Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1

First Air Date: April 27, 2014

First Aired on	:	2014
Episodes	:	24 episodes

Episodes

1x24 The Lottery (November 09, 2014)

The Lottery: State lotteries claim to be good for education and the general wellbeing of citizens. But are they? (Spoiler alert: No.) Also, there is a cannon that shoots salmon over dams. It’s awesome. Check it out.

1x23 State Legislatures and ALEC (November 02, 2014)

While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!

1x22 Sugar (October 26, 2014)

John Oliver talks about a Russian submarine in Sweden, ebola in New York, added sugar in food, Rob Ford's brother and interviews Jane Goodall.

1x21 Military Translators (October 19, 2014)

Translators who have aided the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and Iraq are in great danger in their home countries, but red tape is making it impossible for many of them to leave. John Oliver interviews FNU Mohammad, one translator who made it out. Plus, since cameras aren’t allowed in the Supreme Court discussions, most coverage of the important cases looks like garbage. John fixes that problem with real animals and fake paws.

1x20 Civil Forfeiture (October 05, 2014)

Main story: how desperate the American law enforcement is to make money out of everyone by using the process called the "civil asset forfeiture," and how it would make for a weird episode of "Law and Order." Plus, John wants to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and how is Columbus Day still a thing.

1x19 Drones (September 28, 2014)

John discusses U.S. military drones and the Kansas state budget shortfall. Also, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minster of India visited New York and did some classic New York things.

1x18 United States Embargo Against Cuba, Miss America 2015 (September 21, 2014)

John covers the results of the Scottish referendum that took place the week before and explains why the policy of United States having embargo against Cuba doesn't make sense . The main story focuses on the Miss America pageant and their scholarships to women. John explains how outdated and absurd the requirements for the contestants are and to illustrate these problems, stages his own pageant with the help of a guest star - Kathy Griffin.

1x17 Scottish Independence Referendum (September 14, 2014)

John talks about the NFL's decision on Ray Rice's contract, the international response to ISIS, Scotland's separation from the United Kingdom and Twitter hashtags that are being misused by corporations.

1x16 Student Debt (September 07, 2014)

John talks about ISIS and student loan debt. Musical group A Great Big World make a special appearance.

1x15 Shooting of Michael Brown and Police Militarization (August 17, 2014)

Focuses on the shooting of Michael Brown and police militarization in Ferguson, MO. John also discusses the topic of equal pay for equal work.

1x14 Payday Loans (August 10, 2014)

John talks about the return of US military actions in Iraq, replacing all passwords due to a global security breach and the terrible practices of the Payday Loan industry.

1x13 Native Advertising (August 03, 2014)

John talks about Uganda's anti-gay laws, the CIA's recent report on their use of torture, the New York Port Authority, Argentina's default on debt and native advertising.

1x12 Nuclear Weapons and the United States (July 27, 2014)

John talks about human rights violations in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament and Russia's science satellite that lost communication.

1x11 Incarceration in the United States (July 20, 2014)

John talks about the Gaza crisis, the decay of American prisons and the gambling addiction problem in Singapore.

1x10 Income and Wealth Inequality (July 13, 2014)

John talks about modern American income inequality, Warren G. Harding's love letters and President Obama's "Day In The Life" tour.

1x09 Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (June 29, 2014)

John Oliver sheds light on recent Supreme Court cases and discusses gay rights in Uganda with activist Pepe Julian Onziema.

1x08 Dr. Oz (June 22, 2014)

John talks about Iraq, Antarctica tourism and Dr. Oz's "Miracle Drug".

1x07 Immigration Reform (June 15, 2014)

John talks about US Immigration and interviews Professor Stephen Hawking.

1x06 FIFA and the World Cup (June 08, 2014)

John talks about California Chrome and the Belmont Stakes, FIFA and the 2014 World Cup, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

1x05 Net Neutrality (June 01, 2014)

John talks about the rise of the far-right political parties in Europe, the Ukrainian election, Afghanistan, Net Neutrality, Australia's hard-line right-wing Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

1x04 The Right to Be Forgotten (May 18, 2014)

John talks about the product recall going on at General Motors, the EU Court of Justice "Right to be Forgotten" ruling and updates us on how the Indian election is going with help from Fareed Zakaria.

1x03 Climate Change Denial (May 11, 2014)

John talks about Eurovision, Ukraine and Russia's relations and interviews Bill Nye about Climate Change.

1x02 Capital Punishment (May 04, 2014)

John talks about the recent issues of the death penalty, François Hollande and the rising issues happening in Brunei.

1x01 POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola (April 27, 2014)

John talks about the Indian election, Pom Wonderful and talks with the former NSA Director General Keith Alexander.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 1