Jon Stewart’s Animated HBO Show To Launch In The Fall

Jon Stewart, who stepped away from The Daily Show last year, is turning his considerable talents towards a topical animated program for HBO.

Jon Stewart’s HBO Project

The animated project Stewart is working on will be digital and short form, enabling him to tackle current events in a dynamic new format. HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys called Stewart’s project “a big endeavor” that the network hopes will be “up and running” by September or October – giving him at least some time to cover the 2016 election on the show.

“He’s establishing an animation studio because he wants to get material out multiple times a day,” Bloys explained at a Television Critics Association press tour panel Saturday. “And the idea is that it will be an animated parody of a cable news network, with kind of an Onion-like portal.”

Bloys added that Stewart chose to go the short-form animation route in an effort to “comment in real-time during the day’s news events.” Since Stewart wants to get the programs up with speed, the animation will be “simple,” according to Bloys. In order to achieve his vision, Stewart teamed up with graphics company Otoy.

Stewart made his last appearance as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show in August, and was replaced by former correspondent Trevor Noah. In November of last year, Stewart signed a four-year production deal with HBO.