The Writer Less Return of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

One of the writers strike's biggest casualties was felt on the political circuit. Candidates actually went two months without being called out by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Without Stewart and Colbert following them, they went about their days safe from ridicule. Without writers, Stewart and Colbert were powerless against them. The candidates were saved...but in politics, all good is temporary. This was proved again when Stewart and Colbert returned, with results that have varied in each case.

Stewart and Colbert returned having to improvise their own material, like the other late night hosts. But their background serves them well without writers. Stewart started in standup, and Colbert is trained in improv to think on his feet, which helps in those rare times when he breaks character. Stewart and Colbert do have the skills to carry a show without writers, but no one knew how well they could under these circumstances.

When "The Daily Show" returned, Stewart spent most of the first night addressing the writers strike itself, trying to put his usual every man spin to it. But Stewart tended to stumble and ramble, and mostly came to life interviewing conflict mediator Ronald Seeber, addressing his lack of a Letterman like deal. Stewart showed solidarity by changing the title to "A Daily Show", but didn't keep all his critics at bay.

Colbert, in his irony based clueless character, had more luck approaching the situation in his typical uninformed style. Now fully aware that teleprompters don't beam into his brain and scan the words in his head, Colbert almost broke down, but put on a brave front. After all, he had the rise of Mike Huckabee, and the running gag that Huckabee would make him his Vice President, to kill some time.