Not to be a Debbie Downer, but news headlines in the past few years have been … well, grim. Inflation, climate change, political strife and post-pandemic life weigh heavy on many of us. Sometimes you’ve just gotta laugh at reality. And in the realm of television, the news parody genre can be a sharp observer.

Think of Saturday Night Live and its Weekend Update segment on a good day. Or The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. In Canada, there’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the gone-but-not-forgotten Rick Mercer Report.