When the show premiered in 1996, it was good. Craig Kilborn and his staff of oddball reporters showed signs of comedic genius. Five questions were always a pleasure, and the highlight for me had to be the scene from LEGEND OF RICKY in that segment's video opening.
But when John Stewart came, so did the greatness. Mo Rocca, Vance DeGeneres, Stephen Colbert, Nancy Walls, and Steve Corral, as well as the always funny Lewis Black and hilarious Frank DeCaro replaced the correspondence team--and have done very, very well. THE DAILY SHOW has grown from the small, mock news program/night show it once was into something completely new and fun. During the conventions last year, THE DAILY SHOW broke coverage of our current president with an erection while hearing his name nominated. Now this is crude, but in the context of the event, and the fact that it is pretty hard to doctor something like that, this six minute segment was perhaps the funniest in the show's history.
And it just keeps getting better. Its correspondents are better than ever (Colbert especially), and it is gradually gaining respect as a real news program. A reward for anyone interested in news and comedy--I wholeheartedly recommend you check this gem out if you haven't already!