Five Reasons Not to Worry About New 'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah

Change is never easy, and it’s particularly difficult in the realm of late night television, where viewers become used to seeing the same host night after night for days, weeks, years and even decades on end. Already in 2015, we’ve seen James Corden take over from Craig Ferguson and Stephen Colbert move into a theater previously inhabited by David Letterman, while Larry Wilmore took over Colbert’s old Comedy Central digs. The most closely watched bit of late night chair shuffling goes down tonight, when Trevor Noah inherits The Daily Show desk occupied for the past sixteen years by Jon Stewart. And right now, it seems like the show’s fanbase is more concerned about this succession than The Daily Show’s new host and staff are. “Everyone’s so nervous!” says executive producer Jen Flanz. “You’re all gonna be fine. Trevor’s very smart and funny and cool.” Still can’t quiet those nerves? Noah, Flanz and her fellow executive producer, Steve Bodow, gave Yahoo TV five reasons to welcome — rather than fear — this new era of The Daily Show.

The Host May Be Changing, But the Rest of the Team Isn’t
Throughout the transition from Stewart to Noah, everyone involved with The Daily Show has emphasized the consistency between the two incarnations rather than the changes. And, at least right now, very little has changed apart from the host. Much of the Stewart’s writing and producing team remains intact, as well as the previous roster of correspondents: Jessica Williams, Jordan Klepper and Hasan Minhaj. “We’re all peers and we’re going to start a new journey in terms of taking the helm of the show together,” Noah says of the existing members of the Best F–king News Team Ever. That said, three new correspondents will be joining the crew and Bodow anticipates other tweaks to come. “I expect the show to be continually evolving.”

The News Media Is Still On Notice
Throughout his tenure, Stewart made a sport of going after news outlets that he felt failed on the job — particularly his favorite target, Fox News. Noah says his relationship with the cable news ratings powerhouse should get off to a more civil start, largely because it’s not a channel the South African-born comic is very familiar with. “I’ve never really watched Fox News,” he confesses. “It’s not a network that’s available all over the world.” But he does have a specific take on America’s news media that will become part of his satirical coverage. “It’s a lot more celebrity-based compared to the rest of the world. In most countries, news is a trusted source, whereas here a lot of the onus is placed on the anchors and their opinions. That’s a very different filter to view news through and it’ll be fun to poke holes in the way news is reported.”

The Guest List Will Be Fascinating
You could always rely on a steady mix of authors, actors and politicians coming through The Daily Show when Jon Stewart was in charge. And those professions will still be part of Noah’s tenure, but, as Bodow puts it, “The guests always reflect the host’s interests and Trevor’s set of interests aren’t necessarily the same as Jon’s.” To that end, viewers will start to notice more musical guests (like Ryan Adams, who will appear on the Oct. 1 episode) and tech-savvy entrepreneurs (like the co-founder of Tinder, Whitney Wolfe, who’s booked for Sept. 29) added to the show’s go-to guest rolodex. “He’s a techie, so he’s into that world,” says Flanz. As for his interview style, Noah says it will be a work-in-progress at first. “Interviews are about honing your style and once you get into that groove, you become very comfortable. At the end of the day, it’s just a conversation.”

Things Are Gonna Get Global
The Daily Show HQ will always be here in New York, but the show’s worldview will expand by virtue of the fact that Noah hails from overseas. And that’s a necessary evolution as 21st century technology continues to shrink borders around the world. “Watching The Daily Show from South Africa, I felt it was a looking glass into the world of American politics,” Noah explains. “It will be nice to expand that and show viewers how politics all over the world might affect America.” But that doesn’t mean that the host will be recording The Daily Show in a new international location every month. “If we can go overseas for the right reason, we’ll definitely go. Initially, though, that’s not our greatest concern; as long as Donald Trump is still in the presidential race a lot of attention is going to need to be paid to that!”

Stewart Needed Some Me Time
Sure, we were all counting on Jon to get us through the 2016 election with our sanity (and sense of humor) intact. But where’s the fun in watching a host who isn’t having any fun? “Jon was ready to go,” Flanz insists. “He gave us all sixteen years of his life and we’re so lucky for that. It’s hard being dumped, but Trevor is quite a rebound man.” And while Stewart wanted to see new people, Noah is eager to start a committed relationship. “I’m excited to find the voice of the show and build relationships with old and new fans. It’s okay to be nervous— we’re at the beginning of a new journey, but we’re still The Daily Show.”

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah premieres Sept. 28 at 11:00 p.m. on Comedy Central