John Oliver took a left turn on Last Week Tonight and imagined a scenario where Stanley Tucci would be the host of the HBO late-night show.
While discussing Medicaid and everything wrong with the system, Oliver said the purpose of the show was not to make viewers feel good, otherwise it would be hosted by Stanley Tucci.
“If this show was supposed to make you feel good, it wouldn’t be hosted by me, it would be hosted by Stanley Tucci,” Oliver said as his reason for discussing hard topics affecting American citizens. “Can you imagine? You’d be watching an impossibly horny 30-minute deep dive on negronis right now.”
He continued, “That’s a better show. I wish this were that show. You wish this were that show. But guys, I’m sorry. It just isn’t.”
Earlier in the show, Oliver highlighted the election coverage in South Korea as “they go all out with the graphics” on television.
A supercut of the on-air graphics was showcased, and the politicians were shown in different action scenarios, such as riding in high-speed motorcycles and running away from a train, as in an action film.
“Wow! This might be the first time I say this and actually mean, but — cool!” Oliver said. “They used candidates in South Korea’s parliamentary elections to recreate the climax of Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.”
Another video graphic showed a candidate parachuting down to a train and kicking through a window while others flew around with jetpacks. Oliver examined how South Korea’s election graphics compared to those of U.S. networks and zeroed in on Steve Kornacki’s magic board on MSNBC.
“What do we get here instead? Steve Kornakic with his sleeves rolled up touching a screen? We’re doing this wrong! We’re doing all of this wrong!” Oliver shouted.
