There are so many late night shows nowadays that it's hard to keep track of them all. The Tonight Show and The Late Show are among the biggest, with hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Tomlinson, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and others bringing levity to the evening in their own unique ways. While legends from the old days like Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett are often considered the best hosts of all time, there's still a lot that can be said about the late night shows airing today. Of them all, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver arguably is and has been the best since its debut in 2014.

Conan O'Brien had his popular TBS show during much of that time, but the following list is only for those still in the late night game. It's impressive that John Oliver has been able to keep his show going for a full decade. It's also pretty alarming, given that he spends most of the program explaining in great detail what is wrong with the world today (though mostly America). As it currently stands, Last Week Tonight has proven to be one of HBO's most consistently popular shows. Its reputation is substantial, having racked up 30 Primetime Emmy Awards (out of 67 nominations), 3 Peabody Awards, 7 Writers Guild of America Awards, 4 Critics' Choice Television Awards, and more. There are many reasons why this show has received so much attention from fans and critics alike, and compiling a list about them is subjective. However, the ten best parts about the show help explain why it is so structurally sound, intellectually stimulating, surprising, culturally significant, and entertaining to watch.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver TV Poster

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Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
News
Comedy
Talk Show
Release Date
April 27, 2014
Network
HBO Max
Showrunner
Tim Carvell
Writers
Tim Carvell

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Seasons
11
Main Genre
News
Story By
Tim Carvell
Streaming Service(s)
MAX

10 No Commercials on HBO

Ensures that the material flows smoothly.

John Oliver sitting at his desk in front of a map of the US that reads Medicaid on Last Week Tonight.
Image via Max

This can be said for everything on HBO, but that doesn't make this any less important: there are no commercials. Whereas all the other networks have to worry about cutting their talk shows to make sure they fit in the time for advertisements when they air, Last Week Tonight has no such dilemma. The episode keeps going until it's finished, making sure all of this infotainment flows as smoothly as possible.

Awkward transitions would make it less compelling to watch, as they are for most programs that need to use them. John Oliver's writing team already has enough on their plate, what with all this research, analysis, and the task of condensing all the information they gather into something that people can enjoy. But having to interrupt an extended essay about the national budget more than once would make it harder for viewers to keep watching. Without the commercials, though, the momentum carries each episode through to the end.

9 Shorter Runtime and Less Frequent Than Other Late Night Shows

This makes each episode feel special.

John Oliver sits at a desk with an overlay image that reads "UFOS" on Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

It almost sounds like an insult when you claim that one show is better than others because there's less of it. In this case, however, that trait is both a necessity and an advantage. It's a necessity because of all the research required in order for the team to feel confident enough to air a half-hour-long op-ed about it—not to mention finding all the clips that support the team's points and make audiences laugh. This takes time. It also makes each episode feel informed enough for the viewer to take something away from it.

Just as importantly, the show is often about half an hour long and only airs a new installment every Sunday. It can be hard to attract viewers every single night of the workweek, especially with all the other late night shows to compete with. The less frequent something is, the cooler it is. This makes Last Week Tonight feel special every time it pops up. It can also feel like a big time commitment to sit through an hour-long show, which makes this show's half-hour to roughly forty-minute format feel much more doable.

8 It Consistently Encourages Viewers To Participate

This fosters a sense of community and responsibility.

John Oliver sits at his desk and looks pensive in Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

Most television shows are content to keep their viewers passive, even the best shows on Max. Not everything can be Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting, after all; but it's always nice when a show can have a more direct relationship with its audience. In the case of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver does more than spew information and jokes at the viewer; he also tends to provide links to websites, hashtags to tweets, or something else that lets the viewer feel like they're participating.

Engaging with a community and doing so in a meaningful way is getting more and more difficult in the modern age. Part of the reason why is television (as well as YouTube, which many fans use to watch this show), but at least Last Week Tonight often comes up with a way for its viewers to do something slightly productive. This definitely helps create loyal fans, as well as the mentality that doing something as small as calling your congressional representative can make a difference when enough people do it.

7 Addresses Various Topics

There is always a new topic or angle.

John Oliver sits at his desk with an image overlay that reads "Dollar Stores" on Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

Want to learn about how complicated and dysfunctional society can be? Then, boy, does John Oliver have a show for you! There are so many different things to be concerned, alarmed, and disillusioned about that new viewers might not know where to begin. Of course, some topics are lighter than others, and not everyone can be equally invested in everything. Scrolling through all the subjects covered, there seems to be one for just about anybody to find interesting.

This includes lots of subjects most people wouldn't otherwise think much about, such as the restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese, stadiums, and deep sea mining. There are also more topical topics (hence the show's title), from elections to the TikTok ban. Oliver has had a few different episodes about several topics, including Facebook and the COVID pandemic, but makes sure to cover these items from different angles to make sure he's not repeating himself. There's always something else to discuss.

6 Makes Dark Information Easier To Swallow

Humor helps more people want to stay informed.

