The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

It’s too early for Noah to crush it, but it’s enough for now to just utter a sigh of relief. The Daily Show is back, with its essential wit and irreverence intact.

Calm, nimble and damn funny, Noah didn’t even break a sweat and seems easily poised to carry on the satire and smarts that turned the Comedy Central talk show into a source of news and entertainment for an entire generation. The Daily Show is in good hands. That’s our moment of zen.

His first night in a very high-pressure situation, Noah seemed entirely at ease, starting with a little earnestness, segueing into material that he capably handled even though it still felt built to Stewart specs, and finishing with an entirely toothless interview with Kevin Hart.

Noah didn’t fade into the wallpaper, though. Although the broadcast preserved much of The Daily Show set, the opening theme, most of the recurring bits, and even closed with a Moment of Zen, there were many moments where the skinny South African (who is 31 but could pass for 21) gave us hints of how his Show might differ from Stewart’s--starting with energy, which is cool and aloof in a Johnny Carson vein, bordering on unflappable.

While Stewart left big shoes to fill, Noah’s first at bat suggests the format remains durable enough to let him find his footing.

In all, Noah's first Daily Show was a solid success, and funnier than skeptics probably expected.

He looked like he was enjoying himself throughout the half hour--a key quality in today’s late-night landscape. But most of all, he looked like a guy who might have the audacity to try to replace Jon Stewart. And that he just might pull it off.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah wasn’t without its foibles and clunky one-liners: the pitfalls any new late-night talk show has to dodge. But the biggest takeaway from Noah’s first swing at succeeding Jon Stewart was the new host’s energy and exuberant confidence--something most take weeks, if not months, to find.

The best and most honest thing you can say about Monday's premiere is, "He didn't break it." He also didn't try to.

In general, Noah came across polished and so smiley, he seemed nearly jubilant.

Noah read his material with good timing, shifting from sly to authoritative to snarky. What’s less clear yet is if he can be off-the-cuff funny.

For his first week, there was a lot of potential, as well as potential problems.

The 31-year-old comedian from South Africa was confident and charismatic and full of joy for the job. He went down easy, and not just because he’s one handsome, telegenic man.... His jokes, while energetically performed, lacked POV and veered toward irreverence for irreverence’s sake, most notably, the crack about the size of the pope’s penis.