Comedian John Oliver's analysis of the impact of the mushrooming federal debt is no joke.

Mr. Oliver, a pioneer of the satirical TV news genre, was senior British correspondent at The Daily Show from 2006 to 2013. Since his HBO Sunday, 11 p.m., show 2014, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, has won 13 Emmy Awards, which is an entertainment industry award.

More to the point, the Peabody Awards, which recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service in mass media, has been awarded twice to Last Week Tonight in the past six years. That's serious.