John Oliver Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ To Host Weekly HBO Series

John Oliver is leaving The Daily Show after seven years.

Oliver, who joined The Daily Show as its Senior British Correspondent in 2006, will host his own “topical weekly comedy series” at HBO. The program launches in 2014, and will air Sunday nights. Similar to The Daily Show, Oliver’s new series will take a satirical look at news, politics, and current events.

“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 HBO president Michael Lombardo in a statement. “We are extremely excited that John has agreed to make HBO his home.”

John Oliver hosted The Daily Show for eight weeks this summer while Jon Stewart was filming his upcoming drama, Rosewater, in Jordan. The film is based on the memoir, Then They Came for Me, by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy, which chronicles Bahari’s family history and his arrest and 118-day imprisonment following the 2009 Iran presidential election.

Oliver’s turn hosting The Daily Show received generally positive reviews from critics, with some suggesting he should succeed Stewart or get his own show.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining HBO, especially as I presume this means I get free HBO now,” John Oliver said. “I want to thank Comedy Central, and everyone at The Daily Show for the best seven and a half years of my life. But most of all, I’d like to thank Jon Stewart. He taught me everything I know. In fact, if I fail in the future, it’s entirely his fault.”

The 36-year-old Birmingham, England, native had a recurring role on Community as Dr. Ian Duncan, a professor of psychology at Greendale Community College. Oliver didn’t appear in the third season, and his absence was referenced by Troy (Donald Glover) in the fourth season when he asks if anyone has seen him lately. Oliver turned down a regular role because he didn’t want to leave The Daily Show.

[Photo credit: Generation Progress / Flickr]