Late night talk shows have been a staple of American television for more than 50 years. Perhaps it is the celebrities and other high profile guests that attract audiences, perhaps it is the itch to know what is going on beyond our own lives. Either way, viewers routinely turn up in droves for these late night shows. By now, you all know the iconic names like Sullivan and Carson. There's the old guard - Leno and Letterman - that only just recently relinquished their grip on the coveted territory. Then we have a new wave of entertainers in Stewart, Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Corden, Meyers, etc. that are trying to make a name for themselves in similar fashion.
But what about John Oliver? When we discuss who in Late Night excites us these days, Oliver's name rarely seems to come up despite his hilarity and dry witticism. Yet Oliver quietly had one of the best 2015s of any entertainer in the business.
"Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"
Following a six-week stint in 2013 in which Oliver filled in for Jon Stewart as the host of "The Daily Show," audiences first began to familiarize themselves with this slightly nerdy looking and excitable British man. What everyone soon learned was that Oliver had an engaging style all his own. He could at once be a silly caricature with idiotic tendencies and also a sharp maestro, excellently directing the flow of a segment with a nimble touch. He combined Colbert's obliviousness with Stewart's pointed intelligence. HBO took notice and gave him his own weekly talk show.
"Last Week Tonight's" inaugural season averaged roughly 4.1 million weekly viewers and brought a worldlier point of view to the proceedings. Season two built on that success, scoring the young series its top rated episode (S2E10) ever while landing rare guests such as Edward Snowden. Forget pushing the envelope, Oliver is ripping open the package and spilling its contents out in the spotlight for everyone to see.
This past November, Oliver tackled the spotty programs tasked with the rehabilitation of criminals and their reintroduction into society. He also took down municipal violations and tied it into the Ferguson saga. In each episode, viewers are learning something new about a prevalent issue as Oliver consistently manages to present a fresh angle on a played out story (or bring attention to a deserving "non-story").
With more room to operate in the larger time slots and less stringent requirements at HBO, Oliver is redefining our expectations for a Late Night host. He proved himself more than capable of spearheading this change in 2015, but can he keep it going in 2016?
