10 Best Saturday Night Live Episodes

When Saturday night live debuted on television in 1974, it was a comedy program that included live music and Jim Henson’s Muppets. It also premiered at a time of political uncertainty, when the Vietnam War was coming to an end and when NBC didn’t have much faith that the show would last. 50 years later, the show has had some dips in quality from time to time, but it has evolved into a show that attacks pop culture, provides social commentary on the world at large, and allows audiences to see actors and singers in some hilarious situations.

The original cast included comedy greats like John Belushi, Dan Akroyd and Gilda Radnor. Many of the show’s early performers went on to hugely successful careers and left their mark on pop culture. Likewise, the show has become a window into who fans’ favorite actors and singers of the era are, as the hosts reflect some of the era’s most popular artists. The show has had its ups and downs over more than 900 episodes of live television, but these episodes showcase some of the best SNL has to offer.

10

Eddie Murphy/Lizzo

December 21, 2019

When Eddie Murphy returned to presenting Saturday night live As of 2019, 35 years have passed since her last appearance on the show. Murphy joined the show when he was 19 in season 6 and became one of its stars in just two years. When it was announced that he would be hosting the series, there was a lot of anticipation about what would be involved in the show.

Murphy brought back several of his classic sketches from his time on the show, including “Mister Robinson,” and even appeared as Gumby during a “Weekend Update” sketch. It reminded the audience what a great comedian Murphy is and how much he contributed to some of the most enduring parts of SNL’s legacy.

Combined with Murphy’s return to the show was Lizzo’s debut on the show with her track “Truth Hurts.” Since then, she has returned to the show two more times.

9

Ariana Grande

March 12, 2016

Saturday night live It has already aired more than 900 episodes and, in those, less than 50 times the presenter acted as a musical guest. Ariana Grande did this masterfully in 2016. Although Grande grew up doing musical theater and appeared on Nickelodeon shows, adults recognized her as a pop singer when she first started working in the music scene, so many Saturday night live normal audiences didn’t realize how talented she was in the world of acting.

Grande did imitations of other singers in the episode, such as Shakira, Britney Spears and Whitney Houston. The episode also parodied the Kids Choice Awards The sound of musicand told some political campaign jokes. It offered the best of what was modern SNL has to offer when the host has comedy experience.

8

Richard Pryor/Gil Scott-Heron

December 13, 1975

Richard Pryor is a legendary comedian who left behind a huge legacy. He also, however, was known for going above and beyond, which is why his only episode of Saturday night live It’s so memorable. He appeared in the seventh episode of the first season as host and appeared in one of the most controversial sketches of all time.

In addition to relatively standard SNL fare for the time, like a riff on The Exorcist with Pryor as the new priest, there was also a sketch that would probably have caused quite a stir today. Pryor appeared alongside Chevy Chase in a sketch called “Word Association,” which largely ended up being the two men trading insults and racial slurs. It probably wouldn’t even air today, but it’s remembered as one of the action scenes that helped boost public interest in the show. It got people talking.

7

Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton

April 13, 2024

Part of the interest in Saturday night live is that the performances are, as the title indicates, live. Audiences are curious to know if the show’s stars and guests can get through their most ridiculous skits without breaking down. While it may be common for guest hosts to get lost and laugh during a sketch, cast members are undoubtedly better at stifling their laughter or hiding their character from the audience.

That’s not the case with Ryan Gosling’s appearance in 2024, and that’s part of what makes it a genuinely entertaining episode. The first vibrations of the sketches seem SNL the cast is determined to get Gosling to break character. Instead, it’s Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman who do hilarious skits like “Beavis and Butt-head.” It’s refreshing to see the entire cast fighting the urge to break down while everyone seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves.

Also fun was Chris Stapleton participating in some of the sketches and Emily Blunt appearing to play up the supposed rivalry between Gosling’s characters. Barbie and she Oppenheimer movies for bed.

6

Justin Timberlake

December 16, 2006

If there is any host that is golden for Saturday night liveIt’s Justin Timberlake. He has a knack for fitting seamlessly into the show with the rest of the cast. Many of his appearances bring him into contact with Jimmy Fallon, who is one of his real-life friends. Most of the time, he’s the host or the musical guest, but here he pulls double duty a decade before Ariana Grande had the chance to prove herself.

When Timberlake hosted, it was at a time when the show was no longer attracting viewers. There would be a brilliant episode and then people would lose interest for weeks. The Justin Timberlake episode helped revitalize interest in the era with the help of popular holiday sketches like “D**k In A Box.” Of course, it also featured a memorable opening, with Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig singing about dating Santa Claus, which didn’t need a boost from Timberlake’s presence.

