Introduction
Since its debut in 1975, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has become one of America’s comedy institutions, consistently pushing boundaries in its satirical reflections of society.
Many of the show’s skits, stars and moments have defined some of the most influential pop culture references, been a springboard for some of the world’s most renowned comedians and has been at the forefront of comedy writing and performance.
So, let’s celebrate SNL’s 50-year reign with some of our favorite sketches from over the years, and some you may have forgotten!
If you find your skit of choice isn’t in our list, we want you to shout it from the rooftops. Or, instead, you could find us on our social media channels and leave a comment – debate away with fellow SNL fans on what is the best sketch ever!
To kick things off, here is the show’s first ever sketch: The Wolverines, broadcast on 11th October 1975:
SNL Through the Decades: Skits that Defined Comedy
One of the ways SNL has consistently stayed relevant and funny is how it’s always found new ways to make people laugh. At the forefront of American comedy, the show’s style has always evolved, while sticking firmly to its roots.
So, let’s take our Celtx time machine through SNL’s hilarious history and discover why audiences still come back to it.
1970s
Sketches like Land Shark in the show’s inaugural era, were a blend of dark humor in outrageous scenarios. Many early segments were spontaneous and more experimental, as the show found its way with audiences. This particular sketch, in response to the recent Jaws (1975) hype, depicted a shark knocking on doors posing as a delivery driver.
Dana Carvey’s Church Lady became one of SNL’s staple characters in a time where the show focused on character-driven sketches reflecting the most eccentric in society. In Church Lady’s instance, we saw her satirize the morally superior and religiously hypocritical.
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1990s
Following the character-driven successes of the previous decade, SNL continues its focus on characters with bombastic personalities, including Chris Farley’s enthusiastic motivational speaker Matt Foley. We followed Matt through many slapstick-style scenarios as he attempts to motivate others. During the 1990s, you’d find Matt in places like the gym, Santa’s Grotto, and even prison.
2000s
With the rise in game show popularity in the 2000s, SNL played with the format, combining it with pop culture references. With figures like Sean Connery, Alex Trebek and Burt Reynolds parodied in multiple Celebrity Jeopardy! skits, the idea of celebrity and highlighting its eccentricities brought many laughs to households across America and the world.
2010s
Bill Hader is one of SNL’s most recognizable faces. He brought SNL back to its roots in terms of its unpredictability. Known for his bizarre but hilarious descriptions of New York clubs during the show’s Weekend Update segment, Hader’s character Stefon, was known for his quirks. Even Hader couldn’t stop himself from laughing, which only added to the sketches’ charm and humor.
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The Best of SNL’s Recurring Characters
Matt Foley, Stefon and Church Lady weren’t the only characters to leave a lasting impression on audiences. Wayne’s World, The Blues Brothers, Gilly, and Mr. Robinson have all made their marks and become pop culture icons since we were first introduced to them.
With the early success of character-driven skits in the 1990s, they have become a hallmark of SNL’s longevity. From their memorable catchphrases:
We’re not worthy!
To the long-lasting impression on audiences, SNL’s recurring characters often surpass the show.
Wayne’s World became its own film franchise, with Wayne and Garth’s “party on” mantra defining 90s youth culture. Here’s them watching a movie, and here’s them in the trailer for their own movie. A full circle moment if ever there was one.
We’re getting the band back together!
If you think that’s impressive, check out the success of The Blues Brothers whose time on the show spawned fully-fledged albums, concerts and their own movie in the late 70s, early 80s.
Who is it?
Eddie Murphy’s Mr. Robinson and Kristen Wiig’s Gilly both embodied hysterical personality quirks, depicting life through the eyes of both a grimly optimistic inner-city guy, and a mischievous and havoc-wreaking juvenile. While Murphy’s character was a commentary on 1980s culture, Wiig highlighted the absurdities of life and the strangest of situations a person could find themselves in.
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SNL’s Biggest Cultural Moments
Over the past 50 years, we’ve loved being entertained by some of the best comedians the world has ever seen on SNL. But the show hasn’t just made us laugh, it’s shaped political and cultural discourse, going beyond comedy to become part of the broader conversation.
Parodies of politicians, such as Chevy Chase’s portrayal of a clumsy Gerald Ford, and Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, paved the way for the show’s future parodies.
I can see Russia from my house.
Fey’s take on Palin went a little further than was probably first planned, with many viewers mistaking Fey for Palin herself, due to how spot on Fey’s impression was. It just goes to show how talented the people behind SNL are, and how influential it can be in shaping the wider population’s opinions on social and cultural issues.
Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell’s Lazy Sunday was shown at the brink of YouTube’s catapult into the online video stratosphere, and can be credited for going viral before we even knew what going viral was! It was here that SNL’s digital strategy took off, changing the face of the show forever – now it could draw in a whole new audience. And so… SNL Digital Shorts were born.
Let’s hit up Magnolia and mack on some cupcakes
No doubt that bakery’s got all the bomb frostings
Even before the success of Lazy Sunday, Andy Samberg’s comedy trio The Lonely Island, although formed in 2001, would become a staple on SNL from 2005. Like the Blues Brothers, they became known for their music, with their videos for songs such as Motherlover, D*** in a Box, I’m on a Boat and Jack Sparrow going viral. Even Justin Timberlake got on board!
