The Best Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Updated: Jan 24, 2019
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is an American late-night talk and news satire television program. L.W.T draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, media organizations, pop culture and often aspects of the show itself.
#1 - Episode 32
Season 2 - Episode 8
There are very few government checks on what America’s sweeping surveillance programs are capable of doing. John Oliver sits down with Edward Snowden to discuss the NSA, the balance between privacy and security, and dick-pics.
8.66
#2 - Episode 5
Season 1 - Episode 5
John talks about the rise of the far-right political parties in Europe, the Ukrainian election, Afghanistan, Net Neutrality, Australia's hard-line right-wing Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
8.53
#3 - Episode 26
Season 2 - Episode 2
Thanks to tobacco industry regulations and marketing restrictions in the US, smoking rates have dropped dramatically. John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are keeping their business strong overseas. We've noticed that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue still exists but can’t quite figure out why.
8.48
#4 - Episode 18
Season 1 - Episode 18
The Miss America Pageant… how is this still a thing? They claim to give more scholarships to women than any other organization, and, unfortunately, they’re right. To illustrate these problems, John Oliver stages his own pageant with the help of Kathy Griffin.
8.48
#5 - Episode 6
Season 1 - Episode 6
John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
8.44
#6 - Episode 20
Season 1 - Episode 20
Did you know police can just take your stuff if they suspect it's involved in a crime? They can! It’s a shady process called “civil asset forfeiture,” and it would make for a weird episode of Law and Order.
8.44
#7 - Episode 21
Season 1 - Episode 21
Translators who have aided the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and Iraq are in great danger in their home countries, but red tape is making it impossible for many of them to leave. John Oliver interviews Mohammad, one translator who made it out. Cameras aren’t allowed in the Supreme Court, so most coverage of our most important cases looks like garbage. We fixed that problem with real animals and fake paws.
8.43
#8 - Episode 24
Season 1 - Episode 24
The Lottery: State lotteries claim to be good for education and the general wellbeing of citizens. But are they? (Spoiler alert: No.) Salmon Canon: There is a cannon that shoots salmon over dams. It’s awesome. Check it out.
8.43
#9 - Episode 16
Season 1 - Episode 16
John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.
8.42
#10 - Episode 7
Season 1 - Episode 7
John talks about US Immigration and interviews Professor Stephen Hawking.
8.42
#11 - Episode 62
Season 3 - Episode 3
Our main story was about Donald Trump. We can't believe we're saying that either.
8.42
#12 - Episode 90
Season 4 - Episode 1
Donald Trump spreads a lot of false information thanks to his daily consumption of morning cable news. If only we could sneak some facts into the president’s media diet.
8.40
#13 - Episode 17
Season 1 - Episode 17
John talks about the NFL's decision on Ray Rice's contract, the international response to ISIS, Scotland's separation from the United Kingdom and Twitter hashtags that are being misused by corporations.
8.39
#14 - Episode 41
Season 2 - Episode 17
The US Senate Torture Report revealed horrifying details of America's interrogation program. Helen Mirren will fill you in.
8.38
#15 - Episode 49
Season 2 - Episode 25
U.S. tax law allows television preachers to get away with almost anything. We know this from personal experience.
8.37
#16 - Episode 15
Season 1 - Episode 15
John talks about the conflict in Ferguson, MO and the wage gap between the genders.
8.36
#17 - Episode 12
Season 1 - Episode 12
John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.
8.36
#18 - Episode 48
Season 2 - Episode 24
Sex education varies widely between school districts, leaving many teens without comprehensive information. We made a video that covers what some schools are too embarrassed to teach.
8.35
#19 - Episode 8
Season 1 - Episode 8
John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".
8.35
#20 - Episode 89
Season 3 - Episode 30
Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. How did we get to this point? And what do we do now?
8.29
#21 - Episode 10
Season 1 - Episode 10
John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.
8.27
#22 - Episode 3
Season 1 - Episode 3
John talks about Eurovision, Ukraine and Russia's relations and interviews Bill Nye about Climate Change.
8.26
#23 - Episode 11
Season 1 - Episode 11
John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.
8.25
#24 - Episode 73
Season 3 - Episode 14
John Oliver Takes On Debt Buyers: Companies that purchase debt on the cheap will aggressively collect on it. 'Last Week Tonight’ took a hands-on approach to addressing this issue.
8.25
#25 - Episode 9
Season 1 - Episode 9
John hosts an interview with Ugandan LGBT activist Pepe Julian Onziema.
8.25