How John Oliver Paved the Way for Trevor Noah on The Daily Show

TV Tattle

John Oliver paved the way for Trevor Noah on The Daily Show
It was a revelation when Oliver guest-hosted for Jon Stewart in the summer of 2013. The Daily Show had become predictable, says Tim Grierson, yet the foreign-born Oliver “couldn’t help but view our mad, perplexing, arrogant, wonderful country with a sort of cockeyed bemusement … Oliver reminded us that we in the audience deserved our lumps alongside all the show’s usual bogeymen.” In his three appearances, Noah, too, “cannily played the smiling foreigner who was calling us out on our sh*t — but, you know, in a friendly way.” As Grierson points out, Noah’s hiring is part of the fake news’ shift away from the “Oh, you crazy right wingers and media companies” shtick. PLUS: Comedy Central boss: Having 2 black late-night hosts is “not by design,” Noah has only been doing comedy since 2007, a mixed-race host may be more relatable to younger viewers, how South Africans reacted to the news, and Noah is a great replacement because he can be himself, unlike most other Daily Show staffers.

NBC’s next live musical: The Wiz meets Cirque du Soleil
Instead of going with Music Man, NBC’s next December musical will feature a production of “The Wiz” staged in partnership with Cirque du Soleil. After the Dec. 3 broadcast, Cirque du Soleil will bring “The Wiz” to Broadway.

Oxygen and Esquire to chronicle the same group of comedians with separate shows
Oxygen’s Living with Funny will follow the comics — who, so far, only includes Brandon T. Jackson — in their personal lives and relationships. Esquire’s Comedians of L.A. will follow those same comedians in their working lives. Both shows will premiere around the same time. PLUS: Read the list of the rest of the new Bravo, Esquire, Oxygen shows announced today, including “NeNe and Kim: The Road to Riches,” starring NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak Biermann.

Jenny McCarthy predicts The View will go down like “the Titanic” in 1 year
“I think they might try one more year, then I think the Titanic might go down,” McCarthy says. McCarthy also tells Howard Stern she was asked to return to the show.

Mary Lynn Rajskub joins The Girlfriend Experience
She’ll join Riley Keough in the Starz series based on the 2009 Steven Soderbergh movie.

Cops theme singers get help from actual cops
Jamaican reggae group Inner Circle received help Saturday from two Vermont State Troopers after it were involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Killing Jesus scores Nat Geo’s biggest audience ever
About 3.7 million watched Sunday’s three-hour movie.

ABC Family orders Shadowhunters, based on The Mortal Instruments book series
Shadowhunters, based on Cassandra Clare’s bestselling book series, follows an 18-year-old who’s thrown into the world of demon hunting with Shadowhunters.

The Walking Dead ends with more record-shattering numbers
About 15.8 million viewers watched last night’s season finale. PLUS: Andrew Lincoln on the season finale, the show wisely chose story over violence, and exec producer Gale Ann Hurd on the finale and the future.

Google Maps partners with NBC’s American Odyssey
A new site created by Google Maps will help fans of the upcoming series map out clues.

Discovery will follow a family living the pioneer lifestyle with Sons of Winter
Randy and Tara Barks’ home in Northern Saskatchewan is so remote, it’s two days away from the nearest hospital. To make money, they run a tapline and trade animal meat.

TNT Murder in the First co-creator exits
Erc Lodal’s departure means that the other co-creator, Steven Bochco, will run the legal drama himself.

Chrissy Teigen and Ludacris will host the Billboard Music Awards
This is Ludacris’ 2nd year in a row hosting.