John Oliver leaving ‘The Daily Show’ for his own comedy series at HBO

John Oliver, who won praise for his stint as Jon Stewart’s temporary replacement this summer on “The Daily Show,” will be getting his own topical series on HBO beginning in 2014, the network announced today.

“We weren’t otherwise searching for another weekly talk show, but when we saw John Oliver handling host duties on ‘The Daily Show,’ we knew that his singular perspective and distinct voice belonged on HBO,” said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, in a news release. “We are extremely excited that John has agreed to make HBO his home.”

Oliver will not continue at “The Daily Show,” where he has been a writer and correspondent since 2006, a Comedy Central spokesman confirmed on Thursday.

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“ ‘The Daily Show’ and Comedy Central have a proud tradition of identifying and developing some of the greatest comedic voices of this generation. John Oliver is the next of a long line of ‘Daily Show’ alums that have moved on to do great things in the world of comedy. We wish him the very best,” said Comedy Central in a statement.

Oliver’s as-yet-untitled show will “take a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events,” according to HBO. In what may be a sign of confidence in the British comedian, Oliver’s series will air on Sunday, HBO’s marquee night. The network has not yet determined whether it will be an hour, like the long-running “Real Time With Bill Maher,” which airs on Fridays, or a half-hour, like “The Daily Show.”

Oliver stepped in as host of “The Daily Show” for 12 weeks this summer while Stewart was in Jordan filming his directorial debut, “Rosewater.” Despite frequent self-deprecating jokes about his hosting skills, Oliver earned nearly universal raves for his performance. By the time Stewart returned to the airwaves in September, some in the press were declaring Oliver “heir apparent” to “The Daily Show.”

In an interview with the Times earlier this year, Oliver said he “”couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

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Twitter: @MeredithBlake