Source: Comedy Central via GIPHY
Source: Comedy Central via GIPHY
As a correspondent on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” for more than a decade, Samantha Bee was a fan favorite with her biting wit and boldly sarcastic tone. But when Stewart left his highly sought after position on the show, Bee was not even considered to replace him.
“I think she has smart, funny, things to say about politics and anything else,” said Chicago-based comedian Victoria Nones. “What makes her less qualified than anyone else? Nothing.”
After twelve years of loyalty to “The Daily Show,” Bee’s husband Jason Jones, also a comedian and “Daily Show” alum, says they were surprised when she was overlooked.
“The fact that she wasn’t approached was a little shocking, to say the least,” said Jones in an interview with the New York Times. “But I think she is much happier where she ended up.”
“Samantha Bee has a style that is her real, innate style.” – Jake Wachtel, former late-night producer
In collaboration with her husband, 46-year-old Bee created her own late-night show on TBS called “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” which premiered on February 8— making her the sole representative of her gender on late-night programming.
And she has no apologies for that.
Bee’s Monday evening show completely alters audiences’ expectations of a late-night program, including but not limited to the following reasons:
1. She is an outspoken feminist, and her unique female perspective gains her access to comment on women’s issues boldly and valuably. One segment called “Job Fair For Women,” which drew in nearly 350 thousand views on Youtube alone, brought to light the broad array of careers for women that ensure sexist hurdles and sexual harassment.
2. She ditches the desk and stands the whole time, adding a particular energy not often seen in late-night shows.
3. She does not bring on celebrity guests. She lets her comedic content (and the political buffoonery on which she comments) do all the heavy lifting.
4. “Full Frontal” airs once a week, unlike many of the other late-night shows that air five days a week. This allows for a heftier accumulation of political happenings over the course of the week to use as joke material in the next show.
5. She and showrunner Jo Miller hired a 50 percent female and 30 percent nonwhite writing staff, unsurprisingly making “Full Frontal” the most diverse writing staff on a late-night program ever. This, however, was not a purposeful ploy to set their show apart; rather, Bee and Miller used a blind application process when hiring, a process that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Daily Show” have also used in years past.
By daring into unknown territory, Bee’s transformation of late-night “standards” has paid off.
On April 4th, TBS announced that it will be giving “Full Frontal” another season, meaning Bee will go down in history as one of the few women who made it past season one on late-night.
“The change in behavior is stunning.” -Alan Wurtzel, NBCUniversal’s audience research chief
“I think Samantha Bee has a style that is her real, innate style,” said former late-night producer Jake Wachtel. “And the more she stays to who she is, and keeps the show around, and what she’s trying to get across, and stays true to that, the stronger she’ll be.”
Samantha Bee on the set of her show “Full Frontal.” (Source: TBS, “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” YouTube)
In addition to television ratings, Bee’s show drew impressive numbers on YouTube and social media. With only 12 televised episodes under her belt, she already had seven YouTube segments exceeding one million views.
But YouTube is not the only platform lady comics are using to prove their worth. Indeed, changing media habits like streaming channels are quickly providing new pathways for women in comedy.
“The change in behavior is stunning. The use of streaming and smartphones just year-on-year is double-digit increases,” Alan Wurtzel, NBCUniversal’s audience research chief, told the Post. “I’ve never seen that kind of change in behavior.”