The Promo for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is for HBO Fans
They even rolled out Larry David, so that’s something
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a late night show unlike any other on HBO. Oliver has, over the course of 3 previous seasons, taken the idea of the Jon Stewart-led Daily Show to another level. And in case you’re not up to date with late night television, Samantha Bee has been something a similarly great job on Full Frontal.
For Last Week Tonight’s fourth season promo, HBO brought out the big guns. The clip is filled with delicious HBO references to other hit shows. Go ahead and check it but before we unpack it further.
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That’s some excellent work, if we do say so. Poor John Oliver; still a hit in his right, but not quite a Game of Thrones hit. It’s also great to get a cameo from Silicon Valley’s Kumail Nanjiana. And then, of course, there is Larry David. The name Curb Your Enthusiasm isn’t uttered, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s fun to think that this might be the first time people are being made aware of the fact that Curb is coming back – not everybody follows entertainment news.
One question we have is why Silicon Valley and not Veep. We don’t have anything against Silicon Valley, but Veep is the more acclaimed of the two.
Last Week Tonight is a news show, putting it in an entirely different class than the shows referenced in the spot. Sure, it’s also a comedy, but it’s still not quite the same thing. HBO, however, would like you to consider it to be on at least somewhat equal footing. That would raise the profile of the show (not that it really needs it) and increases its pop culture cache, so to speak.
Next: HBO isn't ready to drop The Night Of.
If you’re a fan of Last Week Tonight, season 4 is going to be something else. It will be, after all, the first season to run under a different president.