Is Last Week Tonight with John Oliver new tonight on HBO, 1/29?
Well, here’s where we come with the bad news: The hit show is still not on the air, at least not for the time being. We are very much getting close to the February 19 return, and hopefully, there will be some more fun stuff to discuss on that subject over the next couple of weeks.
So why isn’t Last Week Tonight coming back sooner? Some of it really just has to do with logistics and competition in other places. This week, for example, is conference championship games in the NFL. Next week, meanwhile, is the Grammys. The week after that you’ve got the Super Bowl. None of these are great times to start off a new season, since any of them could end up overshadowing anything that Oliver brings to the table. We recognize that this is not a show predicated on live viewing, but you do still want to generate headlines and it’s not an altogether easy thing to do when you are up against some of the aforementioned competition.
The craziest thing to think about right now is that on paper, there are about ten or fifteen obvious stories that Oliver could lead off with when the new season premieres. However, there’s a good chance that he steers clear of all of them! There are likely going to be so many other big stories that happen over the next few weeks, and all of those could end up being the focus more so than something that happened in mid or late January.
Ultimately, all we know is that the late-night TV landscape is a little less fun when Oliver is not around, and we are very much looking forward to that changing.
Related – Check out the official premiere date announcement for the new season
What do you most want to see when Last Week Tonight with John Oliver returns to HBO?
Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, be sure to come back for other updates. (Photo: HBO.)