Get Ready For Another Season Of John Oliver

It's been a long, dreary winter without it, but pretty soon it'll be back! I'm talking about Last Week Tonight, HBO's super-successful weekly comedy news show hosted by John Oliver. It's been one of the funniest, most informative, most trenchant shows of its kind since it debuted in 2014. And now, after an altogether too-long winter break, it's about to return. So when does the third season of Last Week Tonight begin?

Sometimes in life, you're faced with excruciatingly difficult questions with no clear answers. It's a grim hallmark of our shared human experience. Luckily, this is not one of those times! Last Week Tonight returns to the airwaves Sunday, February 14th, when it'll air at 11:00 p.m. on HBO. That'll be its time slot every week, in fact ― Sundays at 11:00 p.m.

If that weren't enough to whet your appetite, the show released a promo to its official YouTube account last week, showing the ever-charismatic Oliver confronting some of the less-than-stellar reviews he's received over the last couple of years, including one from a certain major presidential candidate. Don't you want to take a look?

The disparaging quotes include that the show "makes people dumb" from The Wall Street Journal, that it's "very boring" from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, and that it's "more unpleasant than a diuretic" from Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, who was famously embroiled in a feud with Oliver last year. The host himself can only agree with a lot of the barbs, however, admitting that even he's "been bored by this show." Also, in a particularly delightful moment, Oliver is forced to react to Cher's ... let's say not-terribly-flattering assessment of his looks.

If you're looking for proof of this, you can see the tweet for yourself:

Oliver's response? Good-natured, self-effacing incredulity, of course! The same finely-tuned blend he's used to such great effect over his last two years in the host's chair.

Cher said that? Cher said that? The Cher? We're talking about, the actual Cher. Not ... well no, there's only one Cher, right?

To put it short and sweet, you're going to want to tune in to Last Week Tonight once the new season kicks off. Beyond being a funny-as-hell show that's perfect to fill any conspicuous news/comedy voids you may have found opening up in the last few months (*cough*thedailyshowisreallybadnow*cough*), it also goes places no other similar show does. With a full week to prepare each episode leaving Oliver untethered from the usual rapid-fire daily news cycle, he's able to produce deep digs on a variety of important, fascinating issues which too often get the short shrift in the news media. They're as far-ranging as the predatory payday loan industry, dubious and money-hungry televangelists, corruption in international soccer, the rights of transgender Americans, and doomed outer space sex geckos.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, then by all means, be sure to tune in! Once again, the third season of Last Week Tonight debuts at 11:00 p.m. on February 14th, 2016 ― that's right, Valentine's Day!

Images: Last Week Tonight/YouTube (2)