S1 E24: The Lottery, Erdogan & a Fish Cannon: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 

This is like finding a $20 bill in your pants every time you reload your youtu e homepage

Salmon Cannon is still one of my favourite segments ever - just, the way they got all those people from different networks together to participate in something ultimately meaningless but most definitely joyful.

Guys I went and looked up all the links John gave us and holy sh*t it is still up and it's still funny years later.

It is 2024…. World is being torn apart by wars, pandemic and greedy people in government and corporations. But fish cannon still reminds us- humanity still can do great things.

I cannot believe that this is the first time I've seen that fish cannon bit! I laughed so hard it hurt! Thank you so much, LWT team, for gifting us these old episodes for free here on RU-vid. You've legitimately made my whole month!

I need everyone to know about the Survive The Sound fish tracking game. Every year, scientists in Washington State microchip some salmon to track their journey to Puget Sound. These fish are then given names and cartoon avatars. Some of my favorites are Brian Mackerel, Sergeant Snackbar, and Floundry10. Businesses (usually local and/or fish-related, but not always) can sponsor a fish. For example, Floundry10 was obviously sponsored by Foundry10. This funds the restoration of salmon habitats. Some teachers also have their students sign up and pick a fish to track on their journey. When I was in high school, I picked Forest, who, if I remember correctly, got eaten by a sea lion at one of the dams that the salmon cannon helps fish across. This year, Survive The Sound begins on May 6th.

THEIR THEME SONG HAS LYRICS!? How have I gone ten years without knowing that?

John oliver being free to watch on RU-vid! A match made in heaven!

He looks so young. So happy.

The salmon cannon is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

I have sat here while working from home, with this playlist going since yesterday. Sad I have hit the end. Can't wait for the next season to get uploaded.

The Salmon Canon lives rent-free inside my head.

The actors keeping a straight face after getting fished was funny

I was curious as to whether or not the Mike Bloomberg sites he mentioned near the beginning were still up or not, so I checked All 3 remain online, all these years later. Amazing.

Ten whole years have passed of me being an avid watcher of the RU-vid clips of this show and *this* is the first time I've heard that there are LYRICS to the theme?? Sidenote: I'm oddly emotional seeing a 10 years younger dancing John

One of the best 30 minutes of tv there is.

S1 E24 (aired November 9, 2014)

Imagine buying a ‘98 Mazda for $2500 today. Wild

Ready to rewatch season 2!!!

When I first moved to Michigan, I tried to find public transparency documents on the lottery. Couldn't find them. Mind-boggling to think the state runs an organization that manages billions with so little accountability.

I remember pretty much all of Season 1 well! I was teaching English in Prague at the time. I had a few groups of students who worked at an organization that ran a lottery there (Now I remember the name - Sazka), and I showed them part of this episode in class for listening practice and discussion.

So this is the episode that started the bit of buying random URLs… incredible!

From Oregon. I remember when the lottery, and state gambling, first started. I was pushed as a way to fund schools. Since then, legislation has siphoned that money off to so many other things, that education is getting a pittance from Oregon Lottery.

Salmon Cannon LITERALLY never gets old. It always brings tears to my eyes - because I'm laughing so hard.

Throwback to when Seth did a standing monologue

My mother remembers when Washington state lottery started and is still very disappointed the money they said was going to the schools STILL hasn't made it to the schools.

So glad for the full episodes. I'm 36, but I want to be John Oliver when I grow up.

Still classic with the salmon canon. I can just hear the call: “You guys wanna be on HBO?”

That fish cannon bit has me rollin in my bed at 6am!!! The look on some of those actors' faces was priceless! Wamda Syke's "WTH?" was timeless. How were those soap opera actors able to keep straight faces when the fish hit her in the face during their dramatic moment? I wanted it to go on forever... LOL! 🦈 🦈 🦈

I’m ready for season two to drop! 😊

Did i really just binge all of season 1 in one day!

I love the salmon cannon bit! 😆 🤣 😂

THIS IS A GEM I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED!!!

Needing season 2 in full as fast as those fish are moving through that cannon! 😂🤣

The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

Couldn't wait for this next episode

The salmon cannon segment is the best thing ever made. EVAH

I was dying over the fish cannon ..one of the best clips ever

The commitment to the bit

JOHN OLIVER speaks the brutal truth hilariously!

God bless you John for calling out the lottery scammers! Where's our superfunded education systems?!

It feels like I haven't seen this episode for 10 years!

🎉 make old uploads great again! Lol watching the ones I missed (most of them)

The fish launching had laughing so hard.

if I won the lottery I'd buy a whole cart of groceries and not worry about the cost.

Wait does the LWT song have lyrics?! It’s had lyrics this whole time?!!

The real tragedy is that they don't bring the Salmon cannon back every episode.

