Here is the Real Time with Bill Maher lineup for Nov. 16

Season 16 of Real Time with Bill Maher comes to a close tonight with an all-new episode. Here’s everything you need to know about the guests.

It is Friday night so that means another episode of Real Time with Bill Maher is on HBO. It also means that another season is in the books. Tonight will be the 35th and final episode of season 16.

HBO celebrated the milestone earlier this year with an anniversary special. Maher’s career on television was given a retrospective and some of his friends and favorite guests were interviewed as part of the event.

It’s hard to think of a crazier season for Maher in terms of what he has had to cover. Week after week, the Trump administration had something going on that hadn’t been seen before. The divisive nature of U.S. politics seemed to hit levels not seen in a long time. Through it all, Maher brought is one-of-a-kind voice to the discussion every night he was on television.

Last week, Maher covered the two biggest stories of not only the week but the year. The midterm elections had just ended and then President Trump forced the resignation of his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. You can watch Maher’s monologue from last week here:

Things this week may not have been as hectic as last week but there is still never a shortage of topics to cover. Here is the breakdown of who will be joining Bill Maher on tonight’s episode of Real Time.

Top-of-show

Making his Real Time debut at the start of the show will be Representative Eric Swalwell of California. The Democrat was elected in 2012 and oversees California’s 15th congressinal district.

Swalwell has been optimistc about the political future of the U.S. following the Democrat’s success in the midterm election. He has already been critical of Trump’s appointment of Matt Whitaker as the interim attorney general and also voiced his support for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the house.

Swalwell is also considered a potential presidential candidate in 2020. A Politico report indicated that he has already decided to run.

Mid-show interview

Returning to the show for the first time since 2015 is chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. The Russian-Armenian retired from competitive chess in 2005 and has since focused on human rights activism and political commentary work.

Kasparov has been a harsh critic of Russian politics and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He attempted to run for president of Russia in 2007 but was forced to withdraw. Kasparov’s Twitter account is full of anti-Russian posts and attacks on President Trump.

The panel

Bill Maher will welcome back three returning guests to the panel. They’ll help him close out the 16th season of Real Time. The group will likely take a broad look at the state of U.S. politics and social conditions and help Maher leave some parting thoughts with us as he head into a break.

News commentator Van Jones returns for his seventh appearance and first since last season. Jones is seen frequently on CNN and has hosted The Van Jones Show since 2018.

Nancy Maclean is a historian who specializes in race and gender as well as social history of the 20th century U.S. South. In 2017 she published the book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America that suggested the right’ desired to return things to that of mid-century Virginia.

Steve Schmidt is a political strategist and communications expert. He has worked on several Republican campaigns for people like George W. Bush and John McCain. Despite his long career in the Republican Party, Schmidt renounced his affiliation with the party due to the election of Donald Trump and seemingly blind loyalty from Republicans.

Real Time with Bill Maher airs tonight on HBO at 10:00 PM EST. Once again it will be the season finale so get your fix of Maher while you still can. Last Night On will recap the season’s highlights so stay tuned!