Last Week Tonight Renewed for Three More Seasons

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is far from over. On Tuesday, it was announced that the long-running HBO series has been renewed for three more seasons, taking the show through 2026. This will bring Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to at least thirteen seasons, after the show first debuted in 2014. The show is currently in the middle of its tenth season, after going on hiatus for several months due to the Writers Guild of America strike earlier this year.

"We're very happy to get to keep making this show with our fantastic staff," said John Oliver. "We will continue trying to stretch the term 'entertainment' to the breaking point."

"Over the past decade, John and his exceptional team have combined deep research and intelligence with cutting humor to tackle a broad range of subjects, both widely discussed and unconventional." said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content. "With an important election year on the horizon, we look forward to seeing what John has in store for audiences over the next three years."

What is Last Week Tonight with John Oliver About?

A satirical, insightful, and meticulously researched look at current events in the U.S. and around the globe, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver features Oliver's hilarious, expertly honed perspective on today's pressing political, social, and cultural issues, as well as lesser-reported topics that both inform and entertain. Shot in New York, the series features the show's weekly topical insights, signature deep dives, and distinctive comedy pieces.

Why Does John Oliver Mention Adam Driver?

One recurring joke on recent seasons of Last Week Tonight has been Oliver's onscreen infatuation with actor Adam Driver, culminating with the actor appearing on the show to chastise him. In a 2022 interview with Collider, Oliver dove into the origins of that joke, and revealed that the intention wasn't initially to make it a recurring format.

"No, that was a one-off joke," Oliver explained. "That was one of the final shows that we actually had in the studio before the pandemic kicked in. I just liked it because it was a really funny joke. The audience seemed to like it a little bit and be very uncomfortable as well. And it was the perfect synthesis of those two reactions. So then we did it again and then again and it felt like a really fun joke format. Then we were about to stop because it felt like, well, unless this joke is heading somewhere to your point, it probably should end."

"That was when we reached out to Adam Driver to say, 'Hey, I don't know if you know we are doing this joke, if you would like to come on at the end of the year I will keep going and we'll set it up. If not, we will stop,'" Oliver continued. "Because we did not want to get into that situation, exactly like you say, where you are building to a payoff, and you can't stick the landing. So once we knew he was going to come at the end of the year, at that point, and this is five jokes in, at that point we realized, oh, we are continuing this at the end of the year then. But you can confidently accelerate knowing that the payoff is going to be beautiful."

What do you think of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver getting renewed for three new seasons? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!