John Oliver will remain on HBO through 2017

Check another name off that list of possible Jon Stewart replacements on “The Daily Show.” HBO announced on Tuesday that it was renewing “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” for two more seasons, keeping the British comedian on the channel through 2017.

Both seasons of the show will be 35 episodes.

Not that anyone is sure that Oliver himself wanted to go back to Comedy Central. The second season of his show debuted earlier this month, and by most accounts it’s gotten off to a surer start than even “The Daily Show” did back in 1996 with Craig Kilborn as host.

Still, by renewing the show now, HBO has effectively removed Oliver from any part of the discussion as to who should replace Stewart when he steps down later this year.

Oliver, as comedy fans surely remember, filled in for Stewart in the summer of 2013 while the comedian went to Jordan to film his movie “Rosewater.” It was that temporary hosting gig on “The Daily Show” that led to Oliver getting his own show on HBO.

While retaining the “fake news” format, Oliver has taken advantage of the lack of commercial breaks on HBO by doing deep-dives into complex subjects in a comedic way. Last week on the show, he tackled Big Tobacco. On previous installments, he has explained the importance of net netutrality and the corruption of the International Olympic Committee.

The renewal of Oliver’s HBO show comes on the heels of a current “Daily Show” correspondent, Jessica Williams, removing herself from the succession discussion via a series of Twitter messages in which she tells fans she’s not ready to take over the hosting chair from Stewart.

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