Every four years, the writers of politically charged comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live (SNL), The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are blessed with manna from heaven: the presidential election.

The election season brings material ripe for mocking. From President Barack Obamas jive talk videos, in which he changes his speech to pander to black audiences, to former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romneys 47 percent quote blunder, 2012s election season of political comedy is off to a fast start.

The Colbert Report, originally formatted as a spin-off of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has started off the debate season with comments comical even to people who know next to nothing about politics.

Its like Obama wasnt even there, Stephen Colbert said on his post-debate recap show. He hasnt done this poorly since he debated Clint Eastwood.

This line is classic Colbert he provides his viewers with an accessibility and familiarity that has the ability to resonate with everyone from a Toddlers and Tiaras family to a doctoral student at Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Colbert has wielded his own niche as a master of satire, and his staff of writers combined with his witty delivery has secured his place in the cannon of political folly during the past several years.

Another reason for The Colbert Reports mass appeal is that Colbert has a policy of equal opportunity ridicule for both the Republican and Democratic parties, which serves well in cementing his position as the go-to funny man for supporters of both parties.

The same can be said of NBCs long-running sketch comedy program SNL, which has become an American institution since it first aired in 1975. Over the course of SNLs history, icons were made out of political parodies, from Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush to Tina Feys pitch-perfect portrayal of Sarah Palin.

SNLs episode on Saturday unveiled fresh political fodder, with Jay Pharoah as Obama and Jason Sudeikis as Romney in parody of Wednesdays presidential debate, featuring Chris Parnell in the role of an obnoxious Jim Lehrer moderator. Big Bird made an appearance on the popular SNL segment Weekend Update to address Romneys scathing remarks toward cutting the PBS budget, in spite of it being seven hours past (his) bedtime.

Election season is where SNL shines, and fans of the show as well as those who proclaim SNL hasnt been funny for years come together to enjoy the excellent political parodies that have served to maintain the shows position in the spotlight of American humor.

The Daily Show continued its election season mockery on Saturday with an online rumble between Fox News host Bill OReilly and Daily Show host Jon Stewart. This rumble ran the gamut from funny to fierce, with OReillys droll observation: They advertise on the radio for food stamps! to Stewarts pensive reply: Why is it that if you take advantage of a tax break and youre a corporation youre a smart businessman, but if you take advantage of something that you need to not be hungry, youre a moocher?

The Daily Show maintains its popularity the same way The OReilly Factor does: it caters to a certain audience exclusively in this case, a younger, more liberal faction of the population. Stewarts use of humor is delivered as tongue-in-cheek, but the undertone of his jokes is ultimately serious.

The popularity of The Daily Show, which debuted in 1996, is dependent upon a youthful understanding of irony and how this satirical approach can be used as a subtle, clever tool in getting across opinions that would otherwise be polarizing.

For example, when Stewart dubbed Mitt Romney the Millionaire Gaffemaker after Romneys notorious 47 percent comment, viewers were more likely to put aside their political views in favor of enjoying Stewarts humor. There will be more mockery of Romneys shortcomings over the course of this election season, but with Stewart at the helm, viewers can rest assured that this teasing is meant to be funny as opposed to downright cruel.

Come Nov. 6, the humorous well of Democratic and Republican comedy will be narrowed to the elected party. However, this does not mean the laughter will come to an end. When the election is over, the
reigning kings and queens of political folly will have the opportunity to focus on the victorious candidate. The jokes will be more tapered and more refined, allowing for a chance to perfect the political humor of these shows. Should viewers still be watching? In the words of Tina Feys impression of Sarah Palin, You betcha.

Click a show for its full episode: Colbert Report, SNL, and Bill O’ Reilly