The Daily Show if done by Fox

It kicked off with a nightmare scenario for Liberals, Rush Limbaugh as President and Ann Coulter as his faithful vice-presdient hanging out in the White House, and with that scene setter Fox News Channel’s answer to Jon Stewart was launched. Called The 1/2 Hour News Hour, Fox is hoping that right wingers will be able to quit wringing their hands long enough to enjoy a few yucks at the expense of the likes of Al Franken, Bill Maher and the rest of leftist cabal that they see everywhere.

Mind you it must have been a hard call for Fox to interrupt the gruesome wall to wall Anna Nicole Smith coverage (which itself has been upstaged by garish Britney Spears meltdown updates) for even half an hour, but brave they are at Fox News.

The program which is the creation of Joel Surnow the executive producer of 24, is a decidedly right wing answer to the day’s news, though not quite delivered as well as Stewart’s more liberal offering. And unlike the Stewart program, it’s missing a live audience, the laugh track to the Fox News show was decidedly apparent and overbearing for jokes that weren’t particularly of the side splitting vein. Nothing says security and success like a laugh track!

In order to make sure that no Liberals might stray into the viewing range, the show was preceded by the usual hectoring of Sean Hannity, a fellow that could probably make Jerry Fallwell or Pat Robertson feel like liberals if given the chance. Needless to say, any liberal that survived the Hannity program lead in was probably too numb to view the ½ hour news hour with any coherence.

The show however has become a hot topic among liberals around the internet, Slate dedicating a portion of its website to coverage of the program’s construction and offering up some opinions on its future.

Some of the reviews were less than flattering, such as from the Boston Globe and Seattle Post Intelligencer, the New York Times tried to remain objective perhaps aware of the ever suspicious glances thrown its way. Even old Mother England waded into the review with the Guardian panning the debut, however what was surpising was the Washington Post found a few goods things to report upon, perhaps protecting their political turf in Washington. Although the best they could come up with was right funny, in spots.

Not to be outdone, once the show ended Fox News took to patting itself on the back over the debut. Going so far as to replay what they called “Hilarious Highlights” on the news cycle.

Fox last year hired on Dennis Miller to host a section on the Hannity and Colmes program called Get This, if they really want to make this comedy work perhaps they should hire him on to the staff of the new show. He made the Weekend Update news format the winner it was, apparently the anchors of the ½ hour news hour never studied the tapes. Then again, even Dennis Miller probably wouldn’t want to be associated with this one, because well Dennis Miller is actuallyat times quite funny!

Indeed, Fox itself may not be so sure, they haven't added links for the program on their website. You have to do quite a bit of searching on the site to find any mention of the program and so far the only video you can find of it is from You Tube, which of course lets the public post their thoughts on the show, which are even more caustic than the paid reviewers.

Fox may not want to give up hope; there may be a use for the show. Considering the lineage of the program, as the creation of the folks at 24, maybe it’s just a test of a new interrogation method for super agent Jack Bauer.

Give Jack at TV set; a DVD player, a copy of the ½ hour news hour and a terrorist, and well, we suspect America will be safe again!