As much as we would love to see John Oliver’s take on the week’s news, we have to wait a little longer. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver isn’t coming back in January 2026, but there is another season on the way.
The question for many is when, and that’s something that HBO hasn’t quite confirmed yet. Of course, that could mean that we will get episodes in January, but then it would have been on the list of arrivals this month. Instead, we’re looking at the show returning after the Super Bowl.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will likely be back in February 2026
When Last Week Tonight with John Oliver aired its last official episode in the middle of November, we knew that we were in for a long wait. This is a series that has a pretty standard run with (usually) 30 episodes airing between February and November.
There have been some changes to this. The first season of the series didn’t premiere until April and it only had 24 episodes, and then the second season had 35 episodes with a February premiere date. After that, the show premiered in February and then ran through to November with 30 episodes, except for season 10, which only had 21 episodes due to the writer’s and actor’s strike of that summer.
So, with all that in mind, we’re looking at a mid-February 2026 premiere date for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver season 13. There’s no reason for HBO to change this when we’ve become so used to it.
What to expect when Last Week Tonight returns?
Of course, the series is going to focus on the news events from the week. The premiere tends to be a little different, as it needs to cover the news from between November and February, and there’s been a lot of big things this year. Look, the Kennedy Center situation is a big one, and we can’t overlook the bombing of the boat or even the recent meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelensky.
It’s hard to take a guess because there’s always something crazy going on. We just know that Oliver and his team will find something about Trump to mention, because that’s the thing that late night talk show hosts are doing right now.
It is worth noting that Last Week Tonight is only renewed through to season 13 at this time. All eyes will be on whether HBO renews it for another season (or three again).
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is available to stream on HBO Max.