Some people use their summers to visit exotic locations like Europe or the Bahamas. Last Week Tonight host John Oliver went to Port Charles, home of the good people who work at General Hospital. Following a public plea to be featured on the incredibly long-running soap opera, since last Thursday the Last Week Tonight host has been gleefully chewing scenery as World Security Bureau director “Z,” interrogating witnesses and suspects and getting the shit slapped out of him by Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright).
Z (his “nom de guerre”) was first introduced in the final moments of the Thursday episode last week, which featured him exiting a helicopter, inspecting the aftermath of a firefight, casually shooting one dude on the ground, and then telling the injured Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) that he was there to help.
In Friday’s episode, Z mostly spoke with Josslyn about her memories of the firefight (doing some very good active listening, way to pay attention during acting class) before eventually getting confronted by the slap-happy Carly, Josslyn’s mother — their scene in Monday’s episode culminated in the aforementioned slapping.
It’s very funny that even though Oliver is attempting an American accent, you can kinda tell that he really wants to introduce himself as “Zed,” not “Zee” — Zed being the way British people pronounce the single letter. He certainly does use the phrase “a spanner in the works.” And really, that accent is about as American as bangers and mash.
Reactions to the Appearances
Scenes from his appearances, as you might expect, have flooded social media, with the big slap moment from Monday’s episode getting a well-deserved amount of attention.
It’s almost impossible not to laugh every time Oliver says a single word in character; the way he sells lines like “Where would be the fun in that?” is glorious. And as dead-eyed deadpan as Oliver’s performance is, it actually matches pretty well with the cast members he’s paired up with — without ever coming off as disrespectful to their own craft. He’s game, in other words, which is one of the best ways to be in general, and on soap operas in particular.
General Hospital’s History
John Oliver appearing as a high-ranking secret agent is far from the most ridiculous plotline that’s ever happened on General Hospital: A 2023 storyline found Mayor Laura Collins (Genie Francis) saving the world from a dysfunctional weather machine as well as a lethal biotoxin. Oh, and one time an alien showed up. When you’ve been on the air for over 60 seasons, after all, you’ve got to keep things interesting.
The WSB has actually been a foundational part of General Hospital since the 1970s, with the introduction of Agent Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers). Agent Robert Scorpio, I have just learned from Wikipedia, once had to help save the town of Port Charles “from being placed under a deep freeze by maniacal Mikkos Cassadine’s Ice Princess weather machine.” That happened in 1981.
Lasting Legacy
Tristan Rogers passed away from cancer in 2025, but was making appearances as Agent Robert Scorpio until close to the end of his life. He’s just one example of the long legacy of soaps, which have been entertaining fans for decades in a way that’s to be admired — the sort of American institution, like minor league baseball or duck stamps, that Last Week Tonight has always excelled at celebrating.
Really, the secret sauce that has kept Last Week Tonight so watchable since its premiere is the way the show, and Oliver, will lean full-tilt into some silly stunt in the midst of covering the very worst aspects of our current hellscape. Oliver appearing in multiple episodes of General Hospital falls very much into that category — a reminder that we all need escapism sometimes, that glorying in the ridiculous can sometimes be the fuel we need to keep going. Watching “Z” strut around in his dark suit (and notably dark hair) definitely qualifies. Who knows who will get slapped next, but without question they’ll deserve it.
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