I absolutely loved John Oliver has the host of “The Daily Show” and was legitimately disappointed when he left. (No offense Jon Stuart, I like you, just more of a friend, ya know?) Thankfully, the British comedian is getting his own topical series on HBO. The network announced the deal last week and confirmed that the weekly show will debut in 2014 on Sunday nights.
HBO Programming President, Michael Lombardo, said,
“We weren’t otherwise searching for another weekly talk show, but when we saw John Oliver handling host duties on The Daily Show, we knew that his singular perspective and distinct voice belonged on HBO.We are extremely excited that John has agreed to make HBO his home.”
Oliver commented on his new show saying,
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining HBO, especially as I presume this means I get free HBO now. I want to thank Comedy Central, and everyone at The Daily Show for the best seven and a half years of my life. But most of all, I’d like to thank Jon Stewart. He taught me everything I know. In fact, if I fail in the future, it’s entirely his fault.”
Oliver is no stranger to the topical news show format. Over this past summer, he filled in for Jon Stuart for two months on “The Daily Show.” His stint on the show received critical acclaim while maintaining Stewart’s ratings among the all-important young male demographic. In fact, the nightly series held its 0.97 rating among both men 18-34 and adults 18-34.
