As “Foxcatcher” hits theaters Friday, everyone is buzzing about Steve Carell’s big dramatic debut. He plays the real-life character of John du Pont, a homicidal multimillionaire who became obsessed with two wrestler brothers.
Carell got his start as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” before making the leap to prime time. He hadn’t done much onscreen when he nabbed the job of heading up Dunder Mifflin paper company on the American version of “The Office.” And at the time that seemed like a huge leap.
Now, though, it’s par for the course. “The Daily Show” correspondents tend to move on to bigger things. It’s become a breeding ground for up-and-comers.
For years, “Saturday Night Live” served that role: Hollywood’s farm team. Lorne Michaels put the spotlight on next-big-things. The list of funny people is staggering: Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Chris Farley, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, to name very few.
But is “SNL’s” time as the taste-maker of things to come in peril? The actors that “SNL” is churning out recently don’t end up having the varied careers and impressive reach of “Daily Show” alums. Kristen Wiig was hilarious in “Bridesmaids,” which she co-wrote, but she hasn’t gained much traction since.
Seth Myers took over “Late Night,” which was a big get, and Andy Samberg stars in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” but beyond that, cast members that left in the last five years haven’t produced much beyond the broadest comedy.
Meanwhile, “Daily Show” alums are dominating in an array of spaces, in the comedy world and beyond. After Stephen Colbert paved the way with his own satirical news show, “The Colbert Report,” John Oliver has done the same with “Last Week Tonight,” which airs on HBO.
Current host Jon Stewart has also dabbled in more serious work. His directorial debut, “Rosewater,” came out last week.
The “Daily Show” contribution extends to kid’s fare (Josh Gad voiced the singing snowman, Olaf, in Disney’s “Frozen”), much dissected dramas (Olivia Munn is arguably the best part of “The Newsroom”) and the next frontier of entertainment (Rob Corddry stars in the Vimeo web series “Wedlock.”
Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, married “Daily Show” alums, had a pilot about a family road trip picked up by TBS. But “SNL” can at least take partial credit for Rob Riggle, who was on both shows. His new series is a comedy about a mayor of a small, struggling town.
