John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ Will Fight the Good Fight Through 2020
It’s going to be a long road to 2020, so we’ll need an indignant, British voice of reason on Sunday nights. HBO is happy to oblige, extending John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight for an additional three seasons. Break out the Bud Light Lime!
Per HBO’s official confirmation, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver has been granted an additional ninety episodes through 2020, or three seasons of thirty episodes each. The series is currently airing in its fourth season on Sunday nights, most recently exploring the Trump administration pardon of notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Said HBO boss Casey Bloys:
We are thrilled to have John Oliver as an integral part of the HBO family and to continue to share his comedic brilliance with the world. His extraordinary genius for rich and intelligent commentary is second to none.
Added Oliver (which needed Bloys’ preamble for full effect):
First: I firmly disagree with everything Casey just said. Second: We’re very grateful to Richard Plepler, Casey and everyone at HBO for letting us continue to do whatever it is we actually do. And finally: We’d also like to thank our staff for all their hard work. We’re incredibly proud of all of you, and rather than tell you that to your face, we’d like to do it in the cold, dispassionate form of a press release.
The series won Outstanding Interactive Program at the 2015 Emmys, along with 2016 wins for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming. This coming Sunday, Last Week Tonight is up for eight Emmys, including Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, having already won two Creative Arts Emmys.
Last Week Tonight will take off this coming Sunday for said Emmy Awards, but will otherwise resume Season 4 in the coming weeks.