The Colbert Report
Benjamin Barber
TV Flash files “Benjamin Barber” as hour 232 of 1447 in the TV Flash guide — The Colbert Report (2005–2014) on Comedy Central, season 2007, episode 39, aired 2007-03-21, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S2007E39: listed hour 232 of 1447 in the The Colbert Report guide, hour 39 of 138 in season 2007. It aired 2007-03-21 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Willie Nelson” (S2007E38). Next is “Katie Couric” (S2007E40). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Benjamin Barber explains why consumer culture is bad for humanity and Stephen inquires as to whether he's a Subway or a Quiznos man.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Benjamin Barber sit in the The Colbert Report guide?
S2007E39 is listed hour 232 of 1447 — hour 39 of 138 in season 2007, season 2007 episode 39.
When did The Colbert Report S2007E39 air?
Benjamin Barber aired 2007-03-21 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I need Stewart's Daily Show first?
Helpful context: it spun off in 2005. The Report is its own character-host satire — Colbert playing a pundit until the mask made news.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Stephen Colbert plays a billowing cable pundit until the mask starts making real news. The Colbert Report coined truthiness, ran Super PAC stunts as performance art, and spun off from Stewart into Emmy-winning character satire that took the bluster more seriously than the bluster did.
Comedy Central spun a correspondent into a full-time pundit mask in 2005 and watched the character leak into real campaigns. The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert with Ben Karlin and Jon Stewart among the architects, ran through 2014 and ended when Colbert moved to network late night. Right-wing blowhard as performance art. Truthiness as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2006 — **a dictionary metric, not a vibe.** Super PAC stunts as performance art. The mask making actual news. Ten seasons, 1,447 episodes.…
Filed against
- Stephen Colbert as Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert farmed correspondent heat on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — fake newscast as civic classroom, Crossfire-takedown legend — then played a billowing cable pundit on The Colbert Report until the mask made real news.…