SNL's 50th Anniversary Properly Celebrates a One-of-a-Kind Show

Saturday Night Live has lived so many lives since its premiere in October 1975, and the two constants over that time period have been: 1. creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, and 2. every generation of fans of the show claiming that the show is no longer funny like it was “back in their day.”

As its legacy and staying power has grown with every passing year, so too have the naysayers, critics and agnostics. Perhaps the number— or at least the ratio —of detractors hasn’t grown all that radically, but they are at least louder than ever before, as social media (as with all things) gives more and more people a megaphone through which to shout their opinions. Even speaking as a 20-year fan of the show myself, many of the groans the program’s long celebration of its 50th birthday has inspired are earned. SNL is in the rare position reserved for only the most wildly successful in our popular culture: it is both oversaturated and overrated... and yet, because of the amount of eye-rolls it elicits and slander it receives, also perhaps under-appreciated for how much of an American institution it is.

50 years of this show existing is truly a remarkable feat that just about nobody, save perhaps for Lorne Michaels, could have seen coming, and while you could argue the relentless hype for this fact (constant references/promotion on network television, Saturday Night movie, 4-part docuseries, Questlove-produced documentary about music on SNL) was overkill, the weekend of celebration was not. There's a reason so many A-listers from Hollywood, sports, even politics wanted to be at the concert and at the anniversary special

After each normal episode of Saturday Night Live, I write up a scored recap for the show, but this was no normal episode of Saturday Night Live. Thus, in lieu of the traditional scorecard, I figured I would opt instead for more of a straightforward recap.

Short n' Sweet

I still remember watching SNL's 40th anniversary well-- it's hard for me to fathom that a decade has passed since then -- and recalled that it began with an extended musical but comedic monologue by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, and expected something tonally similar this time around. Instead, the show kicked off with a surprisingly sweet musical intro, featuring the odd-but-nice pairing of two musical shawties, Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter.

Monologue

I was curious who they’d bring out to helm the most distinctive part of the biggest episode yet, but who else would it be but the iconic Steve Martin, who has played a major role in the popularity of the show since its very first episode. It’s crazy how funny Steve still is to this day; he commands a stage with comedic timing like few others, and the writing was surprisingly sharp, lest you think the success of this monologue was simply down to charisma. Fun walk-on cameo by John Mulaney at the very end, too.

Lawrence Welk

I can't say I expected Kristen Wiig's Dooneese to be a character we’d see again, but I am not complaining in the least. I will never not laugh at this bit, and how well the 'Finger Lake' Sisters and whoever is host (in this case Will Ferrell) play off of Wiig's lunacy. I rolled my eyes at Kim Kardashian being involved, as I did when she is involved with anything, but I'll admit she played her part surprisingly well.

Black Jeopardy

A reprise of another (relatively) recent classic, and another one that I was delighted to have, especially with the additions of Tracy Morgan and, well, “Tracy Morgan” (Eddie Murphy, who somehow managed to make Tracy even funnier with his impersonation). Tom Hanks being shoehorned in at the end kinda killed the momentum, but I didn’t mind the nod to perhaps the funniest edition of this sketch.

Physical Comedy Montage

Next, Emma Stone, with the aid of one Sally O'Malley, introduced a pretaped montage of the best physical comedy moments of the show. This was a nice bit that started with a mashup of physical stunts, transitioned to the more explosive blood shots, but ended on a somewhat sweet note with a brief romantic dance mashup.

Domingo and the Bridesmaids

I cannot believe how much traction this running bit, first introduced just 4 months ago has gotten already, especially considering the original one that went mega-viral actually wasn’t that funny. But I suppose I understand the nod to the buzziest sketch/new character of this season already, and the addition of Sabrina Carpenter, whose song launched the sketch in the first place, was a nice touch. (Also, unsurprisingly, her comedic timing is great-only a matter of time before she hosts.) The "groomsman song" twist— with some of my underrated faves —was great, as were the surprise cameos at the start and end of the sketch.