That isn’t to say that these songs would have hit number one on the Billboard charts, but people loved them. Unlike the Blues Brothers’ serious musical performances, The Sweeney Sisters Jan Hook and Nora Dunn would sing hilariously out of tune medleys of popular songs.
As we’ve already seen, parodies are part of SNL’s bread and butter. From political parodies to movie trailers, commercials and game shows, we love to see the writers’ and actors’ takes on what we find most familiar in society. Sometimes they can seem more representative than the real thing!
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Hidden Gems: Skits you Forgot About, but Shouldn’t Have
There will always be those sketches we remember or that hold a special place in our hearts. But let’s take some time on our time traveling journey to explore some of the lesser-known sketches that most of the world has forgotten.
Back in the early 90s, we met Lyle, the Effeminate Heterosexual. While Dana Carvey’s character poked fun at stereotypes, he subverted expectations. Despite his feminine mannerisms, he made sure to take the time to remind us that he was very much straight.
The writers and Carvey himself are to be praised for a character who was certainly ahead of his time. Lyle is proud of his characteristics and mannerisms. In these sketches, the joke is on those around him who assume his sexuality based on what they see on the surface. By challenging gender norms in this way, Lyle set the precedent for more sketches that challenged other assumptions, such as Stefon.
Lyle is definitely one to revisit, especially in today’s world, where conversations about gender, sexuality and identity are more nuanced.
Fast forward to 1998, we find ourselves in the midst of a double entendre with Schweddy Balls. The dialogue is wholly suggestive throughout the sketch set on a fictional Christmas radio show all about food. Yet, the acting is restrained, the characters oblivious to the suggestive nature of what they’re saying – that’s where the humor really comes in.
The impact of Schweddy Balls endures to this day, with many fans watching the sketch as a holiday tradition. It was also revived in 2009, with Alec Baldwin reprising the role of Pete Schweddy to the delight of viewers. Even Ben and Jerry’s got involved in 2011, releasing a limited-edition Schweddy Balls flavor.
Funniest weekend update moments
SNL’s longest running segment, Weekend Update, is the show’s satirical news program that airs during each episode. With a regular anchor, the segment includes sharp comedic commentary on current affairs. But of course, we have to highlight some of Weekend Update’s best bits.
From 2004 to 2006, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s dynamic as joint anchors was hugely popular. Having been friends for many years, it was a match made in heaven, with Fey’s calm, dry humor complementing Poehler’s energy. Their feminist comedic take and ability to mock how women were portrayed in media with both sarcasm and indignation refreshed Weekend Update as a segment. Here is one of our favorites:
Regular appearances from recurring characters such as Stefon, Drunk Uncle and Roseanne Roseannadanna portrayed the extremes of political and cultural views, which only added to the humor provided by the anchors.
Bobby Moynihan’s Drunk Uncle was always inebriated, ranting about the good old days and a disdain for modern culture. His involvement always highlighted a societal frustration between generational divides in the funniest of ways.
Similarly, Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Rosannadanna was a huge part of Weekend Update in the late 70s. A commentator who would constantly go off on strange tangents after being asked a question, Roseanne always reminded us of someone maybe a little too close to home.
Weekend Update could easily be a show in its own right, with its own style and tone that sets it apart from SNL. Serving stand-alone comedic commentary on politics and current events, we’re sure it’s going to be a stalwart for the show for many years to come.
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SNL’s Most Meme-able
SNL is at the height of its online success. With a YouTube channel of over 14.1 million subscribers, 8 million TikTok followers and 7.5 million Instagram followers, the show is accessible to all, with younger audiences discovering new and old gems through social media. Ever since Lazy Sunday’s success back in the 2000s, we’ve seen countless sketches go viral, and then some!
One of the most recent examples of a viral sketch is Timothee Chalamet & Pete Davidson’s Museum of Hip Hop which mocked the absurdity of some art museum exhibits and performances. Now you know where the word ‘yeet’ originated!
We’re back with Bill Hader and his portrayal of Alan, an awkward character who tries (and fails) to interact with others. We’ve all seen the meme and can probably all relate to it in one way or another.
SNL’s move into the digital sphere has been met with some criticism. Some have complained that the show began creating skits simply to go viral. However, you can’t argue that it hasn’t worked, with the show staying relevant and funny – not all shows survive a year, let alone 50! The writers and actors are clearly doing something very, very right.
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Challenge: Write your own SNL-inspired skit
So, now it’s your turn to write your own SNL-inspired skit. Choose any of the show’s staple sketches (game show, political parody, Weekend Update, celebrity impression, music video, recurring character) and a recent viral moment you’ve seen online. How could you create a skit parody-ing your viral moment of choice?
‘But where would I write a skit?’, I hear you ask. Here at Celtx, we have all the tools you need to write and storyboard your skit, all in one place. What’s not to like?
That’s great and everything, but ‘how do I actually write a skit?’, I hear you ask next. Check out our dedicated guide: How to Write a Skit.
Oh, you’re still here? Have two bonus skits, because doggone it, we like you:
Still not feeling sufficiently prepared to write your own skit? Try these blogs next!
- How to Write a TV Show (A True Beginner’s Guide)
- Sitcom Showdown: Modern Sitcoms and Their Global Counterparts
- What Makes a Good Short Film? (And How to Make it Great)
