Oliver is The (Lego) Man at HBO

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.–It looks like that free window on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will remain open for now.

Selected rants from the Sunday night HBO showcase featuring British-born comedian John Oliver have been available after every show on YouTube. A spokesperson for the premium cable network says there have been “some discussions” about how long to continue that process. HBO content is generally only available on HBO, but the topical nature of Oliver’s satirical take on the news does not have the shelf life of, say, True Detective. If the links sent to me by my college-age son are any indication, getting the clips out there now does seem like a great way to build interest in the series.

There was no Oliver session at Thursday’s HBO portion of the TCA press tour, but the show is in the early running for the semi-annual “Kitsch of the Press Tour” award for the two-pierce Oliver Lego man leave behind found in HBO bags handed out Thursday to critics.

The series goes “live to tape” Sundays in New York, where Oliver has been sharing studio space with Bethany Frankel. Oliver has aimed blistering–and hilarious–barbs in recent weeks at FIFA, Dr. Oz and net neutrality.

Little known fact: HBO can thank Ricky Gervais for scouting Oliver. Seems, seven or so years ago, Jon Stewart asked frequent Daily Show guest Gervais if he knew another funny Englishman who could contribute to the show. Gervias said get a hold of this Oliver guy and the rest is history.