The Colbert Report
Michael Phelps
TV Flash files “Michael Phelps” as the last listed hour of season 2008 — The Colbert Report (2005–2014) on Comedy Central, season 2008, episode 160, aired 2008-12-11, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S2008E160: listed hour 491 of 1447 in the The Colbert Report guide, last listed hour of season 2008. It aired 2008-12-11 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Richard Haass” (S2008E159). Next is “Alan Colmes, John King” (S2009E01). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Michael Phelps will compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics after Stephen teaches him how to ice dance.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Michael Phelps sit in the The Colbert Report guide?
S2008E160 is listed hour 491 of 1447 — last listed hour of season 2008, season 2008 episode 160.
When did The Colbert Report S2008E160 air?
Michael Phelps aired 2008-12-11 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.…