Stewart officially done with the ‘Daily’ grind

Stewart paid tribute to cast and crew with an extended video tour of “The Daily Show” offices.

While the show referred to the Republican presidential candidate debate on Fox, the finale was actually taped before that aired. “One need look no further than to the lengthy line that forms along 11th Avenue on Monday through Thursday to appreciate its huge popularity and profound impact”.

Thursday, August 6 marks the end of an era, as Jon Stewart bowed out of The Daily Show after 17 years. “Jon, please accept my best wishes for a fulfilling next chapter”, the proclamation states. Where Stewart’s expertise was instant dissections of the day’s hardest-spinning headlines, and where Colbert thrived on mimicking the persona of a Fox News blowhard, Oliver uses clever writing and a smart delivery to move from a general roundup of the week and onward to nail one large topic at a time.

At one point, Colbert went off script, thanking Stewart for being “infuriatingly good at his job”. “So if you smell something, say something“, Jon said as he cut to commercial for the final time. “And we are better people for having known you”.

As the show concluded, Springsteen and the E-Street Band played Land of Hope and Dreams and Born to Run, with Stewart’s guests and co-workers taking to the stage to dance and hug him.

As for his departure, Stewart preferred to think of it, he said, not as an ending, but a break.

It was the third major farewell for a late-night television personality in eight months.

How will we fill the nights until Stephen Colbert steps in at CBS? The 52-year old not only mocked political events and news programs, he also analyzed and contextualized them. That network’s chairman, Roger Ailes, said in an interview that Stewart was a brilliant comedian and nice guy who has a bitter view of the world. He will be replaced by South African Trevor Noah.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.

Which is why we’ve boiled it down to these 10 Stewart highlights – both on and off the show.