John Oliver hosting Last Week Tonight with a prompt image that reads "Prison."
Image via HBO

As troubling as many of these stories can be, the show has enough levity to keep the tone from getting too dispiriting. Not all the jokes work, but that's the nature of comedy. When it comes to the main chunk of his program, Oliver does best when he doesn't need a punchline. Namely, when he sets the audience up with context for a video or recording of someone doing something so silly or absurd that it makes the audience laugh. It's usually relevant to the overarching subject, too.

There are other ways the show cracks people up, and the overall effect is difficult to pull off: an episode that can make upsetting material about society not feel like a total downer. It's important for a comedy show to be funny, which makes the show's ambition of walking a tightrope between entertainment and information that much more impressive. This also serves as a reminder that humor can help prevent despair.

5 Does Practical Stuff in the Real World

He's more than just talk.

John Oliver talking and sitting at his desk with an image of a jock strap in the corner on Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

John Oliver puts his (and HBO's) money where his mouth is. In the past ten years, the man has written a children's book, bought Russell Crowe's jockstrap (and other memorabilia) from one of the best boxing movies ever made, funded Jelle's Marble Runs when they were looking for sponsors during the pandemic, and much more. An avid viewer will find that the show spends money in many (hilarious) different ways.

They often prove helpful, too. For instance, Oliver sent all the Russell Crowe memorabilia to help one of the last Blockbuster stores attract customers, and Crowe wound up donating the money to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Perhaps the most significant real-world contribution Oliver has made, however, was when he made his own debt-collecting company and forgave over $14 million in medical debt for over 9,000 people.

4 It Doesn’t Rely on Guests

This allows for greater consistency.

John Oliver on a rooftop with a city background looking intensely into the near distance over his shoulder.
Image via HBO

The interview is one of the most fundamental aspects of most late night shows, as well as one of the least consistent. While some guests are good, some are not. This makes the majority of programs with this format largely dependent on guests for at least half of every episode. It also means the host has to be a good interviewer, which can also vary from day to day. On the one hand, this gives that show some degree of unpredictability, and that can be nice. But many interviews will not wind up being very entertaining.

Last Week Tonight didn't have that problem. The show is dedicated to being a deep dive into one or more topics, which means that there is no need to worry about having an entertaining guest. The episode's strength instead depends on the writers (and editors), who are good enough at what they do to keep the viewer engaged. This show has been able to keep its quality pretty consistent for over a decade, and this structural advantage is a major reason why.

3 Very Detailed Infotainment

It's educational while encouraging us to do our own research.

John Oliver with raised eyebrows hosts Last Week Tonight with an image overlay that reads "Student Loans."
Image via HBO

Nowadays, many shows employ a news-format that delivers jokes on trendy subjects with ready-made images displayed right next to them. No offense to the others, but Last Week Tonight is the best at handling this form. Given the premise of the show is to provide a rather dense amount of information with the occasional quip or funny video, Last Week Tonight is easily the most useful for those interested in a certain topic. While Seth Meyers has the occasional segment called "A Closer Look," John Oliver basically takes a closer look in every episode and for the entire runtime.

This doesn't make the information objective, as the show obviously leans left on the political spectrum. But it's also very transparent about that, as Oliver considers himself much more a comedian than a journalist or news anchor. That said, the show cites its sources meticulously and serves as a primer for those who find the topic intriguing enough to look even further into. Think of it as a gateway to a subject (rather than the final say), and you will find it very useful for a television program.

2 Parodies and Concluding Videos

They hilariously summarize the episode.

A Thomas the Tank Engine style train smiling in a parody segment on Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

Sometimes a long speech isn't enough. After a while of talking and showing short clips, Last Week Tonight might end the episode with its own video as a conclusion of sorts. Take its Thomas & Friends parody, "The Sad Tale of Henry the Engine," which conveys how freight trains have become way too long, impractical, infrequently inspected, and filled with substances they shouldn't be carrying. There is also a hilarious video about evil muffins to send up the manipulative tone of NRA television programming.

Then there's the fake video game "March Sadness 2015," which sums up the experience of NCAA basketball players at the time. Sometimes Oliver just makes an informative yet humorous video to make his final point, though, including the video in which various celebrities talk about using protection and how getting your period doesn't make you better at bowling. Some of the show's best moments come from these videos, which are on par with the funniest comedies of all time.

1 "And Now..."

It's funniest part of any episode it appears in.

John Oliver holds a banana to his ear like a phone while sitting at his desk on Last Week Tonight.
Image via HBO

The greatest aspect of any comedy show should be its comedy, and Last Week Tonight is no exception. Though this segment doesn't appear in every episode, it appears regularly enough for fans to hope for with every new installment. This is the "And Now" segment, a short series of real clips from other media that all point to the same phenomenon. Whatever it is, it's always very funny to witness the barrage of proof the show compiles to make its point.

The exact time this occurs is hard to predict, as it shows up in-between an episode's minor subject and a major one. This can be about anything, from "Pat Sajak endured decades of terrible guesses" on Wheel of Fortune to newscasters using the wrong tone for a particular story. This is a rare moment in the episode, as Oliver shows without telling and refreshingly launches into pure fun. These hysterical (and usually politically neutral) insights speak for themselves, as he simply says "Moving on" after the segment is finished. It's comedy gold, and it helps make Oliver one of the best late night hosts of all time.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter

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