SNL50: The Anniversary Special

(Note: only comedic segments will be rated on a scale of 1-5 stars – tributes and non-comedic performances will not be rated.)

Cold Opening/Musical Performance – “Homeward Bound”

• Certainly a unique way to start the 50th, instead of a sketch on homebase stage or something.
• Sabrina Carpenter isn’t exactly the performer I would expect to sing along with Paul this classic of his, but I know the 50th is trying to crowd-please and bring several generations to watch and that’s perfectly fine by me. Although, it is very sad that I know the other reason she’s in the building, with a certain writing duo leaching off mega pop stars and wanting to be their “friends.” But, enough saltiness by now.
• This isn’t exactly what I want the show to start with its biggest anniversary to date with, but the song is a classic, Sabrina & Paul are performing it beautifully, and I’d gladly take this over Fallon & Timberlake mugging and “ain’t I cute” antics as they head into their 50s.
• A cute way to segue to the LFNY.

Opening Montage

• Interesting to see the 50th anniversary montage not that different than the regular opening montage this season. The mix of various montages is done neatly, especially love the way the S14-15 montage is integrated in this.
• A sweet touch with us getting the cast group photos throughout the years.
• While I feel the 40th opening montage was more ambitious and spanning in its presentation, the short-and-sweet way this montage is made, as well as its direct design, has a lot of charm to me.

Monologue

Steve Martin celebrates the 50th special

• Steve! Sorry, I know this comedy legend would present the monologue, but I need to get my usual fanboying over him out of the way from now….
• Freakin’ awesome to see David Letterman in the audience. Just seeing him here brings back to me great memories of watching his show.
• I howled at the gag with ICE taking away Martin Short.
• It doesn’t feel that surprising to see John Mulaney cameos of late, but he is always a welcome sight. While hard to remain funny when Steve is next to you, John is effortlessly forming a fun duo with him.
• I absolutely love the message Steve gives directly to camera. This is the type of humor I’ve come to expect to Steve and glad to see him still got it.

Rating: ****

The Lawrence Welk Show

Robert Goulet (WIF) was a guest star

• Quite an odd sketch to bring back, even when it was 1) one of Kristen’s most famous characters (which says something), and 2) I never disliked it as much as some fans do, even when I always felt the very fun and out-of-the-ordinary first installment should’ve been the first & only one (which can be said about a lot of the characters Kristen Wiig did in her tenure).
• Will! Goulet! This hilarious impression has always been one of my favorite things Will did in his run, and considering that he is my all-time favorite cast member, that says a lot. I’m already enjoying this routine more, as I know for sure Will’s Goulet will elevate it.
• No comment about freakin’ Kim Kardashian being in this, but at least very sweet to see the brilliant Ana Gasteyer front-and-center for our post-monologue sketch.
• The same ol’ Dooneese routine, though I did like a gag or two more than usual, and Will is a fantastic straight man as always.

Rating: **

Black Jeopardy!

Tracy Morgan (EDM) & Doug (Tom Hanks) compete

• A welcome sight to see this sketch back. And it is quite fitting to see a black-centric sketch in the 50th anniversary.
• Sweet seeing Leslie back for the big anniversary. I remember some fans thinking she now hates SNL after leaving it, but her comments about it weren’t really that different than how many prior alums described the show for the toll it takes on a performer.
• Eddie! Great to see him already more active in this special than the prior one. His Tracy Morgan impression is just hilarious. I always felt Eddie never got the credit he deserves for how great an impressionist he is.
• The usual fun categories and answers from this sketch, even, and this is a nitpick, I would’ve loved to have seen Devon Walker in this installment. He would be a natural in such a premise.
• Holy hell, the return of Tom Hanks MAGA-supporting character from the legendary installment in season 42!

Rating: ****

Physical Comedy

Emma Stone introduces physical comedy compilation

• Always nice to see Emma Stone back in 8H.
• An actual fun concept for this typical SNL anniversary reel – celebrating physical comedy through its 50 years history.
• Yeah, I love Molly Shannon, but not sure I needed her Sally back, even when I don’t dislike that character like some do.
• Love the various Chris Farley pratfalls montage in this, even when some highlighted sketches are not my cup of tea, to say the least.
• That ending to the classic Wolverines sketch always slays me, every single time.
• I see we are getting a montage of Molly-as-MKG with her own classic pratfalls. Unlike some, I actually enjoyed the MKG sketches all the way through.
• Seeing this montage reminds me of how many great gory shorts we got on SNL. That fantastic Scrooge short from a few seasons ago still slays me each time, and nice to see the underrated Battle of the Sexes short highlighted as well.
• I’m finding myself smiling and starting to get very emotional as we close out with both Love Is A Dream and Dancing in the Dark – two of the most beautiful pieces in SNL history. A classy way to pay tribute to those whom we lost way, way too soon.