Audience Q&A

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were absolutely the right choice to do this exact comedic Q&A bit. Jerry Seinfeld did it for SNL40, and it was funny then, but in classic Seinfeld fashion felt a little TOO snarky, and also felt a bit weird to be helmed by someone not involved with the show. Having two SNL legends, who have been brilliant co-hosts and co-stars many times before, made this whole segment hum. It was all great, but I was particularly happy with the fact that fellow former cast member Fred Armisen had the funniest moment of all.

SNL Digital Short

Just as he was 10 years ago at SNL40, Andy Samberg was back with a special digital short that, appropriately, felt more written for the SNL alums and current cast than it did for us. The punchline in this one was perhaps a bit too real, but I was dying laughing at the dark underbelly of this sketch that kept freaking Bowen Yang out, and in true Lonely Island fashion, a bop of a song with a who’s who of A-list cameos.

Miley and Brittany

It’s so interesting to me how much of a legacy Miley Cyrus has carved out in the show- she seems almost to have reached Pete Davidson/Jimmy Fallon ‘favored son’ status with Lorne Michaels. She was a significant part of SNL40, and again a significant part of this celebratory weekend. Miley performed with Brittany Howard (who you may know from Alabama Shakes) at the Homecoming Concert over the weekend, and the duo was back at it with a soulful rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Weekend Update

I could have just watched 3 full hours of Weekend Update, to be honest. It’s such a unique part of SNL’s history, perhaps the most iconic facet of the most iconic show. It’s also been the closest thing to a constant in these more mediocre last several years. Many who are tired of current co-anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost might have been disappointed to see them back in the chairs for this special episode, but in fairness, it makes sense that the two most-tenured anchors in the show’s history would take the desk for the 50th anniversary special. That said, I am glad we got at least a little bit of Seth Meyers, for my money the best Update host of all time, and was certainly happy to see the return of two of my favorite Update guests from the last decade, Cecily Strong’s girl you want to avoid a party and Bobby Moynihan’s “Drunk Uncle.”

Bill Murray's comedic style, crazy as it might sound, is pretty hit or miss for me (at least in terms of live appearances). That said, he killed me with this bit, his ranking of the Weekend Update anchors. It got only a mild laugh from the audience, but “these really could be in any order, I personally just ranked them from worst to best” had me wheezing.

Close Encounter with Ms. Rafferty

It was at the next segment, post Weekend Update that I realized the point of this show might be to reprise sketches that had largely been done in the last decade, since SNL40. Because we got yet another ‘modern classic,’ Kate McKinnon’s Mrs. Rafferty. This sketch has been done so much, and is funny every time, but this was the first time in a while that it actually felt fresh. A lot of that boils down to the casting: Jon Hamm was the perfect straight man, Woody Harrelson the perfect stoned space cadet, and Pedro Pascal the perfect casting for "attractive man who gets lightly harassed by Kate McKinnon." And then the shock of all shocks as the final guest appearance emerged- many people are saying it was Meryl Streep's best performance yet.

A Walk Down Memory Lane...with Chad

Then came a more surprising cut, the return of Pete Davidson’s Chad. This character was the best thing Pete did in his time on the cast, which says a lot more about his tenure than it does the show, but I'll confess I did enjoy the unexpected return of this character. It was a pretty inspired choice pairing him with a sentimental trip down memory lane from one of the original cast members, a nice way of making an ode to the show while not taking itself too seriously.

Adam Sandler Song

After the back-to-back sketches came another musical interlude that was more of an inside baseball ode to the show, much like Andy Samberg’s digital short, and ironically, it was from the guy who appeared alongside Andy in the SNL40 digital short, Adam Sandler. This was really sweet, also included several funny references to the difficulties of the program, but really evidently coming from a place of love.

