Seasons & episodes
S8 · E15Episode 224: Prison Heat 2021-06-13 · 30 min
John Oliver explains how the failure to air-condition prisons can cause both physical and mental health issues for incarcerated people, and why the solution is simpler than you might think. Plus, some truly unique local car dealership ads.
S8 · E16Episode 225: PACE 2021-06-20 · 30 min
John Oliver explains how PACE, a program meant to pay for environmentally-friendly home renovations, is fundamentally flawed and can put people at risk of losing their homes. Plus, why hosting summer Olympics in Tokyo this year is a bad idea and why dog shows are weird.
S8 · E17Episode 226: Health Care Sharing Ministries 2021-06-27 · 32 min
Health Care Sharing Ministries, or HCSMs, advertise themselves as a more affordable, faith-based alternative to health insurance. But John Oliver explains some of the massive limitations these plans can have.
S8 · E18Episode 227: Housing Discrimination 2021-07-25 · 39 min
John Oliver breaks down the long history of housing discrimination in the U.S., the damage it's done, and, crucially, what we can do about it.
S8 · E19Episode 228: Emergency Medical Services 2021-08-01 · 31 min
John Oliver explains how emergency medical services function in the U.S., why they can be so expensive, and what we can do to fix things.
S8 · E20Episode 229: Opioids III – The Sacklers 2021-08-08 · 32 min
John Oliver explains how the Sackler family has been handling lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, how hard they've been fighting to defend their name, and why you should judge the situation for yourself.
S8 · E21Episode 230: Ransomware 2021-08-15 · 32 min
John Oliver discusses ransomware attacks, why they’re on the rise, and what can be done about them.
S8 · E22August 22, 2021: Afghanistan 2021-08-22 · 32 min
John Oliver discusses the end of America's war with Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis being left behind.
S8 · E23September 12, 2021: Lukashenko 2021-09-12 · 28 min
John Oliver discusses the longtime leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and the many reasons his country's citizens have not to like him.
S8 · E24September 26, 2021: Voting Rights 2021-09-26 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses the current attacks on voting rights, who's behind them, and what we can do about it. Plus, John enters several paintings in the annual Duck Stamp contest.
S8 · E25October 3, 2021: PFAS 2021-10-03 · 28 min
John Oliver discusses PFAS - a class of chemicals linked to an array of health issues - and why their widespread use isn't as magical as it may seem.
S8 · E26Episode 235 2021-10-10 · 29 min
John Oliver discusses how misinformation spreads among immigrant diaspora communities, how little some platforms have done to stop it, and, most importantly, how to have a very good morning.
S8 · E27Episode 236 2021-10-24 · 31 min
John Oliver discusses Taiwan's history of being governed by other countries, its fraught present-day relationship with China, and what its citizens would want their future to look like.
S8 · E28Episode 237 2021-10-31 · 31 min
With homelessness increasing nationwide, John Oliver takes a look at the way we discuss the unhoused, what policy failures are making the problem worse, and how we can help.
S8 · E29Episode 238 2021-11-07 · 29 min
John Oliver discusses the current state of the nation's power grid, why it needs fixing, and, of course, how fun the balloons are.
S8 · E30Episode 239 2021-11-14 · 39 min
John Oliver discusses the mechanics of union busting, why the companies who do it face so few consequences, and what it really means when your manager wants to talk to you about "your attendance."
S9 · E1February 20, 2022: Critical Race Theory 2022-02-20 · 35 min
John Oliver explains what critical race theory is, what it isn't, and why we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months. Plus, the Canadian trucker protests.
S9 · E2February 27, 2022: Sex Work 2022-02-27 · 40 min
As long as sex work has existed, so have efforts to end it. John Oliver explains why criminalizing the trade hasn’t helped the most vulnerable people involved, and why we should start listening to those at the center of the conversation: sex workers. Plus, Russian invasion into Ukraine, that has placed the whole world at the brink of WW3.
S9 · E3March 6, 2022: Wrongful Convictions 2022-03-06 · 29 min
John Oliver talks about the current practices of overturning wrongful convictions and how it is quite unsupportive of even apparently innocent people. He advocates for urgent reforms in the flawed system which is clearly not working in favor of the innocents. Plus, the heroic resistance of Ukrainians against the invasion of Russia.
S9 · E4March 13, 2022: Tickets 2022-03-13 · 30 min
John Oliver explains why concert tickets are so expensive, who’s making money off of them, and which One Direction is his favorite. Plus, the introduction of some appalling anti-LGBT laws in several states.
S9 · E5March 27, 2022: Harm Reduction 2022-03-27 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses why overdoses in the U.S. have been on the rise and what we should, and shouldn't, be doing to prevent them. Plus, a rather odd yearly tradition in Nenana, Alaska.
S9 · E6April 3, 2022: Trucks 2022-04-03 · 35 min
John Oliver explains how truck drivers get paid, how they often don’t, and how companies exploit them to increase profits. Plus, Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn's tales of GOP orgies and drug use has him in trouble with his own party.
S9 · E7April 10, 2022: Data Brokers 2022-04-10 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses how much data brokers know about us, what they’re doing with our personal information, and one unusual way to change privacy laws. Plus, Russian State TV lies about the Ukraine war; DirecTV drops OAN; John says goodbye to AT&T.
S9 · E8April 17, 2022: Police Interrogations 2022-04-17 · 35 min
John Oliver discusses the tactics that can make police interrogations so damaging, particularly to the innocent. Plus, a look at Dr. Oz's campaign for U.S. Senate.