With the need to replace The Colbert Report now that its host will be leaving for network pastures when his contract expires at the end of 2014, and knowing that since that show is built entirely around Stephen Colbert’s particular character, the new series would necessarily be very different, Comedy Central had a very good idea: promote The Daily Show‘s “Senior Black Correspondent” Larry Wilmore to the job. This isn’t just a strong symbolic move for the extremely white territory of late-night talk TV, but a richly promising one, since Wilmore’s segments have been among The Daily Show‘s highlights for years. The new series, to be called THE MINORITY REPORT, sounds like it will be structured more like The Daily Show than The Colbert Report, with an ensemble of additional performers sharing the camera with Wilmore; as the title indicates, the intent is for it to embrace viewpoints that aren’t necessarily heard in the rest of late night. Jon Stewart, who had been an Executive Producer of Colbert Report, will have the same title on the new series.
Wilmore had just been announced as the showrunner of ABC’s newly-ordered sitcom Black-ish, and the word is that since Minority Report won’t begin until January 2015, he’ll stay with the sitcom for its launch and help bring in a new showrunner before leaving for Comedy Central.
About the Author
Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."
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