this show deserves a 10 just because it has a conservative point of view. I'm judging the show on it's own merits, not on the political views of it's writers. The fact of the matter is that the show is awful. It's derivative, unoriginal, and worst of all, it's not funny. In all I'm not going to rate this show based on its ideology. I don't think that this show deserves a 10 just because it has a conservative point of view. I'm judging the show on it's own merits, not on the political views of it's writers. The fact of the matter is that the show is awful. It's derivative, unoriginal, and worst of all, it's not funny. In all honesty this is no funnier or entertaining than listening to, say, Michael Savage or Sean Hannity. Conservative humor can work. South Park and Team America skewer Michael Moore, liberal hollywood, PETA and environmentalists, among others, and it is funny. The tragedy of this show is that we need a good conservative comedy news show. But this isn't it and it won't be unless some major improvements are made.… Expand
  16. SamP.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    Well, the thing about the daily show is truth, done with tongue in cheek. The thing about Colbert is he plays the Conservative pundits better they themselves do, except without the extra effort to cover up hypocrisy. This HHNH just didn't get it. It was like an un-funny Mad TV based around liberal bashing. (But keep in mind, when a connie watches the Daily Show this is exactly how Well, the thing about the daily show is truth, done with tongue in cheek. The thing about Colbert is he plays the Conservative pundits better they themselves do, except without the extra effort to cover up hypocrisy. This HHNH just didn't get it. It was like an un-funny Mad TV based around liberal bashing. (But keep in mind, when a connie watches the Daily Show this is exactly how they interpret it. They don't get irony, otherwise they'd have been laughing when Bush 2 was given 4 more years) I'm glad its over with. Maybe they'll watch the Daily Show and take better notes this time.… Expand
  17. LawrenceS.
    Aug 15, 2007
    1
    I tried it. Pathetic. Not a funny moment in the two shows I watched. Bad writing, worse performance. Does the right not understand the concept of irony?
  18. DavidH
    Feb 18, 2007
    1
    Be you liberal or conservative, I think we can all put aside our partisan differences and agree that this show is awful
  19. BiancaB
    Feb 21, 2007
    1
    I don't know who to feel more embarrassed for - the people who created this insipid mess or the people giving it "10" ratings.
  20. KyleL
    Feb 21, 2007
    1
    This show is proof that conservatives do not have a sense of humor
  21. IncognitaBullfinch
    Feb 21, 2007
    1
    So lame. The jokes are tired. The set and graphics are stolen from the Daily Show. The laugh track proves that the creators didn't have the confidence to present this "work" in front of a live audience. What an awful, awful show.
  22. gunnertilldeath
    Feb 21, 2007
    1
    the only reason i can imagine for anyone actually liking this crap is a perverse need to see Fox "News" humiliate themselves every sunday (i happen to think they manage that feat seven days a week). their "journalism" is shameful, wilfully misleading, petty and insulting to the intelligent viewer. alas, their comedy is worse.
  23. JoeU
    Feb 25, 2007
    1
    While this show is not a bad idea, the way it came out is downrighr putrd. This show is simply not funny. I enjoy good humor about anyone, but the jokes are horrible, and when theyre delivered its completely forced. I hope it improves, because the left does need some bashing because im sick of the other way around, but this plain sucks.
  24. TaylorD
    Feb 26, 2007
    1
    Wow... this was just flat-out painful to watch. Like seeing a ugly guy trying to hit on a playmate... sad, pathetic and humiliating for all involved.
  25. AndrewB
    May 23, 2007
    1
    I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, if you think this show is funny, you're an idiot. I give it a 1 only because it is funnier than a test pattern.
  26. Jen
    Jun 12, 2007
    1
    I gave this a 1 for trying, but other than that, it was forced and very unfunny. I love The Daily Show, and just so you know, not everyone who watches TDS is a hard-core liberal. I'm not, but I find it hilarious. For those who wrote that The Daily Show only makes fun of liberals, it's painfully OBVIOUS you've NEVER watched an episode of The Daily Show in your life. Stewart I gave this a 1 for trying, but other than that, it was forced and very unfunny. I love The Daily Show, and just so you know, not everyone who watches TDS is a hard-core liberal. I'm not, but I find it hilarious. For those who wrote that The Daily Show only makes fun of liberals, it's painfully OBVIOUS you've NEVER watched an episode of The Daily Show in your life. Stewart makes fun of EVERYONE: democrats, moderates, conservatives.Plain and simple: if you think this show is funny and TDS is pure crap, you my friend, have a HORRENDOUS sense of humor.… Expand
  27. ChrisP
    Jul 28, 2007
    1
    This show is not just 'Daily Show for Republicans'. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report don't explicitly target conservatives with their humor. Rather, the two shows are designed the mock the media, pundits, and 'investigative' reporting first, with conservatives often being the victim of collateral damage. For example, the correspondents on the Daily Show, or This show is not just 'Daily Show for Republicans'. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report don't explicitly target conservatives with their humor. Rather, the two shows are designed the mock the media, pundits, and 'investigative' reporting first, with conservatives often being the victim of collateral damage. For example, the correspondents on the Daily Show, or Colbert's 'The Word' and 'Threatdown' as parodies of O'Reilly and Olbermann. The 1/2 Hour News Hour, on the other hand, lacks the ingenuity of the other programs (or the sometimes clever writing of SNL) and instead makes a bunch of obvious and old jokes targeting liberal stereotypes. Furthermore, the female anchor, the announcer, and Ann Coulter are all just terrible at acting.… Expand
  28. michaelc
    Mar 4, 2007
    0
    Deliciously awful. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Joel Surnow was a liberal genius who created some sort of self-referential parody of what conservatives find funny. Something along the lines of: "Let's tell Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter that we want them to appear on our new 'conservative' comedy show, and then film them making fools of themselves in Deliciously awful. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Joel Surnow was a liberal genius who created some sort of self-referential parody of what conservatives find funny. Something along the lines of: "Let's tell Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter that we want them to appear on our new 'conservative' comedy show, and then film them making fools of themselves in an intentionally unfunny skit." Punked! I'm giving The 1/2 Hour News Hour a rating of 4/10. (Note: this is NOT a rating of four out of ten, but rather, four-tenths of one point. Unfortunately, this site doesn't allow fractional ratings, so I'll have to round it down to zero.)… Expand
  29. JasonM
    Apr 3, 2007
    0
    Anti-humor at it's absolute best.
  30. PatrickS.
    Jul 13, 2007
    0
    awful and just not funny, an embarrasment to the conservative movement. an alternative to a liberal alternative that just doesnt exist. daily show nd colbert attack the powerful, that includes dems and republicans. this awful tripe was obviously written by someone with no idea what humour or satire is
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Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best TV Season of 2007
3
#3 Most Discussed TV Season of 2007
41
#41 Most Shared TV Season of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
13

Overwhelming dislike - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 10 out of 11
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    20
    A look at the first episode suggests that, just as A.M. radio is the unassailable province of the right, TV might better be left to the left.
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  2. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Hal Boedeker
    0
    "Weekend Update" on its worst night isn't this bad.
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  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    0
    You couldn't skewer a cube of tofu with material this dull.
    Read full review
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