Diving Into Last Week Tonight
Photo: HBO Max
Since its debut in 2016, HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has been steadily gaining viewers with its uniquely educational approach to jabbing at politics, pop culture, and the occasional ridiculous celebrity. John Oliver's cynical and humorous take on the worldwide news cycle not only entertains, but elevates its audience by introducing the masses to current events and breaking down the news of the world into bite-size, digestible pieces.
Photo: HBO Max
Now entering its eighth season, no person, place, or multi-million dollar conglomerate is safe from Oliver's harsh, but fair critical eye. Tackling everything from Mike Pence's children's book to the evil lurking behind robocalls, Oliver has been the sarcastic voice of reason for almost a decade as he gently (and at times, not so gently) takes public figures of the day to task.
To celebrate its return to HBO, Ranker Insights is taking a deep dive into the HBO ‘infotainment’ show to better understand its audience. From where they live to the movies they watch, we’re studying the fanbase of Last Week Tonight with the same scrutiny John Oliver might place on a chlamydia outbreak in a koala community.
The eighth season of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver premieres on February 14.
WHAT AMERICAN AUDIENCES THINK
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When a show is clearly skewed towards a particular political leaning, then it should not be a surprise that its audience might skew right along with it. Such is the case with Last Week Tonight, which finds its audience divided among American political party lines.
Approval for the show is concentrated largely on the coasts, with the West Coast boasting a 57% approval for the Brit behind the desk and the Northeast barely squeaking by with 51% approval.
The rest of the United States is less approving of the news series, as most states in these regions features more traditionally Red States than Blue. The Mountain West region only scores 42% approval for the show, while the Midwest tops out at 41%. Last Week Tonight scores the lowest in the South, where it is met with only 40% approval.
WHAT LAST WEEK FANS WATCH (AND DON'T WATCH) ON TV
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Fans of Last Week Tonight tend to gravitate towards shows that require a bit of brainpower. The audience enjoys similar talk shows such as The Daily Show (which Oliver briefly hosted) and CBS' Late Night With Seth Meyers, both of which will find Last Week Tonight’s audience 10X more likely to tune in. They are also almost 9X more likely than the average viewer to watch TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, both of which share similar politics and humor with Last Week Tonight.
In addition to news shows, Last Week Tonight fans also enjoy television shows that make a statement about society's woes. Fans of John Oliver are almost 9X more likely to watch HBO's The Newsroom, 8X more likely to watch The Handmaid's Tale, and 7X more likely to watch Black Mirror.
The people who regularly view the show are clearly fans of satire — that explains their love of Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Veep, all of which they are 8X more likely to watch. They are also 7X more likely to watch The Other Two, Nora From Queens, and the always funny, always classic Monty Python's Flying Circus.
On the other side of the coin, fans of Last Week Tonight are far less likely to enjoy traditional sitcoms, reality shows, and primetime dramas. Shows like Grey's Anatomy, America's Top Model, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Full House are less likely to grab the attention of Last Week Tonight fans, who tend to enjoy their entertainment that’s a little more thought-provoking.
LAST WEEK FANS AT THE MOVIES
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No surprise here: fans of Last Week Tonight are 3X more likely to enjoy the classic British comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, along with whip-smart satire movies like Office Space, Shaun of the Dead, and Young Frankenstein.
You also get the sense that Last Week lovers are pop culture aficionados: they tend to love film buff favorites outside the comedy genre, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, and The Coen Brothers’ classic Fargo.
LAST WEEK TONIGHT ON RANKER
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On Ranker, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver tops two major TV lists: it’s #1 on Best Current Late Night Shows and The Best Satirical News Programs. Taken together, the two lists feature nearly 48K votes in total.
The series nears the top on the list for Best Current HBO Shows (coming in a #4), as well as Current TV Shows You Totally Lie About Watching To Sound Smart (#13). Last Week Tonight also comes in 10th place on the list of The Best Late Night Talk Shows of All Time, #11 on The Greatest Talk Shows of All Time, suggesting that it’s already cemented its place in talk show history. To top it all off, it’s in the Top 10 Funniest Shows on TV Right Now currently ranking at #7.
FINAL FINDINGS
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