The Problem With Jon Stewart

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Season 1
  • Network: Apple TV+
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 30, 2021
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
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Critic Reviews

  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Richard Roeper
    Sep 30, 2021
    88
    If it all sounds a bit like a grad school lecture delivered by the hippest and funniest prof on campus, well, that’s kind of what we’re getting, and it’s vintage Jon Stewart: thought-provoking, laugh-out-loud funny, insightful, clever, occasionally a bit too pleased with itself but on balance, pretty flippin’ great.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Kelly Lawler
    Sep 30, 2021
    75
    Part news show, part comedy, part soap box, "Problem" is familiar but distinct, and a natural outlet for this version of Stewart.
  3. The Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Kristi Turnquist
    Oct 6, 2021
    70
    The [first] episode is at its best when it’s most straightforwardly serious. The second 44-minute episode, “Freedom,” feels more like a “Daily Show” outing, with Stewart in sarcastically irreverent mode on the topic of COVID-19, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxer
  5. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Oct 1, 2021
    70
    He still effuses charisma out of his pores, still reels viewers in with the lone hook of a skeptical eyebrow. He’s still brutally sarcastic. ... But the tone has changed. A panel discussion in the first episode, among veterans who say their lives and lungs have been scarred by burn pits, is urgent in a way that feels more suited to the nightly news than to comedy TV. ... The second episode, “Freedom,” is more emblematic of what the series could be. It’s a withering take on the American right’s response to the coronavirus pandemic that counters shouty talking points with acute logic.
  6. Decider
    Reviewed by: Joel Keller
    Sep 30, 2021
    70
    We felt a whole lot better about The Problem With Jon Stewart after watching the second episode. What we saw was a show feeling its way, but with the steady hand of Stewart at the helm, even the bumpier, less funny episodes will be informative about issues that are pretty damned serious.
  7. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    Sep 30, 2021
    70
    Nobody does it like Jon. That’s the takeaway from The Problem With Jon Stewart. ... This Stewart is more earnest than the shrugging news anchor helming the steep decline of America. It’ll take time for the show to resolve into what it can do best, but in the meantime, it is nice to have him back around.
  8. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Sep 30, 2021
    65
    If "The Daily Show" offered a satirical spin on the news, this Apple TV+ series is essentially a advocacy-based newsmagazine, one where the comedy bleeds out incidentally more than by actual planning.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
2.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 7 out of 10
  1. junk1855
    Oct 4, 2021
    6
    There are informative aspects to the show and it does a decent job at addressing serious issues, but the format leaves a lot to be desired.There are informative aspects to the show and it does a decent job at addressing serious issues, but the format leaves a lot to be desired. The TMZ like scenes with staffers hanging on Jon's every word and guffawing at his every remotely humorous remark are particularly cringe-worthy.… Full Review »
  2. Maventi
    Oct 12, 2021
    0
    As a long-time Jon Stewart fan, it's sad to see him reduced to this. It's like watching your grandpa try to hit on teenage girls at aAs a long-time Jon Stewart fan, it's sad to see him reduced to this. It's like watching your grandpa try to hit on teenage girls at a pool-party. He seems desperate to be relevant, but frankly, aren't we all a little tired of hearing zillionaire celebrities tell us how stupid we are for wanting our jobs and lives back post-Covid? Jon can sit around his private ranch in his personal petting-zoo yucking it up about how dumb the rest of us are for refusing to wear masks, but do ANY of us believe that he's personally worn one for even a grand total of five minutes?

    Sorry Jon, but you know NOTHING about American life in 2021.    … Full Review »
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