Mulaney Musical

I suppose I should have known that the “famous sketches of the last decade” theme would include the extremely played-out but apparently beloved John Mulaney NYC musical numbers. At least this one, unlike the last several, had a revolving door of entertaining walk-on guests, and once again, former cast members providing the best moments of all. This ended on a touching and even inspiring note, so now can we please stop trying to recreate the magic of Diner Lobster (especially since this edition included the original lobster)?

Commercial Montage

All-time leading host Alec Baldwin had a surprisingly minimal role in the special, but he helped introduce another montage, this time celebrating the best of another SNL mainstay, the ‘mock ad.’ I can think of quite a few faves that didn’t make the cut here, which just goes to show how many good ones they’ve had over the years.

Bronx Beat

Bronx Beat bucked my “only sketches from the last decade” theory, but I didn’t mind at all. It was so good to see the return of Amy Poehler’s and Maya Rudolph’s frenetic Bronx talk show co-hosts. And this time, the walk-on guest of Mike Myers’ Linda Richman, of “Cawfee Tawlk” fame, played off their chemistry perfectly.

Weezy and the Roots

Lil Wayne was a bit of an odd musical guest choice, given that as far as I know he has only appeared as the musical guest on the show once or twice? It reeked a little bit of Lorne or his PR team (or both) wanting to cash in on the online chatter from hip-hop oldheads about how Lil Wayne should have done the Super Bowl halftime show. It was a high-energy set, thanks largely to The Roots and to a great setlist, but uh, with all due respect to Wayne, I think this helped prove that Kendrick Lamar was the right call for the bigger stage in the year 2025.

In Memoriam

Legendary actor and 9-time host Tom Hanks introduced one of the highlights of the episode late into the night: a hilarious “in memoriam” segment that once again showed good self-awareness by SNL, paying ‘homage’ to the various bits, characters and jokes over the year that have aged horribly. (Even presented through a self-aware lens and with the gift of hindsight, it was still pretty shocking at times.)

Debbie Downer

Based on the setup of the penultimate sketch, I figured the 'reveal' would be who the bartender was, but was curious just who it would be. To my surprise and delight, it was Debbie Downer, an all-time favorite character of mine. It’s been years since we’ve seen Rachel Dratch on the show, but this old formula works just as well— perhaps even better in some ways — in the year 2025.

Scared Straight

You could have given me at least 20 guesses of which old sketch would ultimately be the last live sketch of the night, and I don’t think I would have even come close to getting it right. But man, did I love to see it. Kenan Thompson might still be on the show, but we haven’t seen his Mackintosh character since Jason Sudeikis left the show and took his perfect straight-man cop character with him. It was so good to see this sketch come back, and it turns out adding perhaps the two greatest cast members in SNL history only adds to the hilarity. I do really like that the only cast members to play a starring role in multiple sketches on the night were arguably the two biggest stars the show has ever spawned in Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell, and its longest-tenured member Kenan Thompson. Felt like a great way to recognize three legends from three different eras.

A Prime Time Player and the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players"

Perhaps true to form, the show ended on the sentimental and the surreal. A closing ode from Garrett Morris, another member of the original cast, introducing an old reel from the early seasons of John Belushi. It was a nice, funny homage to one of the old greats and his friends from the Not Ready For Primetime Players. And before a sentimental goodnights, the special was capped off by legend and longtime friend of the show Paul McCartney, who even at 82 years old and with declining vocals can still get a room full of who’s-who in Hollywood on their feet for a medley from Abbey Road.

---

I recognize my bias, both as an avid fan of the show and a sentimental boi by nature. But all in all, it's hard to call the 50th anniversary special anything but a huge success. It was self-congratulatory without being overly self-serious. It spoke to its star power with how many A-listers were involved, but for the most part, the stars of the night were cast members past and present, as it should have been. It also was funny- I was expecting more of an indulgent walk down memory lane like we got in SNL40, but I laughed out loud much more than I anticipated- this special actually would have functioned as a couple very solid standalone episodes. Whether you’re still a fan of the show like me, or stopped watching at a certain point “because it’s no longer funny,” if you’ve ever loved the show at any point, there was a little something for everyone.