Late night TV (and Comedy Central) got a boost Monday night with the return of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report. Absent from TV since November 1, 2007, both hosts winged it on-air without their writers, and neither was afraid to comment on the current scriptless situation. But even with these valiant efforts, viewers didn’t see the same shows they’re used to.

It’s been pondered for weeks now, and finally the question has been answered. How will Comedy Central’s two late night shows fare without writers? For these first episodes back, both hosts talked about the strike at length, each interviewing experts on labor relations and unions. Stewart, who has a background in stand-up comedy, seemed as relaxed and at home as ever on stage, though he referred to the present as “uncomfortable circumstances.” Stewart also announced a name change for the show, to be in effect for the duration of the strike: ‘A Daily Show’.

Stephen Colbert, returning to the air for the first time since he was denied the Presidential bid for the Democratic party in South Carolina, enjoyed an incredibly long, four-minute standing ovation. Colbert put his feet up on the desk, perused the paper and finally went into the audience to sit members down to go through his improvised monologue. Colbert also changed the title of his show to ‘The Colbert Report’ (emphasis on the first T, please). The host relied heavily on past clips to fill up his air time, interviewing two guests to talk about Presidential contender Barack Obama as well as the strike.

And while both hosts performed admirably under the situation, there is no doubt they will be unable to keep this up for very long. With many celebs refusing to walk past picket lines, late night hosts are struggling to fill the gaps.