John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, has abandoned his followers in their hour of greatest need.
Is that statement harsh? Maybe. But it’s far from inaccurate.
Oliver’s fans, the vast majority being staunch never-Trumpers, have to find someone else to cover the president-elect’s transition to power — but try as they might, Oliver’s supporters will be hard-pressed to find anyone who can take over where he left off. That’s because Last Week Tonight signed off for the remainder of 2016, leaving the progressive left without its voice of humorous reason.
Naturally, Oliver devotees will be looking for some other way to fill their time 11 p.m. this Sunday.
They have to look for someone who can cover these next few months and make them laugh while they try to forget about their fear; more importantly, they need someone who combines humor and wit with research and depth. Someone who structures their segments as calculated rhetoric, rooted in logic. Someone who creates an engaging multi-media experience for the viewers, without short-changing the show’s content.
Though it may be hard to admit, there is no white knight coming to save them, as Oliver’s program is a truly one-of-a-kind project.
So why do so many Americans care what this goofy British man has to say?
First of all, he has the Jon Stewart stamp of approval, perhaps the greatest endorsement a late-night news show can receive.
Additionally, his show is very unique compared to other late-night shows. His is a weekly show, so he can choose the best stories to cover and not have to worry about finding a humorous take on the news every night. It’s always better to leave your fans wanting more.
Oliver often opens his shows with quick-hitting news stories, but then transitions to a long-form story, often 20-30 minutes.
These stories make up the greatness that is John Oliver. His well-researched, in-depth segments almost always leave the viewer wildly more informed on a topic they didn’t even know much about to begin with, like multi-level marketing or special districts.
Sometimes, however, he tackles topics that are incredibly well-known. The best example of this is without a doubt his coverage of President-elect Donald Trump, which exemplifies his greatest attribute.
Oliver, at the end of the day, is a comedian, but he has established himself as an activist. Perhaps it is only in the most minimal sense, as he is not exactly organizing marches from behind his desk, but he gives his viewers a call to action that has a clear-cut goal to be accomplished.
Sometimes it’s something silly, such as starting the “Make Donald Drumpf Again” hashtag or raising awareness of NSA surveillance by suggesting the organization might be monitoring sexts.
Oftentimes, it is not, and Oliver wants to inspire social and political change. He has called on people to donate to advocacy groups in the wake of Trump winning the election, purchase newspaper subscriptions to support local newspapers and call local representatives to advocate the repeal the Dickey Amendment, which prevents gun control research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While we can debate how effective this is, nobody can say Oliver isn’t maximizing the use of his platform.
By the time Oliver returns in mid-February, Trump will be inaugurated. Oliver’s following will have to adjust to living without his weekly takes on the news and his pleas for advocacy on contemporary issues for the next few weeks, but one thing they can look forward to is Oliver’s takes on perhaps our nation’s most wildcard president ever.