Domingo: Vow Renewal

Domingo (MAH) comes back

• As expected, we get the return of this baffling sketch. You know, I get humor is subjective and while my mildly-positive review of the first sketch was one of the few rare ones for it, I certainly didn’t expect the TikTok crowd to blow this sketch up the way they did. There’s no real humor here, so I’m baffled what they see besides mega pop stars “parodying” each other in a wink-wink fashion.
• I see, the first sketch had Ariana Grande “parodying” Espresso (one of my least favorite hits of last year) and now Sabrina Carpenter is “parodying” Defying Gravity? I understand both stars are friends in real life, but leave that shit for the Grammys backstage, not my SNL. At least one writing duo could leach off somewhere else if they get opportunities for being associated with both and leave soon (huh, fat chance that happens).
• Not even the addition of the charismatic Pedro Pascal is doing much for me and feels, much like Bad Bunny, there to pander to both of their parasocial stan groups online. I can already see the thirst gifs ready for all three stars’ fanbases from now.

Rating: **

Deep Thoughts

on the 50th anniversary

• Oh, hell yes! The welcomed return of this classic segment! One of my favorite Jack Handey trademarks.
• Loved the typical bizarre punchline in this one.

Audience Q&A

TIF & AMP takes questions from the audience

• I sure hope seeing Tina & Amy hosting the Q&A means they aren’t going to take over Update, which has always been my biggest gripe with the 40th special. (That, and the Fallon/Timberlake cold open.)
• The whole moment with Donna Richards was pretty funny. Nice to see some of the unsung figures backstage getting some spotlight tonight.
• Eh at the whole Ryan Reynolds moment. Just classic PR spin. Blake Lively’s reaction was also clearly part of the bit and isn’t genuine shock – some people seem slow. I never even bothered to look up that nobody she’s been feuding and couldn’t care less.
• Jon Lovitz is absolutely hilarious in this. A very fun way to follow up the classic “RIP Lovitz” gag from the 40th anniversary.
• This is starting to become a bit of just “let’s show a celebrity and you all applaud” after a while, but it is harmless, and, unlike a lot of the 40th, so much of the cast, old and current, are actually getting some time in the spotlight, where I genuinely struggle to remember besides a few cast members from the season 40 cast, how much the then-current cast was even in that special. That always has been a big gripe I had with that one, alongside its cold opening and Update edition.
• Stern Adam Driver always kills with me. Practically anything this fantastic performer is given is elevated just by his mere presence.

Rating: ***1/2

Anxiety

ANS helps BOY get over anxiety pre-50th

• Feels right getting a Digital Short for the 50th anniversary. I loved the one from the 40th, and while I’ve been underwhelmed by the two from earlier this season (and the ones from Andy’s hosting stint, if we count those), I’ll go into this one with an open mind.
• A fun concept behind this short with the typical anxiety before an SNL show. Bowen always does better to me in pretapes than in live sketches, as his typical style of performance fits better when there’s no audience to pander to.
• The bit with Sarah was the usual fun Sarah performance and a better use of her than the show’s material of late.
• Chris Parnell is fantastic as ever I see. Wish his part here was longer.
• The transition from the classic Delicious Dish sketches to Ana & Molly playing them here was dope as fuck.
• Utterly surreal to see Taran Killam, Beck Bennet, and James Austin Johnson sitting in the same set together. Three very different performers and routes on the show as utility players.
• This short in general is doing a sweet job honoring the show’s history, even when I would’ve preferred if it showcased more current cast members.
• A very classy part celebrating the SNL crew backstage.

Rating: ***1/2

Musical Performance – “Nothing Compares 2 U”

Weekend Update

Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With (CES) & Drunk Uncle (BOM) bond

Lorne’s Best Friends from Growing Up (FRA) & (VAB) celebrate him

BIM reveals his list of favorite Weekend Update anchors

• I guess having Colin & Che anchoring this special edition of the desk is due to being on for 11 seasons and being as popular as they’ve been. This is welcomed because 1) these two are not Tina & Amy thankfully, and 2) I’ve actually been enjoying their last few editions of the desk of late – hoping they actually bow out comes May.
• A great mix of Update intros for the special 50th anniversary edition of the desk.
• At least we are getting actual cast members behind the desk this time, compared to the embarrassing celebrity correspondents Update from the 40th special.
• I was never too big on this character of Cecily’s, but it’s harmless and very sweet to see this performer kill it with the audience even so far into her pregnancy.
• A fun way to include Drunk Uncle, and loved how he and Girl You Wish….. got together.
• (Blood sees Best Friends From Who Gives an Ass and torpedoes himself to orbit)
• (Blood sees Bill Murray(!) showing up, and returns fast to Planet Earth, sits in front of his laptop, and keeps watching, burnt body and all)
• An absolutely hilarious bit between Bill & Che – the “regular” Update anchors mention was priceless.
• A fun mention of Bill’s own brother, Brian-Doyle Murray as the best Update anchor of all-time, which is a fun tongue-in-cheek considering how notoriously bad that Update season was.
• A fun, special edition of the desk overall.

