BWW My Two Cents: Has LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER Become the Most Important News Show on Television?

I remember listening to John Oliver on The Nerdist Podcast back in 2011. Chris Hardwick asked him if for some reason any of the major news networks approached him about a job, if he would be interested in working for a serious news organization. John Oliver laughed and said he would not as he was not a journalist. My, what a difference three years can make.

In the summer of 2013, Jon Stewart took a hiatus from THE DAILY SHOW to go direct his first feature film (Rosewater opens this Friday November 14th). Everyone was more than a little concerned that he would have a guest host for those three months. Once Oliver got the job, the pressure was certainly on, but Oliver made quite a name for himself if for no other reason than his "Danger Dance" in tribute to Carlos Danger aka Anthony Weiner. With such a successful run, a few months later he left THE DAILY SHOW and in April of 2014, his own show LAST WEEK TONIGHT premiered on HBO.

When it first premiered, it was expected to basically be a copycat of THE DAILY SHOW, but it quickly and quite impressively found its own voice. One of Oliver's first stories was an investigation (and rant) against net neutrality in which he fully encouraged his viewers to troll the FCC website with their questions. The FCC website subsequently crashed. They couldn't find a direct link that it was Oliver's "dare" to his viewers that led to this, but we all know the truth. If you dare the general public to internet troll the crap out of the FCC, oh it's going to crash! He also instantly realized how far his voice was reaching when he commented about former cable lobbyist, Tom Wheeler, being hired as the FCC Chair. "That is the equivalent of needing a babysitter and hiring a Dingo." In a press conference, a reporter asked Wheeler about the report and Wheller commented, "Well, I am not a Dingo."

If you'd like to witness the power of his reach, just keep an eye on Twitter's trending topics after the show airs on Sundays. Maybe you saw the hashtag #gogetthosegeckos in which Oliver took on the cause of Russia losing geckos in space or when he had 1990's sensation Right Said Fred reunite on his show to sing about the horrors of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Or my personal favorite, when he shamed Dr. Oz for pandering and not doing it right. And to illustrate it just how to do it correctly, he brought out a puppy, George R.R. Martin and a tap-dancing Steve Buscemi. Yes, that happened. One of his most popular segments is "How is This Still a Thing?" A brilliant take on exactly what it sounds like covering such topics as Columbus Day, Media Racists, Dressing Up as another race and my personal favorite:

Going from the absurd to the complete opposite, he takes some time out to bring awareness and try and do some good. Check out the link below and read the story of Mohammad Usafi. Mr. Oliver can report the story, but he can also put a face on it and make it human to all the viewers.

https://www.change.org/p/department-of-homeland-security-save-my-family-s-lives

John Oliver, whether it be on THE DAILY SHOW or as his recurring character, Professor Ian Duncan on COMMUNITY has always been a funny guy, there's no doubt about that. But he has become a sincere force to be reckoned with in the world of modern journalism. He is discussing topics that no one is touching and bringing attention to them worldwide. He has become important and his show has turned into must see television. Yes, there is snark and humor, but that is only on the surface as he shows us clearly that there are some stories that are so upsetting and so unbelievable that if we don't laugh, we will not be able to withstand it.

If you would like a comedy show that finds humor in the news, THE DAILY SHOW or COLBERT (for the time being) are still your best bets. But if you'd like in depth, investigative journalism with some sarcasm and humor, LAST WEEK TONIGHT is the place to be. I mean, he had Steve Buscemi tap dancing. What more could you possibly want?

LAST WEEK TONIGHT airs Sunday nights on HBO at 11:00pm.

Follow me on Twitter @eponineq and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.

Photo Credit: HBO

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