Definitively answering the question of whether John Oliver would abandon his own, quite successful show in favor of returning to the show he used to work for, Deadline reports that HBO has renewed Last Week Tonight, complete with Oliver behind the anchor’s desk, for two more seasons. Season three will air on HBO in 2016, followed by season four in 2017. “We are incredibly proud to have John as part of the HBO family,” HBO programming president Michael Lombardo says. “His unique ability to deliver socially significant commentary week after week, along with his innate comedic brilliance, puts John in a class by himself.”


This will come as welcome news to many, including the Writers Guild, which bestowed its Best Comedy/Variety Series award to Oliver and friends over the weekend. Phillip Morris and Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa are presumably somewhat less excited.