John Oliver
John Oliver has settled on the format of his HBO series. The network announced Wednesday that Last Week Tonight With John Oliver will debut Sunday, April 27.
Last Week Tonight will run as a half-hour format, airing weekly at 11 p.m. on Sundays. The series will get a lead-in from Sunday night comedies Veep and Silicon Valley -- both of which premiere April 6.
Oliver, who signed off of The Daily Show in December after making a deal with HBO in November, had expressed some indecision about the format of his show. Speaking with reporters in January he did offer this: "It will be me making fun of things."
A network release calls Last Week Tonight a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events. And the half-hour, while similar to The Daily Show, is a bit of a departure for a HBO talker. Friday standby Real Time With Bill Maher runs a full hour.
Avalon Television is producing for HBO, with Oliver, Tim Carvell, James Taylor and Jon Thoday all serving as executive producers. Liz Stanton will produce.