John Oliver, Martin Sheen create the perfect doomsday video


In the early days of CNN, Ted Turner made a tape that could only be played at the end of the world, taking it upon himself to decide that when humanity is on the brink of extinction, the best thing to do is watch a marching band play the hymn "Nearer, My God to Thee." John Oliver is not impressed, and decided to enlist Martin Sheen to narrate a celebratory doomsday video that can send us out with a bang. In the clip below, Sheen shares some of humanity's greatest achievements (and some bloopers), but the highlight of the video is watching cats wearing tiny hats pretend to be bartenders and cowboys in an old west saloon. It makes absolutely no sense, but you'll be so delighted — not to mention confused — that when the time comes, you won't even notice that you're taking your last breath. —Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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