Trevor Noah can host a show. Of this, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah left no doubt. In his first night in Jon Stewart’s old chair, the 31-year-old comedian from South Africa was confident and charismatic and full of joy for the job. He went down easy, and not just because he’s one handsome, telegenic man. He mitigated the shock of the new by sticking with the format of the show – essays; correspondent bits (Roy Wood Jr.’s water-on-Mars report was a premiere highlight); guest interview; Moment of Zen – and he accepted the mantle with humility and self-deprecation. He immediately got down to business, quieting his (exuberantly!) enthusiastic crowd to convey genuine gratitude for the opportunity and – this was wise – deal directly with our skepticism. One of several funny, winning moments during this passage: Comparing Stewart to the dad who abandons his family for another, and himself to the stepdad trying to fill the void. “And he’s black. Which is not ideal,” Noah cracked. What I enjoyed best about the remainder of the show was how Noah threw himself into the performance. He was having fun. He was also fearless and unflappable, qualities he perhaps best demonstrated at his worst moments, a pair of small but terrible jokes about AIDS and Whitney Houston, respectively. He let the ‘boos’ roll off his nattily attired back and kept rolling.