Seasons & episodes
S1 · E8Dr. Oz 2014-06-22 · 30 min
John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".
S1 · E9Burwell v. Hobby Lobby 2014-06-29 · 30 min
John Oliver sheds light on recent Supreme Court cases and discusses gay rights in Uganda with activist Pepe Julian Onziema.
S1 · E10Income and Wealth Inequality 2014-07-13 · 30 min
John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.
S1 · E11Incarceration in the United States 2014-07-20 · 30 min
John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.
S1 · E12Nuclear Weapons and the United States 2014-07-27 · 30 min
John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.
S1 · E13Native Advertising 2014-08-03 · 30 min
John talks about Uganda's anti-gay laws, the CIA's recent report on their use of torture, the New York Port Authority, Argentina's default on debt and native advertising.
S1 · E14Payday Loans 2014-08-10 · 30 min
John talks about the return of US military actions in Iraq, replacing all passwords due to a global security breach and the terrible practices of the Payday Loan industry.
S1 · E15Shooting of Michael Brown and Police Militarization 2014-08-17 · 30 min
Focuses on the shooting of Michael Brown and police militarization in Ferguson, MO. John also discusses the topic of equal pay for equal work.
S1 · E16Student Debt 2014-09-07 · 30 min
John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.
S1 · E17Scottish Independence Referendum 2014-09-14 · 30 min
John talks about the NFL's decision on Ray Rice's contract, the international response to ISIS, Scotland's separation from the United Kingdom and Twitter hashtags that are being misused by corporations.
S1 · E18United States Embargo Against Cuba, Miss America 2015 2014-09-21 · 30 min
John covers the results of the Scottish referendum that took place the week before and explains why the policy of United States having embargo against Cuba doesn't make sense . The main story focuses on the Miss America pageant and their scholarships to women. John explains how outdated and absurd the requirements for the contestants are and to illustrate these problems, stages his own pageant with the help of a guest star - Kathy Griffin.
S1 · E19Drones 2014-09-28 · 30 min
John discusses U.S. military drones and the Kansas state budget shortfall. Also, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minster of India visited New York and did some classic New York things.
S1 · E20Civil Forfeiture 2014-10-05 · 30 min
Main story: how desperate the American law enforcement is to make money out of everyone by using the process called the "civil asset forfeiture," and how it would make for a weird episode of "Law and Order." Plus, John wants to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and how is Columbus Day still a thing.
S1 · E21Military Translators 2014-10-19 · 30 min
Translators who have aided the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and Iraq are in great danger in their home countries, but red tape is making it impossible for many of them to leave. John Oliver interviews FNU Mohammad, one translator who made it out. Plus, since cameras aren’t allowed in the Supreme Court discussions, most coverage of the important cases looks like garbage. John fixes that problem with real animals and fake paws.
S1 · E22Sugar 2014-10-26 · 30 min
John Oliver talks about a Russian submarine in Sweden, ebola in New York, added sugar in food, Rob Ford's brother and interviews Jane Goodall.
S1 · E23State Legislatures and ALEC 2014-11-02 · 30 min
While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!
S1 · E24The Lottery 2014-11-09 · 30 min
The Lottery: State lotteries claim to be good for education and the general wellbeing of citizens. But are they? (Spoiler alert: No.) Also, there is a cannon that shoots salmon over dams. It’s awesome. Check it out.
S2 · E1Marketing to Doctors 2015-02-08 · 30 min
John Oliver discusses the growing issues of pharmaceutical companies marketing directly to and through doctors. Also, since RadioShack has filed for bankruptcy, John has created a farewell message for them. Plus, the online sessions by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to address the public aren't going too well.
S2 · E2Tobacco 2015-02-15 · 30 min
Thanks to tobacco industry regulations and marketing restrictions in the U.S., smoking rates have dropped dramatically. John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are keeping their business strong overseas and how Phillip Morris International in particular is employing some unethical legal practices while suing some of the world's poorest countries. Plus, we've noticed that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue still exists but can’t quite figure out why.
S2 · E3Elected Judges 2015-02-22 · 30 min
The vast majority of US judges are elected, forcing many judges to pander to the electorate and accept campaign money in order to keep their jobs. This seems slightly troubling... The UK's Labour Party has painted a campaign van pink in an attempt to attract women voters. We are glad they didn't keep going with that strategy.
S2 · E4Infrastructure 2015-03-01 · 30 min
America's crumbling infrastructure: It's not a sexy problem, but it is a scary one.
S2 · E5U.S. Territories 2015-03-08 · 30 min
A set of Supreme Court decisions made over 100 years ago has left U.S. territories without meaningful representation. That’s weird, right? Plus, daylight saving time doesn’t actually benefit anyone. Strangely, it’s still a thing!
S2 · E6The NCAA 2015-03-15 · 30 min
The NCAA doesn’t pay athletes because they consider them amateurs. The NCAA considers them amateurs because they don’t get paid.
S2 · E7Municipal Violations 2015-03-22 · 30 min
If you have money, committing a municipal violation may pose you a minor inconvenience. If you don’t, it can ruin your life. Also, the New Hampshire legislature refused to make the red-tailed hawk the official raptor of their state... so Last Week Tonight made it the official raptor of the show.