Great News For John Oliver Fans

Think back into the annals of pop cultural memory, to about...well, just this past summer. John Oliver was hosting The Daily Show, claiming temporary ownership of what has long been considered the sole territory of Jon Stewart. He served the position stalwartly — and with incredible hilarity, warm, and charisma. We were left with the overwhelming urge to curl up on the rims of his glasses with a good book and a cup of tea to take a nap. In other words: The fact that John Oliver's HBO show has a title and a premiere date is something we're pretty psyched about.

Mark your calendars, ladies, gents, and people who don't conform to the gender binary: Oliver's Last Week Tonight With John Oliver premieres on April 17 at 11pm on HBO. Between this, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night With Seth Meyers, it sure is a good season to watch affable comedy vets chart new territory.

Oliver served as a correspondent for The Daily Show from 2006 until this past year, when he made his bow. He's taking The Daily Show's head writer Tim Carvell with him, as well, which holds spectacular promise. Carvell worked for The Daily Show for a decade and won six Emmys during his tenure there, but luckily for everyone involved Last Week Tonight will be airing on Sunday nights, conveniently scheduled so as not to conflict with Carvell and Oliver's comedy alma mater. And, as Oliver commented upon the initial announcement of the show, "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.”

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