SNL 50 was more than an anniversary episode. It was a three-day celebration of Saturday Night’s decades of cultural impact crafted just for fans. It was an unconventional family reunion for comedy’s most iconic, beloved faces. Above all else, it was a historic day for annoying comedy fans everywhere. That being said, it was everything I wanted it to be and more. It has officially been one week since SNL 50, so here is a look back at my favorite moments:
- “New York 50th Musical”: John Mulaney’s musical sketches never disappoint. Singing through decades of New York history, cameos from dozens of former cast members was the pinnacle of SNL 50 for me. From Mulaney singing “Cocaine and Some Vodka” with Nathan Lane, Kate McKinnon “throwing away her shot” as Rudy Giuliani alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarah Sherman’s spot-on impression of Michael Bloomberg, and Mulaney and Pete Davidson reuniting on the stage where they first met, this sketch checked every box for me.
- “Scared Straight”: Scared Straight is one of my absolute favorite recurring sketches on SNL. Seeing Kenan Thompson back in his tan jumpsuit, trying not to break alongside Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell in his short shorts cemented this as one of the night’s most memorable moments for me.
- “Digital Short: Anxiety”: Andy Samberg’s return to digital shorts after his reign with The Lonely Island was something I was truly hoping for heading into SNL 50. Samberg and Bowen Yang were a dynamic duo in this short. Incorporating the cast and crew into the end of the short sealed this in my top three segments.
- “Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years”: I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry. Adam Sandler’s song was a seamless balance of jokes and tributes, encapsulating just how bittersweet this family reunion was, particularly in the absence of comedy legends Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald.
- “Weekend Update: Bill Murray”: Ranking “Tina and Amy” just ahead of “Tina and Jimmy,” ranking Chevy Chase at number four despite him creating Weekend Update, and not ranking Colin Jost at all made this short guest appearance one of my favorite moments.
- “Close Encounter”: I was thrilled to see Kate McKinnon back as Colleen Rafferty, a character that never fails to make her fellow castmates break character. Playing her mother, Meryl Streep was unsurprisingly flawless in her first-ever appearance on SNL, never glancing at the cue cards once.
- “Lorne’s Best Friends From Growing Up”: Having Seth Meyers return as a host of Weekend Update had this segment off to a great start. Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer’s chemistry truly withstood the test of time, it was amazing seeing them back behind the Update desk.
On the podcast Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out, Seth Meyers described SNL as “so beautifully uneven… the worst show has something great and the best show has something terrible.”
SNL 50, in my opinion, was the exception to this rule. Every sketch was nostalgic yet relevant, and beautifully self-aware. It was everything I wanted without being solely what I anticipated. It was a true testament to just how solid an SNL episode can be with an extra week’s time.
But, as Meyers remarked, the show’s short turnaround time brings about “no time to say, ‘Maybe this is a bad idea.’” Although unconventional, this timeline has led to the characters and sketches I was grateful to see back in Studio 8H last Saturday.