It’s that time of year that is disappointing for many people when it comes to broadcast networks. What the streamer fans don’t expect is to get the same bad news. Yet, sure enough, there’s some bad news tonight, Sunday, Nov. 23. There won’t be a new episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
HBO didn’t seem to want to make a huge deal about the Sunday, Nov. 16 episode being the season 12 finale. That part was made clear via the show’s social media networks, and while it was disappointing, the announcement came with some good news.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will return in 2026
When announcing that the show would air its season 12 finale on Facebook, the social media team made it clear that the show would be back. We even get an idea of the time of year. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will return in February 2026 on HBO.
The exact date isn’t known, but it’s great to know that we won’t have to go too long without new episodes of the comedic late night show. It’s a great lookback at the events in the news, and sometimes, you just have to think that the news writes its own jokes.
There was a funny comment about feeling like a lot of time has passed when mentioning the return on social media. Yes, it’s aimed at John Oliver’s fast-paced aging. Bless!
HBO and John Oliver will need to make another deal
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver season 13 marks the end of the current deal in place. Back in 2023, HBO and Oliver signed on for three years, which would take them though to season 13. Now, we’ll have to wait to see what’s going to happen with the show moving forward.
As it’s late night TV, it is possible that the show will keep going with a different host. It’s also possible that Oliver will keep doing the job he’s so great at. Look, this series isn’t just entertainment, but it dives deep into real issues around the world as well as in the United States. The team focuses on research as well as fun storytelling, and we do need more of that out there.
The problem is there are fears of the state of late night TV as we know it. You don’t need reminding that Stephen Colbert will be leaving The Late Show in May 2026 (and we have no idea what will come of The Last Show after that), and ABC did take Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air for some time.
Could HBO decide that the threat of Donald Trump isn’t worth it? Oliver hasn’t exactly come under fire for any of his comments in the way that Kimmel, Colbert, and even Seth Meyers have, but you just never know!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will at least return in February 2026 on HBO.