Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Best Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1

Genres:TalkComedyNews
Network:HBO

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.
Episodes
24
Avg. Rating
8.2
S1
S2
S3
S4
E1
E2
E3
8.4
8.2
8.3

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  1. 8.8/10(502 votes)

    #1 - Net Neutrality

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    S1:E5

    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.

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  2. 8.6/10(469 votes)

    #2 - FIFA and the World Cup

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    S1:E6

    John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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  3. 8.6/10(413 votes)

    #3 - Civil Forfeiture

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    S1:E20

    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.

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  4. 8.6/10(423 votes)

    #4 - The Lottery

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    S1:E24

    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.

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  5. 8.4/10(500 votes)

    #5 - POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola

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    S1:E1

    John talks about the Indian election, Pom Wonderful and talks with the former NSA Director General Keith Alexander.

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  6. 8.4/10(371 votes)

    #6 - Military Translators

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    S1:E21

    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.

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

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  8. 8.3/10(443 votes)

    #7 - Climate Change Denial

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    S1:E3

    John talks about Eurovision, Ukraine and Russia's relations and interviews Bill Nye about Climate Change.

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  9. 8.3/10(386 votes)

    #8 - Immigration Reform

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    S1:E7

    John talks about US Immigration and interviews Professor Stephen Hawking.

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  10. 8.3/10(378 votes)

    #9 - Nuclear Weapons and the United States

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    S1:E12

    John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.

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  11. 8.3/10(364 votes)

    #10 - United States Embargo Against Cuba, Miss America 2015

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    S1:E18

    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.

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  12. 8.2/10(455 votes)

    #11 - Capital Punishment

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    S1:E2

    John talks about the recent issues of the death penalty, François Hollande and the rising issues happening in Brunei.

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  13. 8.2/10(401 votes)

    #12 - Dr. Oz

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    S1:E8

    John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".

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  14. 8.2/10(376 votes)

    #13 - Incarceration in the United States

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    S1:E11

    John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.

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  15. 8.1/10(411 votes)

    #14 - The Right to Be Forgotten

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    S1:E4

    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.

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  16. 8.1/10(362 votes)

    #15 - Payday Loans

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    S1:E14

    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.

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  17. 8.1/10(360 votes)

    #16 - Shooting of Michael Brown and Police Militarization

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    S1:E15

    Focuses on the shooting of Michael Brown and police militarization in Ferguson, MO. John also discusses the topic of equal pay for equal work.

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  18. 8.1/10(372 votes)

    #17 - Student Debt

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    S1:E16

    John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.

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  19. 8.1/10(366 votes)

    #18 - Scottish Independence Referendum

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    S1:E17

    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.

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  20. 8.1/10(363 votes)

    #19 - State Legislatures and ALEC

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    S1:E23

    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!

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  21. 8.0/10(385 votes)

    #20 - Income and Wealth Inequality

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    S1:E10

    John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.

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  22. 8.0/10(366 votes)

    #21 - Drones

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    S1:E19

    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.

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  23. 8.0/10(358 votes)

    #22 - Sugar

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    S1:E22

    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.

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  24. 7.9/10(394 votes)

    #23 - Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

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    S1:E9

    John Oliver sheds light on recent Supreme Court cases and discusses gay rights in Uganda with activist Pepe Julian Onziema.

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  25. 7.9/10(363 votes)

    #24 - Native Advertising

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    S1:E13

    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.

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Net Neutrality" is the best rated episode of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" season 1. It scored 8.8/10 based on 502 votes. 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, it aired on 6/1/2014. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "FIFA and the World Cup".