COVERAGE OF THE 64th EMMY AWARDS

Who can beat ‘The Daily Show’?

By | Yahoo! TV Emmys Blog – Wed, Jul 18, 2012 7:50 PM PDT

Colbert and Stewart at "The Comedy Awards" (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)Not bad for basic cable: 'The Daily Show,' the late-night comedy show about the news, has had a nine-year winning streak in the Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy category. The nine-in-a-row is unprecedented since the category was established in 1951.

But this year "The Daily Show," as funny as it is, has some serious competition. We look at who could beat the juggernaut of variety and comedy on TV.

The Colbert Report

"The Daily Show" begat Stephen Colbert as fake news-show host, and comedy hasn't been the same since. This year, Stephen Colbert grabbed the spotlight by creating his own Super PAC (and receiving a Peabody award for his ability to make an obtuse finance law an accessible -- and often hilarious -- topic) and still managed to fit in some singing with performers as diverse as Audra McDonald and James Taylor.

Saturday Night Live

If for no other reason, this season of the sketch comedy show marks the end of an era. Kristin Wiig and Andy Samberg, comic greats, will not be returning next season. It is still unclear if Jason Sudeikis will be back. From Chris Parnell's appearance to rap on Samberg's digital short, "Lazy Sunday 2," to Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler's cameos on their cable access show "Bronx Beat," stars can't seem to stay away. Jon Hamm has showed up on the show so much he could be mistaken for a member of the cast.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

As the "Saturday Night Live" alum told the Hollywood Reporter, "We are the only late-night show that is truly a comedy, music and variety series, aside from 'SNL.'" Heck, he's responsible for many a viral video: think Carly Rae Jepsen's hit "Call Me Maybe" performed with the singer, the TV host and the Roots band on toy instruments. And bits like "Dance Charades with Heidi Klum" along with his preproduced sketches like "Ew," including the one memorably featuring Channing Tatum in drag, are goofy fun.

Find complete awards and red-carpet coverage on Yahoo! TV's Emmys site.

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