John Oliver Takes on Daytime TV with Delightfully Wooden Soap Opera Roles

Soap operas have long been a staple of daytime television, but in recent months, they've gained a new and unlikely fan: John Oliver. The Last Week Tonight host has been making waves in the world of soap operas, appearing in two shows with his signature straight-faced humor. Oliver's foray into soap operas began with a three-episode arc on General Hospital, where he played the role of Z, head of the World Security Bureau. His performance was delightfully wooden, with Oliver playing it just straight enough to avoid tipping into outright comedy. However, his appearance was not without its challenges, as his recognizable face and wardrobe made it difficult for him to fully disappear into the character. Despite these challenges, Oliver's passion for soap operas shone through in his performance. He had previously expressed his love for the genre on his HBO show, and his desire to appear in a soap opera was motivated in part by a professional jealousy of ESPN shock jock Stephen A. Smith, who has been a regular on General Hospital since 2007. Oliver's conditions for appearing in a soap opera were clear: he wanted to play a character, not himself, and he wanted a dramatic closeup of his face. He also wanted the character's name to be ridiculous, and for the storyline to be juicy. In his General Hospital appearance, Oliver ticked all these boxes, playing a turncoat villain who delivers zingers to empty rooms. Oliver's soap opera stint continued with a three-episode arc on Days of Our Lives, where he played the role of Devlin St. John, chief water inspector for the soap's mythic town of Salem. His performance was similarly delightful, with Oliver trading blows with a Josh Duhamel lookalike and delivering zingers to empty rooms. The soap operas appear to have gotten exactly what they bargained for: a viewership bump. Oliver's General Hospital cameo coincided with the show's highest weekly audience in 15 weeks, and his appearance on Days has been similarly buzzy. Overall, Oliver's soap stint has made such an impression that other seasoned actors could soon be lining up behind him for their daytime chance. While some have framed Oliver's daytime walkabout as a last-gasp, late-career move, his genuine enthusiasm and commitment to the performance have won over many fans. By making soap operas fun and worth watching again, Oliver has done a service to the genre, and his passion for soap operas is clear in every scene he appears in. In an interview with Vulture, Days executive producer Ken Corday praised Oliver's ability to regurgitate reams of script pages and last-minute alterations, making it possible to jam his arc into already completed episodes without disturbing the overall story flow. Corday also noted that Oliver's machine-gun-like speaking style required some work to adapt to the show's pace. Oliver's soap opera stint has been a welcome respite from the more grounded drama of court shows, reality TV, and Law & Order reruns. As the world of daytime television continues to evolve, it's clear that soap operas still have a place in the hearts of audiences, and John Oliver's delightfully wooden performances have been a major part of that. Only time will tell if Oliver's soap opera stint will lead to more opportunities for other actors, but one thing is certain: his passion for the genre has brought a new level of excitement and energy to the world of daytime television.