Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Season 8
Season 8 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 7.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 8 Progress Shield
Episode 210: The Next Pandemic
Feb 14, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: What could cause the next pandemic, what we can do to avoid it, and why you shouldn’t kiss pigs; plus, Impeachment Part 2.
Episode 211: Meatpacking
Feb 21, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: Working conditions in the meatpacking industry; plus, the Texas power crisis in the wake of severe winter weather.
Episode 212: Raids
Feb 28, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: How few guardrails there are on the use of police raids; plus, New York governor Andrew Cuomo faces multiple scandals.
Episode 213: Unemployment
Mar 7, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: The many obstacles that impede access to unemployment benefits; plus, Fox News freaks out over Dr. Seuss.
Episode 214: Tucker Carlson
Mar 14, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: Where Tucker Carlson came from and why he's admired by white nationalists; plus, reaction to the Biden COVID-19 relief bill.
Episode 215: Plastics
Mar 21, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: How plastics are harming the planet, and why recycling isn’t the solution you think it is; plus, the Atlanta mass shootings and hate crimes against Asian-Americans.
Episode 216: The National Debt
Apr 4, 2021 · 30 min
Main story: How national debt works and why it might be more helpful than you'd think; plus, Giuliani freaks over Lil Nas X; Amazon's anti-union tactics; Peeps and Pepsi form an un
Episode 217: Long-Term Care
Apr 11, 2021 · 32 min
Main story: Why nursing homes and assisted living facilities need fixing; plus, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; Matt Gaetz and Venmo; R.I.P. Yahoo! Answers.
Episode 218: Bankruptcy
Apr 18, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver details why people file for bankruptcy, how needlessly difficult the process can be, and the ways we can better serve people struggling with debt.
Episode 219: Vaccine
May 2, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver explains why some people don't want to get the Covid-19 vaccine and how they might be reassured.
Episode 220: Hair
May 9, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver discusses the importance of black hair, the ways it can be a target of discrimination, and some ideas to address that.
Episode 221: Stand Your Ground
May 16, 2021 · 30 min
Main Story: John Oliver takes a look at why “stand your ground” laws were created, who they protect, and, crucially, who they don’t. Plus, a look at the past week’s events in Israe
Episode 222: Sponcon
May 23, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver explains why the integrity of local news is so important, how sponsored content could damage that integrity, and why the Venus Veil is so much more than a blanket. (It'
Episode 223: Asian Americans
Jun 6, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver discusses the large and diverse group of people who fall under the term "Asian American", the history of the model minority stereotype, and why our conversations on the
Episode 224: Prison Heat
Jun 13, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver explains how the failure to air-condition prisons can cause both physical and mental health issues for incarcerated people, and why the solution is simpler than you mig
Episode 225: PACE
Jun 20, 2021 · 30 min
John Oliver explains how PACE, a program meant to pay for environmentally-friendly home renovations, is fundamentally flawed and can put people at risk of losing their homes. Plus,
Episode 226: Health Care Sharing Ministries
Jun 27, 2021 · 32 min
Health Care Sharing Ministries, or HCSMs, advertise themselves as a more affordable, faith-based alternative to health insurance. But John Oliver explains some of the massive limit
Episode 227: Housing Discrimination
Jul 25, 2021 · 39 min
John Oliver breaks down the long history of housing discrimination in the U.S., the damage it's done, and, crucially, what we can do about it.
Episode 228: Emergency Medical Services
Aug 1, 2021 · 31 min
John Oliver explains how emergency medical services function in the U.S., why they can be so expensive, and what we can do to fix things.
Episode 229: Opioids III – The Sacklers
Aug 8, 2021 · 32 min
John Oliver explains how the Sackler family has been handling lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, how hard they've been fighting to defend their name, and why you should judge t
Episode 230: Ransomware
Aug 15, 2021 · 32 min
John Oliver discusses ransomware attacks, why they’re on the rise, and what can be done about them.
August 22, 2021: Afghanistan
Aug 22, 2021 · 32 min
John Oliver discusses the end of America's war with Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis being left behind.
September 12, 2021: Lukashenko
Sep 12, 2021 · 28 min
John Oliver discusses the longtime leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and the many reasons his country's citizens have not to like him.
September 26, 2021: Voting Rights
Sep 26, 2021 · 40 min
John Oliver discusses the current attacks on voting rights, who's behind them, and what we can do about it. Plus, John enters several paintings in the annual Duck Stamp contest.
October 3, 2021: PFAS
Oct 3, 2021 · 28 min
John Oliver discusses PFAS - a class of chemicals linked to an array of health issues - and why their widespread use isn't as magical as it may seem.
Episode 235
Oct 10, 2021 · 29 min
John Oliver discusses how misinformation spreads among immigrant diaspora communities, how little some platforms have done to stop it, and, most importantly, how to have a very goo
Episode 236
Oct 24, 2021 · 31 min
John Oliver discusses Taiwan's history of being governed by other countries, its fraught present-day relationship with China, and what its citizens would want their future to look
Episode 237
Oct 31, 2021 · 31 min
With homelessness increasing nationwide, John Oliver takes a look at the way we discuss the unhoused, what policy failures are making the problem worse, and how we can help.
Episode 238
Nov 7, 2021 · 29 min
John Oliver discusses the current state of the nation's power grid, why it needs fixing, and, of course, how fun the balloons are.
Episode 239
Nov 14, 2021 · 39 min
John Oliver discusses the mechanics of union busting, why the companies who do it face so few consequences, and what it really means when your manager wants to talk to you about "y