5

Carrie Fisher/The Blues Brothers

November 18, 1978

When Carrie Fisher presented Saturday night live in 1978, he was fresh from the success of Star Wars. Joking that no one would recognize her outside of the film, Fisher performed her opening monologue dressed as Princess Leia.although she recorded years later how much she disliked most of her character’s wardrobe.

Fisher is a seriously underrated comedic actress. Although she would become known in later years for her biting wit and sarcastic nature, when she first appeared in the SNL, she was Princess Leia to the general public. His appearance in the series showcased his comedic talent. She participated in sketches that utilized her Star Wars popularity and combined it with popular things from the past, like the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach films of the 1960s.

The episode featured many sketches that would become staples of the show, such as “Weekend Update” jokes, though this time with Jane Curtin reporting on everything from recent archaeological discoveries to McDonald’s hamburgers. It also featured the Blues Brothers, who have always been a popular musical addition to the show.

4

Christopher Walken/Christina Aguilera

April 8, 2000

Christopher Walken is a fan favorite SNL host. He stopped by to present the program seven times. When he hosted in April 2000, he brought a special energy to the show, which, at the time, featured modern comedy heavyweights Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan and Jimmy Fallon in the cast. The early 2000s were known for some fantastic sketches, but not that many fantastic episodes as a whole. Walken’s is one of the rare cases.

Walken was known for contributing some music and dance to his SNL appearances, and he did that in his monologue here. He was also featured in the iconic “More Cowbell” sketch, which has since been labeled as one of the SNLs perfect sketches as he encouraged the cult Blue Oyster to add more musical instruments to their set. He also did an excellent job playing Fidel Castro and appeared in legacy sketches like “The Census” and “The Continental.”

3

Pedro Pascal/Coldplay

February 4, 2023

Part of the reason why an episode as recent as this one from 2023 becomes the best of SNL is due to the expectation of Pedro Pascal’s appearance as the episode’s presenter. Pascal is known for his dramatic roles, but he has never been afraid to make reporters laugh on red carpets or in closed interviews, so there was a lot of interest in how he would work with the SNL cast.

Although his monologue was relatively low-key compared to previous hosts, Pascal embraced modern pop culture in his sketches. He appeared on “The Big Hollywood Quiz,” in which contestants wrestled with the knowledge of modern streaming and in a sketch highlighting a Mario Kart live-action adaptation, a send-up of his own involvement in video game adaptations such as The last of us. He’s also great in the more typical SNL sketches like “Overprotective Mom” and “Lisa From Temecula” in which Pascal breaks character.

It’s obvious that Pascal had fun on the show and would likely be well-received by the cast and fans alike.

2

Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers

April 22, 1978

Steve Martin is one of the most frequent presenters of SNL in its long history. He appeared as host 16 times, but this was one of his first appearances on the show. This was only the late-night show’s third season, but Martin’s fifth time hosting. His hosting duties coincided with the debut of the Blues Brothers, made up of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. His blues band would end up getting their own movie, making this episode not only entertaining but also a SNL March.

In addition to the Blues Brothers’ legendary debut, Steve Martin also has one of SNL’s most memorable sketches in the episode: “King Tut.” His sketch begins with him taking a serious dig at consumerism before transitioning into a musical parody straight out of an old Hollywood musical, complete with stereotypical Egyptian costumes and all the SNL participate in the act. The joke appears halfway through the episode, helping to cement its place in the SNL hall of fame.

The website Ultimate Classic Rock noted how the music itself has been a “thorny” issue decades later, when students protested the inclusion of SNL skit in college courses because of its cultural appropriation. The play, however, is known for criticizing the way American consumerism has turned other cultural practices into spectacle.

1

Betty White/Jay-Z

May 8, 2010

In the modern era, Saturday night live Most often book your hosts based on who has relevant projects going on. They are actors, athletes and singers that the public is interested in seeing doing something completely out of character. That’s not the case with this 2010 episode. A social media campaign went viral when fans requested that SNL bring Betty White to the show.

The late actress was known as one of the most beloved comedy actresses of all time and had done sketch comedy in the past, so SNL it was a natural fit for her. Audiences may not have expected her hosting duties to be accompanied by a musical performance from Jay-Z, but it worked. In true Betty White fashion, when she appeared on the show, she discussed the social media campaign in her opening monologue, saying, “When I first heard about the campaign, I didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I know what it is, I have to say it seems like a huge waste of time.”

The episode brought back several former female cast members to appear alongside White and had the kind of energy that SNL was missing at the time. Seeing White play Kenan Thompson’s grandmother “heterosexually scaring” teenagers, a cat fighting a census taker, and revived several sketches the show hadn’t used in a long time to make it one of the most memorable episodes of Saturday night live always.