Reply #1: The show today was pretty dark

[jpgray]

A lot of my Daily Show enjoyment depends on the quality of the bits, the audience, the guest--one of those out of whack, and it loses something. Seinfeld once said that laughter contains thought, and a good comedy bit is really a dialogue between the perfomer and the audience, and I think that's accurate--a good audience can make a mediocre bit much funnier than it would otherwise be.