Fans of half-way decent news are still reeling from the announcement that Larry Wilmore's The Nightly Show has been cancelled by Comedy Central, one of their few major mistakes the network has made in recent years. The news would have been easier to bear if not for the fact that the final episode of the series has come so quickly, with the series finale set to air tonight. Having been a die-hard fan of Wilmore not only in the role of comical news broadcaster on The Nightly Show and The Daily Show but also as a brilliant writer and producer on a number of shows, including The PJ's and black-ish, today already just sucks more than most Thursdays.
There is, however, a silver lining here, beyond the fact that Wilmore will have plenty of other work to get down to on TV in the coming months. According to EW, Wilmore has announced that his longtime friend, colleague, and former boss at The Daily Show Jon Stewart will make an appearance on the final show. Stewart has appeared on the series before, of course, but this is clearly a more emotional duty than voicing his opposition to all things politically craven. Wilmore and Stewart have been close for years now, and the former Daily Show titan was a driving force in getting The Nightly Show started on Comedy Central.
During a recent interview with David Axelrod on his podcast, Stewart was one of a scant few celebrities who openly celebrated Wilmore's truly brilliant performance at the White House Correspondents dinner, one of the few hugely worthwhile and entertaining events to be aired on C-Span this year or this decade, for that matter. In rightly defending Wilmore from a culture of political cynics, one could clearly hear Stewart's fury but also his love for Wilmore and his unique, wise comic perspective on the world at large. One might expect a similar warmth when he helps his friend send off one of Comedy Central's most ambitious and, yes, often hilarious series. Make sure to tune in!
