John Oliver didn’t disappoint fans or Warner Bros. Discovery with his expected “hot take” on HBO Max’s latest identity flip-flop. But he made one thing clear: the scathing commentary was on his terms.
On the latest episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver took aim at both politics and branding chaos, roasting former President Donald Trump’s war on the media and HBO’s baffling branding trajectory in the same breath. [John Oliver appears mid-monologue, a graphic behind him showing the HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, and Max logos.]
Referencing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s defense of renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” — and barring the Associated Press for refusing to adopt the name — Oliver segued into a takedown of HBO’s own confusing naming history.
“It’s not as simple as you’re making it out there,” Oliver said. “Especially because it can take time for people to adjust to a stupid name change. Sometimes, hypothetically, before we could even get used to one dumb name —”
[The screen flashed: HBO Go]
“— some genius comes along and only makes it dumber.”
[HBO Now appears, then HBO Max, then finally Max.]
“Then against all the odds, somehow it becomes even worse before inexplicably going back to the stupid thing it was before.”
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do”
The Emmy-winning comic directly addressed Deadline’s prior report quoting streaming marketing chief Shauna Spenley, who said the company “couldn’t wait” to hear Oliver’s take.
“Please look me in the eyes when I say this: F— you, don’t tell me what to do,” Oliver snapped. “I’m not going to do it if you want it — unless… wait, hold on… maybe you thought baiting me like that would be a good way to stop me from doing it. But on the other hand, how could a company be that smart when they’re the same people that came up with so many stupid f—ing names?”
[Split-screen image: Oliver gesturing passionately on one side, HBO’s rebrand timeline mocked up on the other.]
HBO’s own social media team has joined in the self-deprecating fun, using memes and throwback content to acknowledge the confusion. One viral post compared the name shifts to a meme from Euphoria’s Alexa Demie saying, “Bitch, you better be joking.” [Tweet shown on-screen with HBO Max logo timeline and Demie’s viral quote.]
ABC, Doctor Odyssey, and “Big Deck Energy”
Later in the segment, Oliver turned his attention to ABC. After playing a clip of Trump lashing out at a reporter for asking about a $400 million Qatari plane, Oliver mocked Trump’s insult — but redirected his ire.
“That is pretty hostile,” Oliver said. “Though I actually agree ABC should be embarrassed—not for that totally legitimate question, but for the fact that, as of taping, they still haven’t renewed Doctor Odyssey for Season 2.”
Describing the show as “sexy ER on a boat” and “The Pitt with sharks,” he raved about its absurd pilot — which included a shrimp overdose, a waterslide injury, and a penile fracture.
“Are you not entertained?” Oliver shouted, quoting Gladiator, before roasting ABC’s decision to keep The Rookie and Will Trent over Doctor Odyssey.
[Clip shown: a dramatic shot from Doctor Odyssey, followed by audience laughter.]
“What the f— are you doing, ABC?” he continued. “How is a show about a rookie on its eighth season? And Will Trent—what even is that? ‘He’s dyslexic but a special agent’? But Doctor Odyssey, the only show brave enough to ask: ‘What if sick… but boat?’ That’s on the bubble?”
He ended the rant by declaring, “You’re a disgrace, ABC. Your network is a disaster.”
Renewal Still Uncertain
Despite Oliver’s impassioned plea, Doctor Odyssey’s fate remains unknown. As Deadline previously reported, Disney Television Group chief Craig Erwich recently confirmed that Ryan Murphy’s maritime drama “isn’t currently on our schedule.”
“Ryan’s really busy,” Erwich said, pointing to other Murphy projects like 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville, and All’s Fair. “So we’re just continuing those creative conversations with him.”
Season 1 wrapped just last Thursday, and with cast contracts expiring at the end of June, a decision on renewal or cancellation is imminent.
