The Best Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1
Every episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1!
A half-hour satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.
Season 1 Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" season 1 is "POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola", rated 8.4/10 from 492 user votes. It was directed by Joe Perota and written by Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell. "POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola" aired on 4/27/2014 and is rated 0.2 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Capital Punishment".
8.4/10 492 votes#1 - POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/2014
John talks about the Indian election, Pom Wonderful and talks with the former NSA Director General Keith Alexander.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.2/10 448 votes#2 - Capital Punishment
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 5/4/2014
John talks about the recent issues of the death penalty, François Hollande and the rising issues happening in Brunei.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.3/10 435 votes#3 - Climate Change Denial
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 5/11/2014
John talks about Eurovision, Ukraine and Russia's relations and interviews Bill Nye about Climate Change.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 404 votes#4 - The Right to Be Forgotten
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/18/2014
John talks about the product recall going on at General Motors, the EU Court of Justice "Right to be Forgotten" ruling and updates us on how the Indian election is going with help from Fareed Zakaria.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.8/10 493 votes#5 - Net Neutrality
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 6/1/2014
John talks about the rise of the far-right political parties in Europe, the Ukrainian election, Afghanistan, Net Neutrality, Australia's hard-line right-wing Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.6/10 460 votes#6 - FIFA and the World Cup
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 6/8/2014
John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.3/10 377 votes#7 - Immigration Reform
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 6/15/2014
John talks about US Immigration and interviews Professor Stephen Hawking.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.2/10 392 votes#8 - Dr. Oz
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 6/22/2014
John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
7.9/10 386 votes#9 - Burwell v. Hobby Lobby
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/29/2014
John Oliver sheds light on recent Supreme Court cases and discusses gay rights in Uganda with activist Pepe Julian Onziema.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 377 votes#10 - Income and Wealth Inequality
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 7/13/2014
John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.2/10 368 votes#11 - Incarceration in the United States
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 7/20/2014
John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.3/10 370 votes#12 - Nuclear Weapons and the United States
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 7/27/2014
John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
7.9/10 353 votes#13 - Native Advertising
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 8/3/2014
John talks about Uganda's anti-gay laws, the CIA's recent report on their use of torture, the New York Port Authority, Argentina's default on debt and native advertising.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 353 votes#14 - Payday Loans
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 8/10/2014
John talks about the return of US military actions in Iraq, replacing all passwords due to a global security breach and the terrible practices of the Payday Loan industry.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 352 votes#15 - Shooting of Michael Brown and Police Militarization
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 8/17/2014
Focuses on the shooting of Michael Brown and police militarization in Ferguson, MO. John also discusses the topic of equal pay for equal work.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 363 votes#16 - Student Debt
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 9/7/2014
John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.1/10 358 votes#17 - Scottish Independence Referendum
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 9/14/2014
John talks about the NFL's decision on Ray Rice's contract, the international response to ISIS, Scotland's separation from the United Kingdom and Twitter hashtags that are being misused by corporations.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.3/10 355 votes#18 - United States Embargo Against Cuba, Miss America 2015
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 9/21/2014
John covers the results of the Scottish referendum that took place the week before and explains why the policy of United States having embargo against Cuba doesn't make sense . The main story focuses on the Miss America pageant and their scholarships to women. John explains how outdated and absurd the requirements for the contestants are and to illustrate these problems, stages his own pageant with the help of a guest star - Kathy Griffin.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.0/10 358 votes#19 - Drones
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 9/28/2014
John discusses U.S. military drones and the Kansas state budget shortfall. Also, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minster of India visited New York and did some classic New York things.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Tim Carvell
8.7/10 403 votes#20 - Civil Forfeiture
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 10/5/2014
Main story: how desperate the American law enforcement is to make money out of everyone by using the process called the "civil asset forfeiture," and how it would make for a weird episode of "Law and Order." Plus, John wants to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and how is Columbus Day still a thing.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy
8.4/10 363 votes#21 - Military Translators
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 10/19/2014
Translators who have aided the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and Iraq are in great danger in their home countries, but red tape is making it impossible for many of them to leave. John Oliver interviews FNU Mohammad, one translator who made it out. Plus, since cameras aren’t allowed in the Supreme Court discussions, most coverage of the important cases looks like garbage. John fixes that problem with real animals and fake paws.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy
8.0/10 350 votes#22 - Sugar
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 10/26/2014
John Oliver talks about a Russian submarine in Sweden, ebola in New York, added sugar in food, Rob Ford's brother and interviews Jane Goodall.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy
8.1/10 355 votes#23 - State Legislatures and ALEC
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 11/2/2014
While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy
8.7/10 416 votes#24 - The Lottery
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 11/9/2014
The Lottery: State lotteries claim to be good for education and the general wellbeing of citizens. But are they? (Spoiler alert: No.) Also, there is a cannon that shoots salmon over dams. It’s awesome. Check it out.
Director: Joe Perota
Writer: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, John Oliver, Kevin Avery, Geoff Haggerty, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy