Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (often abridged as Last Week Tonight) is an American late-night talk and satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver.[4][5] The half-hour-long show premiered in the end of April 2014 on HBO and currently premieres simulanteously on the network and Max.[6] Last Week Tonight shares some similarities with Comedy Central's The Daily Show (where Oliver was previously featured as a correspondent and fill-in host), as the show takes a satirical look at news, politics and current events, but on a weekly basis.[4][7]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Week Tonight
- Joe Perota
- Christopher Werner
- Jim Hoskinson
- Paul Pennolino
- Bruce Leddy
John Oliver
"Go" by Valley Lodge[1][2]
United States
English
11
299 (list of episodes)
- John Oliver
- Tim Carvell
- Liz Stanton
- James Taylor
- Jon Thoday
CBS Broadcast Center
New York, New York
30–45 minutes[3]
- HBO Entertainment
- Avalon Television
- Partially Important Productions
- Sixteen String Jack Productions
- Borchard Entertainment (2024–present)
April 27, 2014 –
present
Oliver's initial contract with HBO was for two years with an option for extension.[8] In September 2020, HBO announced that the show had been renewed for three additional seasons of 30 episodes each, keeping the show on the air through 2023.[9] The show's tenth season was impacted by the Writers Guild of America strike, with no shows airing from May through September, reducing the number of episodes for the season from the typical 30 down to 21.[10] On December 5, 2023, HBO announced that the show had been renewed for three additional seasons, keeping the show on the air through 2026.[11] The show's eleventh season premiered on February 18, 2024.[12]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
Oliver's debut show garnered 1.11 million viewers. The number of viewers online, through websites such as YouTube showing extended clips of different segments, have steadily climbed into multiple millions. The show's YouTube channel also features Web Exclusives which are occasionally posted when the main show is taking a week off. Across the TV airings, DVR, on-demand and HBO Go, Last Week Tonight averaged 4.1 million weekly viewers in its first season.[53]
Critical response[edit]
Last Week Tonight has received widespread critical acclaim. Matthew Jacobs of The Huffington Post named Oliver's program as 2014's best television show, writing "the year's most surprising contribution to television is a show that bucked conventional formats, left us buzzing and paved the way for a burgeoning dynasty. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is 2014's crowning achievement."[54]
Hank Stuever of The Washington Post compared Oliver's program with The Daily Show several times in his review of Oliver's debut: