There is likely no way that Comedy Central could have kept John Oliver. He was offered his HBO gig in April 2014. John Stewart didn't retire until August 2015. Aside from pushing Stewart aside and giving Oliver that slot, he'd definitely leave (HBO probably is paying Oliver far more than CC).

I would argue that Wilmore was arguably better than Bee... but there is a smaller audience for a show more based on African-American issues. It definitely wasn't for lack of 'edge' that it failed (maybe it had too much edge).

Perhaps Bee should have gotten the TDS over Noah, but I actually like Noah's outsider view. But maybe you give Bee TDS and Noah the show after.

I didn't like Noah at first but now he's settled in and I watch everyday. Not as good as Bee or Oliver's shows but much better than Wilmore. I usually skip the interview segment, especially if it's some actor/musician I've never heard of.

I am a fan of Trevor Noah's. Anyone that took over from Jon Stewart was going to struggle but I like Noah's style and I'm still enjoying TDS.

I believe that the biggest unsung group has been the writers. Tim Carvell was a mainstay in Jon Stewart's time (and the head writer according to wikipedia) and he went to HBO with John Oliver as the showrunner. I'm guessing that there were others but I'm not really familiar with them. Stewart, Noah, Colbert and Oliver would be nothing without the teams of writers and researchers that create the show. Without many of these talented individuals, these shows would be five minutes of Trump jokes and scatology.

Hearing John Oliver say "fucking" is worth every penny

Soo... basically FOFC? ;)