Act Four: Longing for Jon Stewart

The "Daily Show" veteran isn't likely to debut a new show before the November election. But I'm sure he'll make his voice heard.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   Jon Stewart accepts the award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” at the Emmy Awards in 2015. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson) Every week, I answer a question from the previous Monday’s chat in the Wednesday edition of this newsletter. You can read the transcript of our July 25 conversation here, and you can submit questions for the Aug. 1 chat, which will happen at 3 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. due to some work travel, here. This week, the events of the 2016 election have one reader yearning for a return to the past, though not in the way Donald Trump is arguing for. After his spectacular takedowns of Donald Trump, what are the odds that Jon Stewart returns to TV for the 2016 general election? His own new show, or frequent guest on [Stephen] Colbert’s, or something else? Just logistically, I think it’s unlikely that Stewart will be launching a new show before the convention. It’s possible that he’s inked a new contract and is building sets and hiring writers in secret, and that some network has cleared a spot in its schedule for him. But I suspect my colleagues on the news side of things would have ferreted it out by now; even in an era when Beyoncé can drop a surprise album, a television show is a big enterprise, and it would be hard to keep it secret, even if a network wanted to keep it a secret. And signing Stewart to a new show would be a massive coup, so secrecy would be of mixed value. So my guess would be that we see Stewart pop up strategically on “The Late Show,” and perhaps on “The Nightly Show,” which he created, “Last Week Tonight” and “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” bolstering the alumni of “The Daily Show” without taking on production responsibilities for an entire show of his own. I can understand Stewart wanting to speak out during this election, but “The Daily Show” was also a draining enterprise, and I can also see Stewart waiting to figure out what he truly wants to do next rather than starting a new show simply because Trump’s candidacy seems like a menace. ADVERTISEMENT   Bill and Hillary Clinton’s incomprehensible marriage Even a political speaker like Bill Clinton can't make something as complex as married life fit neatly into the contours of a fairy tale. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Is Hillary Clinton Carmela Soprano — or Walter White? As first lady, Hillary Clinton was the template for the famous gangster's wife. But in the 15 years since, she has become the hero -- or antihero -- in her own story. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   The complete guide to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s favorite autocrat Five books, movies and articles that help explain Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump's attraction to him, and what Putinism might look like in the United States. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Star Trek: Beyond’ debates how to make the Federation great again It also argues that you can have both motorcycle stunts and thoughtful politics in the same movie. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Leslie Jones proves why we’ll never get the version of Twitter we really want A version of Twitter entirely free of harassment would be a very different social media service. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Intersect The corner of the Internet and interesting, in your inbox weekly. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071