Last Week Tonight With John Oliver is the only weekly news-oriented comedy series to be presented on Sunday night. Taped in New York a few hours before it debuts on HBO, each edition of the show features a mix of Oliver’s topical commentary on the previous week’s events, pre-taped pieces and an interview.
According to a recent GQ article, Oliver excels at making “blackhearted satirical cracks, whistling through the studio air like ninja stars,” while TIME magazine has written that Oliver reports the news “with all of the bemused incredulousness it deserves.” The Washington Post observed that “the Oliver twist on the news…could vault ‘Last Week’ to the top of the crowded ranks of TV shows making merry at the expense of the news and the news media.”
An Emmy- and Writer’s Guild Award-winning writer, John Oliver was previously a correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” joining the show in 2006. He first came to prominence as a cutting-edge political stand-up performer in the UK with a string of TV appearances and sold-out solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival. Oliver won the Breakout Award at the Aspen Comedy Festival in 2007 and went on to write and star in the Comedy Central stand-up special “John Oliver: Terrifying Times,” followed by the series “John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show,” which he has hosted for four seasons. With longtime collaborator Andy Zaltzman, Oliver co-writes and co-presents the popular weekly satirical podcast The Bugle, which currently receives more than 500,000 downloads a month. He also has a recurring role on the comedy series “Community.”
Oliver’s tenure as guest host on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in summer 2013 prompted critical raves. The New York Times called him “clever and winning,” while TV Guide proclaimed, “John Oliver shines.” The Los Angeles Times described him as “instantly memorable,” and said, “John Oliver has proven himself funny in many venues.”
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver is produced for HBO by Avalon Television; executive producers, John Oliver, Tim Carvell, James Taylor and Jon Thoday; produced by Liz Stanton.
For more information on the show, check out the official Last Week Tonight With John Oliver website.