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The show gives many “Daily Show” followers something they have wanted for years: more Stephen Colbert, though not in the way viewers imagined. Colbert has long been the most popular correspondent on “The Daily Show,” hosting regular segments like “This Week in God” and also serving as John Stewart’s temporary replacement for a couple of episodes. Though actively involved with the writing and production of the show, he was typically only seen once or twice a week on camera. He has also worked in other capacities such as writer and actor in the cult comedy “Strangers With Candy,” one of the voices in
“The Ambiguously Gay Duo,” a product pusher for companies like Goodwrench, and even a stint as a real correspondent with “Good Morning America.”

Now Colbert has the spotlight all to himself, and he manages to take full advantage. The new show is styled as a cable news show with Colbert modeling the set, the show design, and his lead anchor character after some of the most vocal newsmen. Reasoning and discussion take backseat to the sort of blind anger and vanity that Americans have grown to love, according to the news ratings. His main inspiration is clearly Bill O’Reilly and his “The O’Reilly Factor,” complete with bulleted talking points to aid his arguments, the flashy camera angle jumps and musical breaks, and his inability to let his guests get more than a sentence out at a time. He draws inspiration from other talking heads as well, like Sean Hannity of Fox News, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC, and Aaron Brown of CNN. The result is a true parody of the “anchor-above-the-news” style of reporting that is so prevalent on cable today. From the opening dominated by the American flag and a bald eagle to the spotlight following Colbert past his darkened guest, his name adorned in lights throughout the set, and his display of an Emmy and a Peabody he has won on the mantle of a fake fireplace on the set, he captures the self-centered reporting the show aims to skewer in a very entertaining fashion.

The show consists of an opening segment of Colbert giving his character’s opinions of the day, followed by an interview. The remainder of the show is open to just about anything, from pre-recorded interviews to other activities involving the guest to whatever the writers can think of to fill time that day. The show strays from “The Daily Show” by focusing less on the absurdity in the news and its coverage and more on the absurdity of the characters Colbert is mimicking in his performance. Colbert is the center of everything. If he falters, the show falls with him.

Initial reactions to the show have been generally positive, with critics heaping praise onto Colbert’s delivery and timing. The show’s debut attracted over a million viewers, well above anything Comedy Central has had in that time slot in recent years, well above what any channel puts in that time slot on a regular basis for that matter. This is especially high considering the basic cable status of the network. And with the blessing of John Stewart, who is also one of the producers of the new show, the strong cult following of “The Daily Show” will likely continue to stay tuned for that extra half hour every night. The last minute of “The Daily Show” has now even been converted into a lead-in to the new show, with a split screen between Stewart and Colbert much in the style of other news programs handing off to the next anchor.

There are, however, some gripes with the show. Colbert has not completely adjusted to his role as host. His interviewing seems a bit awkward considering he is only playing a character while talking to real people, but so far he has remained entertaining while doing this. One has to wonder as well how long a show like this can last. In the case of “The Daily Show,” politics and the news will always make for entertaining subject matter. However, with “The Colbert Report,” the entire premise comes from the behavior of other on-air personalities. If this sort of brash, one-sided style of news falls out of popularity with the general public, the parody of these things goes out of style as well. But fortunately for those involved, or unfortunately depending on the angle, this sort of journalistic style shows no signs of weakening.

For now the show is still fresh and still has the chance to develop into a new, creative product every night; for me this means one more half hour every night to waste in front of the television. Damn you, Comedy Central.