They need to revisit the Salmon cannon in this time of war.

Well, I just finished watching the entire season 1. Thank you for this. Here's hoping for LWT to do this some more.

I have so many things I need to warn 2014 John Oliver about...

We thank YOU, Jon Oliver!

That is one hell of a salmon cannon!

Didn't know the Salmon Canon was this early. With so many cameos I thought It was at least at season 2 bit

#ThankyouHBO for making the complete episodes available. I can't even access HBO where I live.

How can you not love John Oliver, classic comedy!

It is SO amazing to have these shows available on RU-vid!

Wait wait wait...the show theme has lyrics?

I will never be over the RBG chihuahua

I can't believe they showered John Oliver with fake salmon for the halibut.

We will never be able to unsee a raw rotisserie chicken strip dancing

I started watching this show routinely 5 years ago. I was only 13 when it started… so understandably was not watching this. I am very happy to be watching season one for the first time.

The fingers crossed in green and white was the old logo for Virginia in the early 90's

Wow! Those sites are still active. 😄

The Oregon Lottery money is going to schools, but the legislature removed school funding from the state budget.

No one ever wins the lottery, it's always somebody else.

That when you know you have friends in the industry when you can interject into their show for a gag

craziest thing is how true John Oliver is to his sense of humor over time. the style hasnt changed much cuz it didn't have to... quality journalist + quality humor in a weird unique John Oliver kind of way!

I am going to watch the salmon cannon over and over

Nailed it they did, love the Salmon cannon

Truly one of the absolute BEST shows on the airwaves today AMAZING WRITERS!! thank you thank you 💙💙💙

Best use of fake salmon.

I can't with the Salmon bit!!! 🤣👌

Who else binge-watched all episodes in like 2 days from release?

Jet Force 5!!! Even w the salmon blasts. Where were you on this Kimmel?

Funnily enough two states I've lived in have been in the liquor business

Salmon F'ing Cannon.

The Danube Waltz was made for fish cannon

All praise the glorious Salmon Cannon!😂

A National Treasure for all topics he and his staff, Paws of Justice, and more cover. When the EP ended with the year 2015 I checked my 2024 calendar and died a little inside. Thanks for making Sundays so very worth looking towards for so long, even if I'm ancient

I came here for the fish cannon.

Salmon cannon is perfect. *chef's kiss*

Thank you for uploading the entirety of season 1 from a current HBO subscriber! 🧡💛🧡

The salmon bit is like a time capsule of a specific era of tv

The fish cannon was the best use of fish as props since Monty Python's legendary Fish Slapping Dance bit.

Ten years after this first aired we now have sports leagues like the NHL that exclusively run ads for online gambling sites. Not to mention the ubiquitous nature of alcohol in this part of the world. It really does not instil any real sense that we care about the destructive influence that this has on people struggling with addiction. We still callously wave our fingers at those poor souls dealing with it as though the game isn’t completely stacked against them. If you have managed to escape from the clutches of alcohol or gambling or any other destructive substance then my heart goes out to you. You are an incredibly strong person and you have my utmost respect. You beat the odds in a world that fully expected you to fail if not conspired against you and you promptly told it to fuck right off. Because YOU have shit to do and a life to live. Keep going. 🤟

Does anyone know when we can expect the next seasons to drop? Even though I have seen ALL of them already, when they were aired, I really can't wait to watch them again. This is such great entertainment!

Thank you LWT for uploading the entire first season! I hope for more but either way, I will NOT pay HBO for this show.

The mid video advert I had was for an online casino….. read the room, algorithm. Read the room.

At the end, he got clocked right in the balls with a salmon. Physical comedy is still so very simple and effective Thanks HBO!!

16:20 A lost man turned 98, he won the lottery… died the next day.

I'm surprised that the salmon cannon has been declassified. I think it's a not so subtle warning to anyone who wants to mess with us

I miss this format of the show. Still adore LWT, but this was the best iteration of the format imo.

The guy from Gaza hits different now. He was literally scare for his live😮

Lol if I ever win the lottery or hit a jackpot, I would want to stay anonymous to but I wouldn’t go in with a bag over my head 😂 I know a lot of people who will attempt to take advantage of me or only notice me when they need my hand and company

If you suffered a concussion from John Olivers salmon cannon you may be entitled to compensation!!

The house is all I needed to see to now understand why tRumpf loves him so much.

I require a small documentary about how to get got the salmon bit to work. I have so many questions.

Oil Drill???!! That's the picture of a pump-jack... that's pumping oil not drilling for it... you're right. There's no joy in my life...

After watching multiple season one episodes recently, it ‘s just amazing how history is repeating itself. Different years, different presidents, but it still feels current in 2024.

I can't believe I've really been watching him for so long, time is meaningless, long live the salmon cannon