5 Things to Expect Before Trevor Noah Takes Over ‘The Daily Show’

Trevor Noah is ready for the hot seat—the 31-year-old makes his debut on The Daily Show tonight. The young host was born and raised in South Africa but has always felt a close kinship with America and its history. Noah started out as a stand-up comedian, and his humor is sly and quietly sarcastic, one that sneaks up on you. Last week, Noah and his team sat down with press to share what’s coming this season. Here are the changes that viewers can definitely expect.

A New But Still Familiar Set After 16 years on air, Stewart donated parts of his set to the Newseum in Washington D.C., including his iconic J-shaped desk. So it won’t be a surprise for fans to see a different set, but there will be a mix of the new and the familiar. “I love the old set. It felt like home, and I knew I wanted something that reminded me of that place but showed something changed,” said Noah. What’s still familiar: the desk is in the middle, primary colors (strong reds and blues), and cityscapes on background screens. What’s new: a concave, C-shaped desk and a screen with a TDS logo. Also gone is the overhanging globe, and in its place is an overhang with a world map projected on it. Plus, one of the background screens can be touched to reveal your heartbeat, Noah joked.

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – new set

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart – old set

Different Host Style (But Same Structure) Being a millennial, the host shared that taking over the Daily Show doesn’t mean he’s “getting rid of Jon or passing Jon.” The overall structure of the show will stay the same, but there will be an expanded diversity in tone and style to include broad voices with different perspectives (whether it’s age, gender, culture or nationality). Noah compared the show to a “beautiful house I’ve inherited… you’ll know there’s a new person, and you’ll complain about the noise,” he joked. His goal: to see and share news from a fresh eye and perspective, and to not be afraid to ask questions about what he doesn’t know.

More Music Guests One of Noah’s first-week guests is Ryan Adams, a musician known for covering Taylor Swift’s 1989 songs. But don’t expect Adams to be a one-off guest. Because of Noah’s love for music, more artists will definitely be stopping by after the first week. Music “something I enjoy to end the week,” he said.

Comedy Mixed With News Coverage Earlier this summer, Noah said, “I’m not in the news business. I’m still in the comedy business.” And with a wider variety of news sources, there will definitely be an expanded POV. The host is game to “react, consume, disseminate” info gathered on social media and non-traditional news sites, like Gawker and Buzzfeed, paired with a healthy dose of humor to poke holes in taboo topics and stigmas. “I love Ebola jokes, done in a right way,” he laughed. “Comedy is a great tool” and he hopes to “find that place where you use humor to enlighten” the audience.

No Specific Targets in Mind…Yet Even with Chris Christie as one of the first-week guests and constant Trump news, Noah doesn’t have an agenda to skewer certain political candidates or celebs. At least, not yet. “Having a target means having blinders on,” Noah said, and it’ll be hard to see the real target. Instead, because things are still so new, “I get to discover the person I will grow to hate,” he joked.

The Daily Show, premieres Monday, Sept. 28, 11/10c, Comedy Central