Jon Stewart is doing something he's never done before for his new HBO show

When former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart signed a four-year production contract with HBO last fall, the details of the deal were cryptic and simply promised a "short-form digital content" series from Stewart.

Now we know that Stewart's HBO program will be an "animated parody of a cable news network," according to a Variety report.

Casey Bloys, HBO's programming president, said at a Television Critics Association event recently that the project will be "an Onion-like portal" for Stewart to comment on daily news through short segments, featuring "simple animation."

Stewart is also reportedly establishing his own animation studio for the program and will be working in concert with a 3D graphic firm called OTOY, which HBO acquired in April.

In addition to the short animated content, the program will also reportedly feature a "linear-television element" that will likely be around a half-hour in duration, according to Variety. It is unclear whether that segment will be animated as well.

Bloys said Stewart's HBO series will premiere "sometime in September or October."