'Daily Show' Correspondents Strike; Patrick Stewart Replaces John Oliver (Video)

Comedy Central

Refusing to work is a labor union's best tool in the fight for better wages and work conditions, but a work stoppage's success depends on two factors: solidarity, and the certainty that the striking workers are better than the non-union replacements a company hires in their absence.

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Unfortunately for the tireless correspondents on The Daily Show, they had neither of those things going for them.

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In a riff on the outrage that mushroomed out of the NFL's lockout of its referees, and the outrage that mushroomed out of it,  John Oliver and his fellow supporting players went on strike -- only to be replaced by Sir Patrick Stewart and a roster of show business's greatest legends.

"I believe I've detected a bit of a rub in the strike strategy," Stewart told the elder Stewart. "You're better than them. You are an infinitely superior substitute. You look better, you sound better, and I know this is remote, but I'm pretty sure you smell better, too."

Eventually, a settlement would be reached, but it's likely that it wasn't quite as beneficial as whatever the referees received late Wednesday night, when their union and the NFL finally agreed to end the dispute.