“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” streaks through Atlanta’s election-time skyline

When Zhubin Parang talks about the significance of Atlanta in the nation’s zeitgeist, you listen — and you smile. The comedy writer and performer, onetime New York City lawyer and current supervising producer and writer of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah is clearly jazzed about the show’s presence in Atlanta to film at The Tabernacle through November 3 during midterm elections. 

“Atlanta is the center of the political universe,” he says. “We love Atlanta, and we’re coming to show you that love.”

Parang and his fellow election-time traveler, Jen Flanz, showrunner, executive producer and writer of the Comedy Central prime-time Emmy-winning standout, both have a running list of reasons why they’re excited to tape the show in downtown Atlanta.

“We’re also going for the food, to be perfectly blunt,” Flanz says. Meanwhile, Parang admits there is one particular Persian restaurant in the city that he must hit up while he’s here. 

Another big draw the pair discloses is, thanks to the layout of the Tabernacle venue, host and comedian Trevor Noah will have the opportunity to work in a stand-up format, as opposed to sitting mainly at a desk. And this layout will give the Atlanta version of The Daily Show a flavor all its own.

Of course, the show’s penchant for setting up camp in battleground states during midterm and presidential elections makes the whole setup even better. Atlanta is an ideal fit because, as Flanz says, “you have the micro in Georgia and the macro in the country.”

For Parang, Atlanta provides an excellent backdrop for the writing of the show. “The great thing is writing for the city and doing segments about the city and the state,” he shares. “We want to speak to the local level. That’s one of my favorite parts of going on the road. And as a viewer, you see things going on in your town that relate to the nation as a whole.”

Flanz intimates that the cameos and guest appearances of regional players who are on the national political stage will be a highlight of The Daily Show filming in Atlanta,  hinting, “Lots of segments are already being shot around Atlanta and Georgia.”

With November 8 barreling down fast on the show’s creators, Flanz describes the rush. “We have a fire under us. But what seems exhausting gives us so much to work with — coming out of the Trump era and having a midterm election where you have so many characters to play off.”

Flanz adds, “The debate with Warnock and Walker gave us jokes for days.” 

Along with the fodder for fun that midterm election coverage brings, particularly in the battleground state of Georgia this year, Flanz and Parang see another special thing about filming The Daily Show in the Peach State. “Trevor loves Atlanta and its culture,” Parang discloses, “and in the segments, he wants to emphasize his love for the city. You’ll see it.”

Flanz notes that just as Noah has a special appreciation for the city, other Daily Show cast members have their own ties to the region. “We have Roy [Wood Jr.] from the South and Desi [Lydic] from the South. People are excited.” 

She adds, “Atlanta has a great culture to put on air and absorb. There will be hometown heroes, Atlanta personalities and people that are heavily involved in the election.” 

Parang says another factor that has the show’s creators especially pumped for this year’s midterm election coverage and all its live-action twists and turns is … probably obvious.

“President Trump was the best practice,” he says. “His tweets changed [each show’s] dynamics on the spot.” So, while the creative team always made room for multiple diversions from each show’s loosely honed plan, recent years have sharpened those improvisational skills to a fine point.”

As Flanz notes, “We are used to planning a show, and then we’re able to just throw it away and do a whole different show. And we’re not limited to those 45 minutes on the linear show; we have social media and the digital platform, and so it’s easier to put some things on Instagram reels but not on the linear show.”

The pair admits, though, that even the unknown requires an intense degree of preparation. “We have backups ready to go,” Flanz says. “We mix and match, and what we’ll do at the Tabernacle is not different from what we do in New York in that respect, it’s just Atlanta and Georgia focused.” 

Of course, there is another element of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah coming to Atlanta that’s special at this time in history, and that’s how Noah’s time on the show is limited; his last day as anchor is December 8, 2022. Yet, just as with Jon Stewart’s departure from the helm in 2015, the show will shine on with whomever is next in line.

“We’ve had seven great years; he’s amazing,” Flanz says of Noah’s upcoming departure. “Trevor is the third host. We’ll take the best parts of one, two and three and do another version. We’ll miss Trevor, but we’re excited about the future.”

Parang notes that Noah’s voice in the issues of the day has been immeasurably important to the show. “Trevor comes from South Africa and has lived in the world and seen the world, and he’s a good voice to talk about [how] a democracy can backslide and lose its energy,” he says. “And he knows what it’s like to see a population become exhausted and lose its vigilance.”

Parang adds, “In the meantime, we want to get his jokes across and get the best of his time with us.”

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Carol Badaracco Padgett is an Atlanta freelance writer who specializes in film and television coverage. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, her work has appeared in Oz Magazine and other publications.