The Opposition with Jordan Klepper Review: The First Week
Kaitlynn Smith
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The Opposition with Jordan Klepper launched on Comedy Central on September 25, and it's clear from the first four episodes that there is a lot of potential for this new show.
Done in the style of The Colbert Report, Jordan Klepper plays a caricature of himself. The former Daily Show correspondent satirizes alt-right news outlets by pretending to be one. More specifically, he is attempting to channel his inner Alex Jones of Infowars.
Klepper begins each episode by standing in front of a conspiracy theory board a la Carrie's crazy Brody board on Homeland. He rattles off a few one-liners about his new theories to the audience before diving into the show.
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Jordan Klepper
Once at his messy desk, Jordan Klepper cleverly points out the hypocrisy of Trump and the alt-right.
Before the show premiered, The Opposition was already drawing obvious comparisons to The Colbert Report. Klepper's show, though, is a reflection of the current times.
The Opposition feels raw and a little rough around the edges, like so many of the alt-right news shows.
It is distinctly different from other satirical news shows like The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. This gives Klepper a huge advantage in an increasingly competitive field.
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Jordan Klepper
Klepper is clearly still developing this role.
He is funny and charming, and he displays the same smugness and arrogance we see in people like Jones. He does, however, lack the anger that the alt-right personalities possess, which shatters the illusion of the character at times.
For a show like this to work, Klepper needs to completely commit to the character. There are moments where he shows the fervor that turns Jones' face red but overall, Klepper is still lacking that extra passion.
Rather than interviewing celebrities, Klepper talks to people from the "opposite" side of the aisle. So far, he has interviewed activists and authors who probably would not be caught dead on an alt-right show like Infowars.
Klepper asked interesting questions, but the interviews always left me wanting a bit more. At times, he broke out of his alt-right character and seemed to become Jordan Klepper, normal guy.
Interviewing was Stephen Colbert's strong point. He always managed to play that devil's advocate Fox News persona while convincing the audience to see the interviewee's side. Klepper, though, is struggling with this.
I love that Klepper has, so far, not interviewed celebrities. I would love for it to stay that way. To be truly effective, though, he needs to sharpen his interview skills.
There's great potential in these interviews for a rousing discussion between the character Klepper and his opposition for the evening. If he can stay in character the entire time, Klepper will be a formidable force in late night comedy.
Klepper's correspondents, called "citizen journalists" on the show, were introduced briefly on the first episode.
Their short bits did not always land with the audience, which left me nervous. However, as they were showcased throughout the week in various moments, they greatly improved.
I was particularly entertained by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. These men serve as the "resident provocateurs" in the style of Milo Yiannopoulos. They're gay, and they explain that they cannot be offensive because of this.
It gives Klepper the opportunity to say he cannot be offensive because he hired gay people for his show. Sharp and Jackson follow up by saying the cameraman cannot be offensive because he works with gay people. We then see a shot of the cameraman wearing a "Free Bill Cosby" shirt.
It's a quick and hilarious moment, and it's the perfect comparison to the alt-right people who say they cannot be racist because they have a black friend.
Unlike other satirical late night shows, Klepper seems to rely less on clips from the news or C-SPAN. While they are still featured, he instead chooses to go on long rants about current events.
In his first four episodes, he's covered the GOP's attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, the NFL protests, and whether or not we can trust numbers.
There is a lot of potential with the premise of the show, but there is still a lot of work that can be done to make it even better.
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Jordan Klepper
Jordan Klepper was never my favorite correspondent on The Daily Show. His brand of humor never really meshed with my taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed his first week on the new show. While the first few episodes were not perfect, he had me laughing out loud frequently.
The Opposition with Jordan Klepper offers a unique take on satirizing current events. It can help fill the void we have had since the character of Stephen Colbert left us, especially once Klepper fully embraces his alt-right persona.
Have you watched The Opposition? What did you think? Was it good, or are there too many satirical news shows? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Kaitlynn Smith was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in May of 2018.
