John Oliver on Why America Needs to Finish Off the Death Penalty

The “Daily Show” veteran’s new Sunday night show “Last Week Tonight” was only two episodes into its first season on HBO when John Oliver was forced to tackle a doozy. In the wake of Oklahoma’s horrifically botched execution last week, the comedian had no choice but to discuss the biggest news item that occurred in the seven days before his program aired, as this is the model for his show.

After acknowledging that he doesn’t have as much experience with capital punishment since it’s now illegal in the U.K., the Brit goes into detail about all the ways his countrymen used to torturously kill their criminals with cutesy-named apparatuses. Then, the show host enumerates some of the many, many reasons why the death penalty should no longer exist in America, and leaves us with a poignant question followed by a fantastic reward for sitting through his discussion: a video of tiny hamsters eating tiny burritos.

Believe me, you won’t regret watching a minute of it. Let’s just hope Oliver continues to take on difficult subjects every Sunday because it not only brings out the best in him as a comedian but will make his “Last Week Tonight” a show worth its salt.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata