The 25 Best SNL Sketches of 2018
In honor of tonight's return of Saturday Night Live after a 4-week holiday hiatus, I consider it fitting to do one more retrospective look at 2018: the best SNL skits from the year. 2018 was an interesting year for the show: the tail-end of Season 43 and first half of Season 44 have been short on phenomenal episodes, but have been jampacked with phenomenal skits. Honestly, I can probably count the A/A+ episodes from the calendar year on one hand, but trimming the list to even 25 skits for this article was one of the toughest elimination processes I've had in a long time.
So, with the recognition that there are several funny skits that will not receive the shoutout they probably deserve, here are my Top 25:
25. "Handmaids In The City" (Amy Schumer, May 12th)
The idea of a Handmaids Tale/Sex In The City crossover is so crass, but I love how much the ladies are delighting in how dark the humor is. The fact that the audience is clearly somewhat uncomfortable during this sketch somehow makes it even funnier to me.
24. "HSN" (Claire Foy, December 1st)
I am founder, president, and CEO of the "Cecily Strong Is Overdue For An Acting Emmy" Foundation, so no surprise that she stars in several of this list's sketches. This skit was mostly a vehicle for Cecily to be absolutely ridiculous, but its humor is accentuated by Aidy Bryant's look-directly-in-the-camera disapproving mother, and Claire Foy's and Kenan Thompson's inch-perfect Southern HSN talk show hosts.
23. "Flight Attendants" (Will Ferrell, January 27th)
Clearly, I'm a sucker for Southern accents that are actually enjoyable, and not stupid stereotypes. That's what makes this one tic, is Will Ferrell's seemingly charming Southern flight attendant, who as it turns out, is much more interested in sharing his newfound views on religion and our existence than he is in performing a flight safety rap.
22. "Jurassic Park Screen Test" (Bill Hader, March 17th)
I'll admit I'm easily impressed by these rapidfire celebrity impression pieces. It does of course require a high amount of impressions to actually be really good. This selection was dino-mite. (I'm sorry.)
21. "Science Show" (Sam Rockwell, January 13th)
Was this mostly hilarious and memorable because Sam Rockwell dropped the F-bomb live on TV? Sure. But the reason that was great is because you could totally see why his character would utter such a word, as Cecily and Mikey Day are just hysterical as the idiotic kid guests on Mr. Science's show.
20. "Natalie's Rap 2" (Natalie Portman, February 3rd)
In Natalie Portman's first hosting gig since March of 2006, it was almost to be expected that she'd reprise one of the most memorable SNL skits of the previous decade. What was perhaps unexpected was that, despite not being as fresh or shocking, the sequel was every bit as funny and enjoyable as the original.
19. "Chicago Improv" (Tina Fey May 19th)
Even without getting all the improv inside jokes (little known fact, I didn't make my college Improv team), this was a great one. I think I speak for everyone when I say the market is there for an uber-dramatic look at the gritty world of Chicago improv.
18. "Fresh Prince" (Jessica Chastain, January 20th)
Chris Redd creates an alternate universe in which things went, er, very differently for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This just gets better and better.
17. "Emergency Alert" (Awkwafina, October 6th)
I know a lot has happened since then, but remember when the President's office tested out an emergency text alert? Yeah. That could be a very bad thing, given who's sitting in the President's office. This skit hilariously highlights that, with an added brand-specific twist at the end.
16. "Weezer" (Matt Damon, December 15th)
This was one of a couple skits in this manner in 2018, and Sterling K. Brown's passionate defense of Shrek is also worth watching. But the increasingly aggressive interplay between Matt Damon and Leslie Jones make this a standout.
15. "Graduation Commercial" (Amy Schumer, May 12th)
In the style of the brilliant "Christmas Mass" skit from 2014, comes another event worthy of a promo ad: High School Graduation. If you can't point to someone you know for each of the roles in this skit, you clearly didn't go to high school.
14. "Paranormal Occurrence" (Liev Schreiber, November 10th)
This is now the 5th installment of the adventures of Colleen Rafferty, and somehow these just are great every single time. That's mostly owed to the delivery and physical comedy brilliance of Kate McKinnon, but the writing is always to thank as well. This one was heavy on butt and vagina euphemisms, and also included Liev Schrieber masking his breaking character by hiding behind McKinnon's pelvic thrusts. In other words, par for the course.
13. "A Kanye Place" (Donald Glover, May 5th)
Once upon a time in 2018, everyone cared about what Kanye was tweeting. SNL took full advantage of the moment, combining the Kanye tweetstorm with the film of the summer, A Quiet Place.
12. "A Frightening Tale" (Seth Meyers, October 13th)
Keeping the horror-movie theme going, Seth Meyers' best skit from his hosting gig was this tale of true terror: an organized friend date with an aspiring filmmaker.
11. "Benihana" (Jonah Hill, November 3rd)
Not as well-known but every bit as iconic as Natalie's Rap(s) are Jonah Hill's performances as Adam Grossman, the streetwise 6-year old. If I'm not mistaken, Hill has done this bit every time he's hosted, and this his 5th time might have been the best one yet. Young Adam's insistence that his nanny in fact is Jamaican was so good it made Leslie Jones break character on multiple occasions.
10. "Brothers" (Liev Schreiber, November 10th)
Just simple, dumb, outrageous, high-energy physical comedy at its best.
9. "80's Music Video" (Donald Glover, May 5th)
First off, it's important to know this is based off a real song and a real music video. Yes, really. Secondly, as comically preposterous as Donald Glover's character is, this song is catchy as hell, and the man can SING. That is the brilliance of this skit. It's parody, wonderful comedy, and an impressive musical performance all in one.
8. "Black Jeopardy with Black Panther" (Chadwick Boseman, April 7th)
Speaking of repeated skits, "Black Jeopardy" has become an expected classic. I was in favor of retiring it after the Tom Hanks appearance back in 2016, because I assumed it couldn't be topped in quality. This one sure gave it a run for the money, though. Having the leader of Wakanda as a contestant on a very American show was a clever feature, and the payoff is delicious.
7. "Mother Knows Best" (Amy Schumer, May 12th)
Speaking of game shows, I'm not sure SNL have done anything quite as unsettling as this one. This was just brilliantly executed all around. Kate McKinnon's steely looks at the camera, Mikey's giggly son, the reactions of the others, and Amy Schumer's overly effusive YouTube star host.
6. "Diner Lobster" (John Mulaney, April 14th)
If not the outright funniest, there's no question this was the most memorable skit of the year. Who knew a sketch about ordering lobster at a diner could make me feel such deep things? And as Pete says, "this diner has incredible set design!"
5. "The War In Words" (Claire Foy, December 1st)
A parody of the "wartime letters" montages very common in war documentaries, this one escalates in wacky and wonderful ways. The contrast between Mikey Day's frustration and Claire Foy's calm "hee-hee" is delicious.
4. "Career Day" (Adam Driver, September 30th)
I never knew how much I wanted There Will Be Blood in skit form until I saw this. Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of the entire bit is that Adam Driver, the star of it, is about the only person who doesn't break during it. A true professional.
3. "Best Christmas Ever" (Matt Damon, December 15th)
An earlier version of this kind of humor, featuring Amy Schumer describing to her son the day of his birth, was also great. But this was simply marvelous in multiple ways. It was great acting by classic 'everyman' Matt Damon (and of course by Cecily Strong (#readyforanEmmy)), the cutting and editing of the jokes were outstanding; then, perhaps fittingly given the season, the skit had a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion.
2. "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open" (Adam Driver, September 30th)
For being one of the worst episodes of Season 44, Adam Driver's season opener finds 2 skits ranked in the Top 4. This one also revolves around a terrific performance by Damon, though this time not as host, but as a guest actor. The shame that was the Brett Kavanaugh hearing (and subsequent confirmation) did not exactly seem like a gold mine of a source for jokes. Yet, Season 44 started boldly, with a 9-minute epic parody of the Justice-to-be and his various Congressional interviewers. Every minute is worth watching, if only to laugh in order to keep from crying.
1. "Friendos" (Donald Glover, May 5th)
Followers of The Couch will not be surprised to see this take the top spot of the year, as it was the only skit since the inception of the "SNL Scorecard" to earn a 10/10. It of course helps if you're familiar with rap group Migos, on whom the fictional "Friendos" is very obviously based, but even if you are not, you can appreciate the juxtaposition of addicting club trap music and bond-strengthening cathartic therapy sessions.