The Best Episodes Written By Josh Gondelman

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.3/10(7 votes)

   #1 - Government Surveillance

   S2:E84/5/2015

   There are very few government checks on what America’s sweeping surveillance programs are capable of doing. John Oliver sits down with Edward Snowden to discuss the NSA, the balance between privacy and security, and dick-pics.

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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2. 

   8.9/10(7 votes)

   #2 - FIFA II

   S2:E155/31/2015

   After the arrests of numerous top officials, John Oliver decided to give an update on the state of FIFA. Also, Thailand's ignorance about the world's history involving Hitler might require some re-education.

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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3. 

   8.8/10(6 votes)

   #3 - Torture

   S2:E176/14/2015

   The US Senate Torture Report revealed horrifying details of America's interrogation program. Helen Mirren will fill you in. Plus, information about the 2015 European Games and the Canadian Senate expenses scandal.

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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4. 

   8.7/10(6 votes)

   #4 - The Internet

   S2:E186/21/2015

   Online harassment is a major problem, but it’s rarely prosecuted. If only we’d been warned about this in the early days of the internet.

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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5. 

   8.7/10(6 votes)

   #5 - Transgender Rights

   S2:E196/28/2015

   This week’s gay rights victory was historic, but the transgender community still faces staggering challenges. John Oliver focuses on the “T” in “LGBT."

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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6. 

   8.5/10(2 votes)

   #6 - U.S. Territories

   S2:E53/8/2015

   A set of Supreme Court decisions made over 100 years ago has left U.S. territories without meaningful representation. That’s weird, right? Plus, daylight saving time doesn’t actually benefit anyone. Strangely, it’s still a thing!

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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7. 

   8.5/10(6 votes)

   #7 - Patents

   S2:E104/19/2015

   For inventors, patents are an essential protection against theft. But when patent trolls abuse the system by stockpiling patents and threatening lawsuits, businesses are forced to shell out tons of money. Also, CNN produced an actual doomsday video to broadcast when the world is ending and it’s incredibly dull. We've enlisted Martin Sheen to help make humanity’s final moments happier!

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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8. 

   8.5/10(6 votes)

   #8 - Paid Family Leave

   S2:E135/10/2015

   Many American companies do not offer paid leave after the birth of a child, which means they probably shouldn’t run sappy Mother’s Day ads. Also, the Japanese have some unhealthy obsession with mascots and John proposes to adopt some of that culture in the U.S. government agencies as well.

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9. 

   8.5/10(6 votes)

   #9 - Bail

   S2:E166/7/2015

   John Oliver explains why America’s bail system is better for the reality TV industry than it is for the justice system.

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   Writer:Josh Gondelman

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10. 

    8.4/10(7 votes)

    #10 - Food Waste

    S2:E217/19/2015

    Producers, sellers, and consumers waste tons of food. John Oliver discusses the shocking amount of food we don’t eat.

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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11. 

    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #11 - Brexit

    S3:E166/19/2016

    John Oliver on “Brexiting” from the EU: There might be an innate British desire to diss Europe, but Last Week Tonight lays out exactly why it’s a mistake to leave the EU.

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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12. 

    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #12 - Fashion

    S2:E114/26/2015

    John explores the concept of changing and cheap fashion and some of the ugliest truths of the manufacturing process.

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13. 

    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #13 - Standardized Testing

    S2:E125/3/2015

    American students face a ridiculous amount of testing. John Oliver explains how standardized tests impact school funding, the achievement gap and how often the kids are expected to throw up while taking one.

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14. 

    8.3/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Stadiums

    S2:E207/12/2015

    Cities spend massive amounts of public money on privately-owned stadiums. Cities issue tax-exempt municipal bonds that — wait, don’t fall asleep!

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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15. 

    8.3/10(9 votes)

    #15 - Puerto Rico

    S3:E104/24/2016

    Puerto Rico is suffering a massive debt crisis. Lin-Manuel Miranda joins John Oliver to call for relief.

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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16. 

    8.3/10(10 votes)

    #16 - Voting

    S3:E12/14/2016

    John talks about the late Antonin Scalia's love of the Letter of the Law, Chipotle's food safety problems, how Voter IDs laws should be applied to those who write them, and New Zealand's economic development minister Steven Joyce.

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17. 

    8.3/10(10 votes)

    #17 - Congressional Fundraising

    S3:E74/3/2016

    Lawmakers have to raise money to keep their jobs, but a surprising amount of their job now consists of raising money. John Oliver sits down with Congressman Steve Israel to discuss the costs of political spending.

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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18. 

    8.3/10(8 votes)

    #18 - Special Districts

    S3:E43/6/2016

    Special districts spend more public money than all city governments combined. That's odd considering most of us don't know they exist.

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19. 

    8.2/10(10 votes)

    #19 - Primaries and Caucuses

    S3:E135/22/2016

    Last Week Tonight Tackles U.S. Primaries and Caucuses: The United States selection process for presidential nominees is convoluted — to say the least. Nevertheless, John Oliver reminds Americans that the "middle of the game" is the worst possible time to change the rules.

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20. 

    8.2/10(12 votes)

    #20 - Scientific Studies

    S3:E115/8/2016

    John Oliver on Sticking to the Facts: Media outlets often report new findings from scientific studies, but how many are true?

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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21. 

    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #21 - Elected Judges

    S2:E32/22/2015

    The vast majority of US judges are elected, forcing many judges to pander to the electorate and accept campaign money in order to keep their jobs. This seems slightly troubling... The UK's Labour Party has painted a campaign van pink in an attempt to attract women voters. We are glad they didn't keep going with that strategy.

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22. 

    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #22 - Municipal Violations

    S2:E73/22/2015

    If you have money, committing a municipal violation may pose you a minor inconvenience. If you don’t, it can ruin your life. Also, the New Hampshire legislature refused to make the red-tailed hawk the official raptor of their state... so Last Week Tonight made it the official raptor of the show.

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23. 

    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #23 - Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws

    S2:E227/26/2015

    Mandatory minimums require fixed prison sentences for certain crimes. John Oliver explains why we treat some turkeys better than most low-level offenders.

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    Writer:Josh Gondelman

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24. 

    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #24 - Daily Fantasy Sports

    S2:E3411/15/2015

    John talks about the recent Paris attacks, China's Singles Day, the Koh-i-Noor diamond and Daily Fantasy Sports.

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25. 

    8.1/10(7 votes)

    #25 - Refugees & Pennies

    S2:E3511/22/2015

    John reflects on the aftermath of Paris attacks and how it affects refugees worldwide. Plus, he questions the usefulness of the U.S. penny, since minting the coins costs more than they're actually worth.

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