HBO has officially put to rest any speculation that John Oliver might go back to Comedy Central as the new “Daily Show” host by renewing “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” for two more seasons.
The second season of “Last Week Tonight” debuted a few weeks ago. Both the third and fourth seasons will consist of 35 episodes and will air in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
From the moment Jon Stewart announced his impending “Daily Show” retirement, some fans of the franchise have wondered if Oliver – a longtime correspondent who spent a summer as a fantastic substitute host – might come back to succeed him. This never made sense if you paid attention to how much Oliver was enjoying “Last Week Tonight,” which allows him to do the kinds of things – long segments, often on esoteric subjects – that both the grind and the commercial needs of “The Daily show” would make impossible.
And since Jessica Williams took herself out of the running yesterday on Twitter, this news officially shrinks the list of replacement hosts with “Daily Show” experience even more.