The Opposition with Jordan Klepper airs weeknights at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
When Stephen Colbert introduced America to “truthiness” back in 2005, the world was a much calmer place. Now in the age of Trump, parody needs to become even more extreme. Jordan Klepper is proving he’s the perfect guy to lampoon the alt-right just like Colbert played the part of an establishment Republican throughout the Bush and Obama administrations.
In just its first month on the air, The Opposition has already become one of television’s best destinations for political humor. Granted, simply echoing Alex Jones can be hilarious, but Klepper is good at toeing the line between just repeating the right’s talking points and creating his own absurdity. Topics like the Las Vegas shooting or the Harvey Weinstein scandal are wisely used to focus on the GOP’s hypocrisy.
Unlike The Colbert Report, The Opposition has a team of “correspondents” to provide analysis and hot takes on the news. Each member of Klepper’s team epitomizes a different kind of paranoid right-winger. Josh and Aaron are the highlight so far, playing a pair of gay men who purposely spew provocative comments to incite liberal outrage, clearly inspired by Milo Yiannopoulos.
The last segment, a guest interview, needs some workshopping. Jordan tries to stay in character while softballing the liberal guest easy comebacks. It’s a bit awkward and makes Klepper’s character unbelievable. Perhaps the show should attempt to book conservative guests. Imagine Tomi Lahren trying to refute, but at the same time agree, with Klepper’s views.
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