Explainer shows, explained: Shows like John Oliver's Last Week Tonight aim to go viral while teaching millennials about stuff

The Ringer

"The Explainer Show fulfills more or less the same purpose as a specialized news report or a PBS special, and as such is targeted at the demographic least likely to consume said show as part of their media diets: millennials," says Alison Herman of shows like Last Week Tonight, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and even Kal Penn's This Giant Beast That Is the Global Economy. Herman adds: "In recent years, this distinct category has grown an even narrower subgroup. The core idea remains in place: wrapping factoids in punch lines can make them more palatable, while giving them a more explicit point of view can make their biases more transparent. But rather than responding to a given news cycle’s headlines, these series prefer to choose their battles. They want to start a conversation, not join one. And because they’re deliberately choosing subjects that aren’t already on viewers’ minds, they take on the initial burden of introducing them to their audience. Call it the Explainer Show."