Jon Oliver proved last year when he took over the Daily Show for a few months that he can hold a show of his own, which is probably what landed him this gig. He proves here he hasn't lost his touch. The lack of commercials to take up the half-hour run time and no censorship courtesy of HBO gives him a lot more freedom and he uses it well. Particularly pleasing is that he doesn't lean as heavily to politics as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Not that he shies from political stories when they need to be told, but he does a lot of stories in different genres too.
Given that Oliver has a week of news to cherry-pick the best joke material from, his material is sometimes a bit sharper than Stewart and Colbert. He also has more time since HBO does not do commercials, letting him get very in-depth on a topic that his compatriots might have to gloss over. Sometimes the entire second half of the show is all dealing with one particularly complex/amusing story, but he keeps you engaged during those fifteen minutes. He is still in top form as a very funny host and when he does do an interview he's fully capable of doing them.
In short, this show is a good compliment to Stewart and Colbert's programming, just as funny as them but with a different edge to it that makes it its own product. The first few episodes they're clearly trying to find their voice, which is to be expected, but they've got a good handle on things now. If the current level of quality is maintained or even improved in the future, this show will be on the air for a while to come.
Series A Strong First Showing
Jon Oliver proved last year when he took over the Daily Show for a few months that he can hold a show of his own, which is probably what landed him this gig. He proves here he hasn't lost his touch. The lack of commercials to take up the half-hour run time and no censorship courtesy of HBO gives him a lot more freedom and he uses it well. Particularly pleasing is that he doesn't lean as heavily to politics as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Not that he shies from political stories when they need to be told, but he does a lot of stories in different genres too.
Given that Oliver has a week of news to cherry-pick the best joke material from, his material is sometimes a bit sharper than Stewart and Colbert. He also has more time since HBO does not do commercials, letting him get very in-depth on a topic that his compatriots might have to gloss over. Sometimes the entire second half of the show is all dealing with one particularly complex/amusing story, but he keeps you engaged during those fifteen minutes. He is still in top form as a very funny host and when he does do an interview he's fully capable of doing them.
In short, this show is a good compliment to Stewart and Colbert's programming, just as funny as them but with a different edge to it that makes it its own product. The first few episodes they're clearly trying to find their voice, which is to be expected, but they've got a good handle on things now. If the current level of quality is maintained or even improved in the future, this show will be on the air for a while to come.