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If there is any small amount of surprise that HBO renewed its satirical news program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, it's only from fans who were hoping Oliver might return to his Daily Show roots at Comedy Central, and take over for the departing Jon Stewart.

But, it is not meant to be, as HBO has announced today that it is renewing the show for its third and fourth seasons of 35 shows each.

With Oliver now firmly out of the running, who would you like to see host The Daily Show after Stewart?

Here's the full press release for the renewal:

 LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17, 2015 – HBO has renewed LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER for its third and fourth seasons, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. Consisting of 35 shows apiece, season three will run on HBO in 2016, to be followed by season four in 2017.

 

“We are incredibly proud to have John as part of the HBO family,” said Lombardo. “His unique ability to deliver socially significant commentary week after week, along with his innate comedic brilliance, puts John in a class by himself.”

 

Presenting a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events, as well as addressing broader issues, LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER returned for its 35-episode second season Feb. 8, debuting new showsSunday night (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

 

The show is the only weekly news-oriented comedy series to be presented on Sunday night. Taped in New York a few hours before it debuts on HBO, the show features a mix of Oliver’s topical commentary on the previous week’s events, pre-taped pieces and occasional guests.

 

In the first season, which concluded last November, Oliver covered a wide range of topics, from net neutrality and Uganda’s anti-LGBT laws, to Miss America, climate change and civil forfeiture abuse by the police.

 

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER has just received a Writers Guild Award in the category of Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series.

 

Hailing LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER as “2014’s best show,” the Huffington Post called it “one of the defining conversation starters in both popular culture and news media,” praising “a winning star, astute tactics and a self-awareness that’s remarkably on point.” In addition, it was named to “best of” lists for the year by the AP, the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, TIME, Vanity Fair, the Boston Globe, the Detroit News, Rolling Stone and the San Francisco Chronicle, among many others. Videos featuring content from the show, as well as original material designed exclusively for the web, have been viewed by millions of people.

 

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER is produced for HBO by Avalon Television; executive producers, John Oliver, Tim Carvell, Jon Thoday, James Taylor; co-executive producer, Liz Stanton; producer, Diane Fitzgerald; director, Jim Hoskinson.

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