Serious Play: Evaluating the Comedic, Political and Religious Relationships Between The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park

Author

Noah Jerome Springer, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

8-1-2011

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Mass Communication and Media Arts

First Advisor

Metz, Walter

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to create a framework through which the television programs The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park can be evaluated collectively. The framework of "serious play" permits the analysis of the relationship between the three programs, specifically regarding their comedic, political and religious functions. This textual analysis proposes that when examined together through serious play, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park are best visualized through a legal analogy which is supported by serious play.