The Colbert Report
John Heilemann
TV Flash files “John Heilemann” as hour 975 of 1447 in the TV Flash guide — The Colbert Report (2005–2014) on Comedy Central, season 2012, episode 2, aired 2012-01-04, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S2012E02: listed hour 975 of 1447 in the The Colbert Report guide, hour 2 of 157 in season 2012. It aired 2012-01-04 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Sen. Bernie Sanders” (S2012E01). Next is “Steve Case” (S2012E03). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Journalist John Heilemann examines Rick Santorum's rise in the Iowa caucus and the potential direction of his campaign.
Viewer FAQ
Where does John Heilemann sit in the The Colbert Report guide?
S2012E02 is listed hour 975 of 1447 — hour 2 of 157 in season 2012, season 2012 episode 2.
When did The Colbert Report S2012E02 air?
John Heilemann aired 2012-01-04 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.…