HBO’s Richard Plepler ‘Hopeful’ That Jon Stewart Will Be on Air by Presidential Election (Video)

“He has free rein to do whatever he want,” network chief says

Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart

There’s no premiere date for Jon Stewart‘s “Daily Show” follow-up on HBO yet, but network chief Richard Plepler suggested the project could debut before Election Day this coming November.

“Yeah, I’m hopeful,” Plepler said in an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter for the Paley Media Center on Thursday. But he clarified that Stewart isn’t racing to get on air to capitalize on the madness of election season. “I think he’s clamoring at the bit to do something that he knows is going to stand out and be a new part of his artistic expression,” he continued.

Last November, Stewart signed a four-year production deal with HBO. The first announced project was partnership with cloud graphics company OTOY Inc. to produce short-form digital content for HBO NOW.

“It is a perfect example of bringing a remarkable original voice into the house, giving a new opportunity of expression to that original voice and saying, ‘We now have the flexibility to let you paint however you want to,’” Plepler said. “He has free rein to do whatever he wants.”

The content will be updated throughout the day on the network’s OTT service, and Plepler believes the project itself would “evolve” over time. “My guess will be that the first months of what he does will be different from the second months of what he does,” Plepler said.

Watch the full interview below.

Comments