 |
| John Oliver |
Let's get to the point immediately: Last Week Tonight is the best new comedy series of 2014. This isn't just in a laughs-per-minute ratio, either. This is in terms of importance to a wide audience that thrives on creating discussion. Most of all, he did it without sacrificing the tactics that he became known for with appearances on The Daily Show and his weekly appearances on The Bugle podcast. What HBO has created with John Oliver's new show is something that even fellow network political pundit Bill Maher on Real Time cannot achieve with twice as much time. Oliver has created something so unhinged, unpredictable and informative in shocking and exciting ways. He has made, on a weekly basis, viral videos that have altered the way that we look at politicians, net neutrality, warheads, sugar and the lottery. He is a modern revelation that is unfortunately going to be missed until he returns in three months. Still, he has already left behind one hell of a resume.
It does seem a little disabling to watch the show for the first time. Early on before he had established a popularity, his sole presence for 30 minutes seemed like a gimmick that wouldn't work. It is essentially a guy talking to the camera for 90% of the show's entire running time. How is this going to be compelling? With a few great segments spread throughout highlighting confusing topics such as "How is This Still a Thing?" with Columbus Day and Ayn Rand, he seems to be correcting the world in the only way he knows how. As a British immigrant, he humbly plays the outsider patriotic angle and shows deep concern for world politics from this perspective. What is odd is that, as evident in the finale, features a pole dancing chicken, a space gecko, talking dogs and a salmon canon. How exactly can you take this man seriously?
The truth is that you should. You will likely not find a more levelheaded rant by anyone anywhere regarding a lot of his topics. Maybe his rants seem tangential at times, leading way to him making offhand remarks, but he speaks from a fluid place that keeps the heavy subject matter from ever getting too nauseating. Speaking as he has often spent up to 18 minutes of his 30 minutes discussing a singular topic, his ride down the information hole is something to be experienced. What starts off as an introduction to a subject slowly evolves into something more complex, sometimes horrifying, and culminates in a beautiful summary unlike anything else on TV. Why? It's because HBO can run the show uninterrupted, which allows the pacing to never be interfered. With Oliver allowing these great bits to be released on Youtube for free, the intentions are clear. He wants everyone to hear. And they should. There's a reason that his bits have gotten millions of hits. He is doing something unique while informing the masses about little known subjects. By the end of each week, you'll likely learn something new about old topics.
If viral videos (the above video already has over three million views) isn't enough to entice you, the show itself has become a mainstay for another reason. It has a loyal audience that has helped the series enter the conversations. It first started with an offhand remark about Tom Wheeler being the equivalent to a dingo. When there was video of Wheeler responding to the allegations, things were clear. Last Week Tonight was going to disrupt the local order in new and exciting ways. Throughout the season, they launched a successful campaign to get the return of space sex geckos and flooded websites with their opinions on net neutrality. For somebody who has only produced 24 episodes, this is a phenomenal achievement. Given, Oliver has had a career prior to this, but speaking as the show is predominantly him speaking into a camera, it is all the more amazing.
Add in touches of his British wit, this is a show with some of the best, most memorable writing of the year ("A cranberry is a cherry that hates you"). Along with a few guests and inspired bits, the lunacy has lead to a new political forefront for HBO. While Last Week Tonight started off as being advertised as the show that was a week behind, it became a summary of how the world can be fixed. Is he right about his subjects? That is up for debate. However, he backs them up very effectively and memorably almost every time. While we still have The Bugle, I shall be on the board of missing his weekly rants and seeing him go to town on the strange world around us. This show is special in ways that weren't immediately clear. Still, once you have caught the bug, you'll understand why it's the best scripted comedy series of 2014. It's funny while being informative and overall has potential to change society. No other show has really been able to say that.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Comments
Post a Comment