The BEST episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver season 1

Every episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver season 1!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is an American late-night talk and news satire television program. LWT draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, media organizations, pop culture, and often aspects of the show itself.

Last Updated: 7/3/2025Network: HBOStatus: Continuing
Episode 20
star
8.41
631 votes

#1 - Episode 20

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 10/5/2014

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 21
star
8.31
609 votes

#2 - Episode 21

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 10/19/2014

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.

Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 6
star
8.29
596 votes

#3 - Episode 6

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/8/2014

John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Directors: Joe Perota
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 8
star
8.29
520 votes

#4 - Episode 8

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/22/2014

John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".

Directors: Joe Perota
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
8.16
648 votes

#5 - Episode 3

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/11/2014

John talks about Eurovision, Ukraine and Russia's relations and interviews Bill Nye about Climate Change.

Directors: Joe Perota
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 12
star
8.14
579 votes

#6 - Episode 12

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 7/27/2014

John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 18
star
8.10
568 votes

#7 - Episode 18

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/21/2014

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.

Episode 5
star
8.06
493 votes

#8 - Episode 5

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/1/2014

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.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 7
star
8.02
546 votes

#9 - Episode 7

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/15/2014

John talks about US Immigration and interviews Professor Stephen Hawking.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 2
star
8.01
647 votes

#10 - Episode 2

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/4/2014

John talks about the recent issues of the death penalty, François Hollande and the rising issues happening in Brunei.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 15
star
8.00
459 votes

#11 - Episode 15

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/17/2014

John talks about the conflict in Ferguson, MO and the wage gap between the genders.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 9
star
8.00
553 votes

#12 - Episode 9

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/29/2014

John hosts an interview with Ugandan LGBT activist Pepe Julian Onziema.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 4
star
8.00
460 votes

#13 - Episode 4

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/18/2014

John talks about the product recall going on at General Motors, the EU Court of Justice "Right to be Forgotten" ruling and updates us on how the Indian election is going with help from Fareed Zakaria.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 11
star
7.98
619 votes

#14 - Episode 11

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/20/2014

John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 13
star
7.97
451 votes

#15 - Episode 13

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/3/2014

John talks about Uganda's anti-gay laws, the CIA's recent report on their use of torture, the New York Port Authority, Argentina's default on debt and native advertising.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 22
star
7.95
602 votes

#16 - Episode 22

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 10/26/2014

John Oliver talks about a Russian submarine in Sweden, Ebola in New York, added sugar in food, Rob Ford's brother, and interviews Jane Goodall.

Episode 17
star
7.94
572 votes

#17 - Episode 17

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 9/14/2014

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.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 14
star
7.94
486 votes

#18 - Episode 14

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/10/2014

John talks about the return of US military actions in Iraq, replacing all passwords due to a global security breach and an exploration of the Payday Loan industry.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 1
star
7.94
858 votes

#19 - Episode 1

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/2014

John talks about the Indian election, Pom Wonderful and talks with the former NSA Director General Keith Alexander.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 16
star
7.92
614 votes

#20 - Episode 16

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 9/7/2014

John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 24
star
7.90
607 votes

#21 - Episode 24

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 11/9/2014

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.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 10
star
7.89
668 votes

#22 - Episode 10

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/13/2014

John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.

Directors: Joe Perota
Episode 19
star
7.83
630 votes

#23 - Episode 19

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/28/2014

The United States has launched a huge number of drone strikes under President Obama. It’s widely accepted and extremely terrifying. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minster of India visited New York and did some classic New York things. Also, some weird, inexplicable things.

Episode 23
star
7.74
626 votes

#24 - Episode 23

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 11/2/2014

While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!

Directors: Joe Perota