Entertainment

A Peek Into 'The Minority Report'

by Alanna Bennett

A giant void in the comedy universe was formed the day Stephen Colbert announced that The Colbert Report would be ending and he would be heading to The Late Show. But that void was quickly filled by the promise of a new Larry Wilmore show, The Minority Report, and the world rejoiced. So what will The Minority Report actually look like?

Considering that the two main men presiding over Comedy Central's beloved satirical news block have been white dudes — and sometimes a third, with John Oliver — it's a straight-up breath of fresh air that the network's decided to fill the void of Colbert's departure with a show whose title practically promises a more diverse array of voices. And apparently Wilmore's planning to deliver.

Fast Company got Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless to talk about the new show and how it's different from (and similar to) Daily Show and Colbert:

The Minority Report setup will be similar to The Daily Show and Colbert Report, but with a twist: For parts of the show Wilmore will be joined by a panel of co-hosts, presumably along the lines of The View or Real Time With Bill Maher. “The general concept is Larry will be the anchor of the show and the first act will likely be Larry's take on the news of the day or cultural hot topics of the moment,” says Ganeless. “Then [there will be] a panel. The panel will be the second act, we'll likely have a guest interacting with the panel in the third act.”

And it sounds like that panel's got a great purpose:

The idea is for the group to reflect a range of points of view. “It’s not being done right now in late night — a panel of diverse voices, a panel of underrepresented voices,” says Ganeless. “This is the African American point of view, the female point of view, the Latino point of view, on all issues of the day. It's holistic — it's not just about looking at a black point of view and black issues. It's giving these underrepresented voices an opportunity to be heard on all issues. That array of voices will be a big part of the show.”

Sounds to us like exactly what the world needs.

The comedy world is one that holds a lot of power over our entertainment, which means in turn that it holds a lot of power over us. Combine that with political commentary, as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and John Oliver's new This Week Tonight have done, and it's no wonder the hosts are household names. It's all the more crucial for the people in those positions to use that power to open the world up to new voices and talent. Do you know how grateful I am to Jon Stewart and his team for introducing me to the wonders of correspondent Jessica Williams? Very! Very grateful!

And if we're lucky, The Minority Report will bring with it a wide variety of new voices and perspectives. You can read more about what Comedy Central has planned for the show over at Fast Company.