Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: The three best segments of 2017

Sunday marks the final edition of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver for the calendar year, and that makes us almost as sad as some of the subject matters the host covers on a weekly basis. How can we find so much joy in a show that tackles such depressing subjects? This is the central Last Week Tonight paradox — it should make you miserable, and instead it makes you laugh and you keep watching.

Before the season finale airs, we thought it useful to go back and look at some of the best, most informative, and most hilarious segments of the entire year. Note that CarterMatt is referring mostly here to the “main stories” featured on the show rather than some of the opening segments — those do all tend to blend together, especially since so many of them have been centered around the Trump Administration as of late.

Honorable Mention – Brexit II. Regardless of how you feel about joke candidates making a mockery out of the campaign process, Oliver delivered a fantastic segment detailing some of the ridiculous machinations of not only the way in which British elections are conducted, but also the many failures that exist within the current Brexit plans.

3. Putin – You may know Putin, but do you really know Putin? This was one of the most informative segments out there on the Russian leader, his wealth, and the way in which he runs the country. While there was plenty of conversation to be had here about Russia’s meddling in the US election, we appreciate Oliver distancing the segment from that and turning it toward the man himself.

2. Sinclair Broadcast Group – In the era of fake news and politically-slanted television, this is the one story that everyone should be talking about and very few people are. Oliver articulated a fantastic argument about the dangers of a media conglomerate buying up a series of local television outlets and then using them to force-deliver slanted content over what are meant to be unbiased airwaves. It’s not the flashiest segment, but it’s a must-watch.

1. Coal – This remains the only segment in the history of Last Week Tonight to get the show and Oliver sued — which is all the more hilarious because halfway through the segment Oliver predicted that it was going to happen. His commentary on Bob Murray, the entire coal industry, and many false promises by Donald Trump proved to be incredibly informative and entertaining — also, it’s very hard to top a guy in a squirrel costume saying “eat s–t Bob” on national television. (This is, seemingly, one of the things that upset Murray the most in his lawsuit.)

What are some of your favorite Last Week Tonight segments from this calendar year? Let us know in the comments!

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