The Earth has finally spun around and crossed over into the promised land that is 2021, with most people hoping and praying that things might finally begin to settle down all over the world. It may be too early to say if that calming influence will actually come down, but as of right now, 2021 is still looking a lot like 2020. Thankfully a brand new season of Last Week Tonight is on its way to help guide folks through whatever turbulence is to come.
John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is a weekly comedy show on HBO that dedicates each episode to a humorous breakdown of current events, social issues, or whatever in particular Oliver and his staff have on their minds for that week. With the help of HBO's substantial funding, the show is famous for showy conclusions, impulsive stunts, and a shockingly high production value put to the silliest ideas and concepts.
As part of the last season's conclusion, for example, Oliver stood in front of a large "2020" model and blew it up as part of a send-off to a rather disappointing year. The finale was meant to provide a small catharsis during a year when everyone's lives went slightly off the rails. Even the show itself was forced into a new format, shooting at a small studio without a live audience, in contrast to its usual venue.
For those looking for a quick catch up on the show, there's no better option than the trailer for season 8, which has just been released. Since the show is filmed a few days before it airs, there isn't any new footage to see yet, so the trailer is a selection of clips from previous shows that quite nicely capture the tone and feel of the production.
Some of the included bits from last season were Oliver's reflections on the Coronavirus, the time he purchased amateur rat erotica and displayed it, a cameo from John Cena, and of course the detonation of the symbolic 2020 structure. At the end of the trailer, it was revealed that the new season would finally premiere on February 14th of 2021.
No doubt the show will continue to be as goofy, cynical, and extravagant as ever before, and fans can rest easy knowing that a concrete date is finally on the horizon. Hopefully, it will live up to the previous seasons, and provide some laughs at the expense of some truly unprecedented current events.
Last Week Tonight will return on February 14th to HBO.
Source: Last Week Tonight/Youtube