The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

THE DAILY SHOW reports on the day's events, with host Jon Stewart and his crew painting a painfully hilarious picture of life in America and putting it in perspective with the world at large. There's no denying that the show is funny, combining Stewart's at-the-news-desk reports, taped field pieces, and in-studio interviews. The pre-taped segments mix deadpan humor with insight into issues that other news programs would never cover. In one episode, for example, correspondent Jason Jones visited small-town Ohio to interview a political candidate who wanted to legalize drunk driving. Instead of approaching the topic in a sobering (pardon the pun), earnest manner, he managed to capture the absurdity of the whole process by mining it for laughs.

The genius of Stewart and the rest of the cast is that they get viewers to ponder huge issues -- back to drunk driving, for instance, which is a problem long cast aside as a rallying point now that many other causes have taken center stage -- without boring them with too much gravitas and zeal. The guest interviews are first-rate, too: irreverent, off the cuff, and candid. They reveal more about the actors, politicians, and celebrities who chat with Stewart than any five-minute appearance on a pandering late-night talk show.

In short, there's not much to hate about The Daily Show, and a lot to love. No wonder it has uber-loyal fans who watch it unfailingly. Too bad the real McCoys -- the six o'clock news broadcasts -- aren't anywhere near as entertaining. Nevertheless, thanks to its subject matter (which is mature in all senses of the word), the show is best for older teens and grown-ups.