John Oliver ended his “Daily Show” hosting duties Thursday night. | REUTERS Critics laud Oliver's hosting tenure

When longtime “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart announced this spring that he would be taking a leave of absence from the show in order to pursue a film project, fans of the show wondered how the critically acclaimed program could survive without its leader as “Daily Show” regular John Oliver filled in.

New York Times television critic Alessandra Stanley wrote in June that, “For the hard-core fans who rely on ‘The Daily Show’ as a primary source of news, the change is unsettling in much the way it was for an older generation when Walter Cronkite went on vacation.”


Three months later, Oliver not only passed the test, he seems to have become the new “it” boy in the world of late night political talk.

Oliver ended his “Daily Show” hosting duties Thursday night and, by all estimates, he achieved the primary objective he laid out for himself back in June: Not to destroy a beloved program.

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The Hollywood Reporter notes that, “Compared to the same period last summer, with Stewart at the helm, The Daily Show’s ratings remain unchanged in Comedy Central’s all-important young male demographic. The series held its .97 rating among both men 18-34 and adults 18-34.”

And viewers not only enjoyed Oliver’s stint at the helm, they even wondered if he was better than Stewart. The New York Times’ Brian Stelter explored that topic during a CNN segment and found some voices who preferred the new John to the old Jon.

Although Oliver himself told Charlie Rose that his successful tenure would not forever change his life, Mediaite’s Joe Concha thinks it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to snatch Oliver away to host his own “Daily Show”-esque program.

“So when Stewart returns after Labor Day, Oliver will go back to playing second fiddle. But if I’m running any of the cable news networks (CNN, Fox, MSNBC), I’d be opening my checkbook, like…now…and give Mr. Oliver (along with a few writers from the show) a princely sum to host a show similar to the Daily Show. Stewart is untouchable when it comes to making such an offer: He currently earns $14 million. But Oliver is (arguably) just as effective as Stewart, but can come at 1/10th the cost.”

Variety’s Brian Lowry concludes that, “Comedy Central comes away from Stewart’s hiatus with every reason to smile. Oliver is clearly another solid piece of manpower at its disposal, providing the channel a greater sense of security should the impulse arise to try spinning him or one of the other correspondents into a stand-alone vehicle.”