Rating: ***1/2

Close Encounter

Mrs. Rafferty (KAM) & mom (Meryl Streep) recount paranormal abduction

• Are we seriously bringing back this sketch that only worked once? I know it is the 50th and all, but if I wanted to celebrate the prior era to this one, I would be satisfied enough with Black Jeopardy! and that’s it. OK, maybe have a What’s Wrong with This Picture sketch too.
• The “new” addition here seems to be replacing alumni with celebrity guest stars, for their friends in the audience to hoot and holler at their sight. Not to be Salty Blood (and I’ve been in a fairly upbeat mood tonight), but while I know these specials are crowd-pleasing, with tons of eyeballs watching, I genuinely didn’t need Woody & Pedro Pascal in this sketch, as fun as they are nor Hamm next to Aidy. Why not have some of the current vets? Many of them are probably leaving anyways soon and deserve a spotlight tonight.
• Kate’s delivery and performance remain so solid as this character, but this is exactly the same script as the prior ones, and as I said: the wonderful sendoff Kate got as the character should’ve been the final sketch for her.
• Holy hell, Meryl Streep?! And on SNL?! How in the world didn’t this legendary performer ever grace 8H during its 50 years history before tonight is beyond me.
• Despite the always-great work from Meryl Streep, this still is going the same exact route as the prior ones, with simply the addition of Meryl, who is clearly having a blast, as Mrs. Rafferty’s similarly-traited counterpart.
• Huh, I’ll concede “The Devil wears nada” line gave me a solid laugh.

Rating: **1/2

The Stagehand

LAN remembers the very first SNL

• Ah, a short focusing on Laraine Newman! Considering how much the original era had her as the queen of slice-of-life, of semi-dramatic pieces, of sketches that are genuinely acted way too good to be in a sketch comedy show, I’m beyond thrilled to see her get a spot of her own here, even as I know where this sketch will be heading. I just hope this special leads to more general fans to realize what a criminally underrated tenure Laraine had on the show – easily the most underrated player of the original cast, in my view.
• Even the typical Chad routine is coming off fresh after a long while. It also helps that this piece is not a reacting to Chad, but that it also has shades of that brilliant backstage short with Maya from season 46. Making this more of a short featuring Chad and not a Chad short exactly.
• I’m starting to get really emotional during Laraine’s whole speech about the first time SNL aired live, especially loving the visual of the classic Not Ready For Prime Time Players around her.
• The dumb ending message from Chad is actually, in a way, really sweet.

Rating: ***1/2

Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years

ADS sings of 50 years of SNL

• I am still stunned Jack Nicholson never hosted SNL. All this charisma and presence, the run he’s had, he would’ve been an awesome host, in my eyes. Same with Meryl Streep.
• Nice to see the legendary Partridge Family vs. Brady Bunch sketch represented here. One of the absolute best, most joyful sketches ever.
• Very nice shoutout to Tim Kazurnisky. A brilliant performer that held so much of his era together.
• Much like his wonderful Chris Farley tribute during his hosting stint, Adam manages through his music to both reflect on SNL’s history and bring it to the present in such a powerful way. No self-fellating or congratulating. I love the way he honors the greats who passed, and I’d admit getting, as I always do, at the mere sight of Phil Hartman next to Adam as he sings.

Rating: N/A

New York 50th Musical

New York is celebrated

• This special so far has been celebrating the prior decade of the show & era more than I expected, considering how some still have disdain for it. Personally, I found it pretty good, minus Trumpwin and some cast staying 3-4 seasons too long, but then we had a certain global pandemic of mysterious origins….
• Is this seriously the best way you could’ve used Adam Driver tonight? One of the best actors around and easy top 5 SNL hosts ever? I’d say that him singing about being a hot dog, just like his father before him, is funny. The fact it is Adam Driver, of all people, is singing said lyrics makes them inherently hilarious.
• Paul & GE Smith! Awesome way to include these two legends in the 50th special.
• I cannot believe this is the first time Nathan Lane showed up on SNL since his fantastic hosting performance back in season 23. He is an obvious no-brainer for this Broadway-style piece.
• Jason! Forte! Both of them are just pure comedic gold when paired together. None have matched their energy since they left outside of JAJMukes, and even then, as great as they are, Jason & Forte yelling cannot be equalled.
• The reactions by Jenna Ortega, while humorous, are clearly part of this bit. She isn’t exactly acting in a convincing way in this.
• Of course we had to have Kate as Giuliani showing up out of nowhere. Guess the impression getting cut during the episode Kate hosted was not enough.
• Nice to see the very talented Lin-Manuel Miranda back on the show after his fun cameo the last regular episode before the special. If only he can host.
• Sad that this is the biggest moment Devon had in this special, playing this overplayed impression once again. At least came off very likable as always.
• Scarlett Johansson is perfect in this. Makes you wonder why she didn’t do any musicals.
• Fun way to include JAJ, which again just confirms to me he is quietly the best singer in this current cast.
• Speaking of singers, sweet to see Ana & Taran in this piece. This is the third time tonight Ana was used as if she was part of the cast again. Nice to see this fantastic performer getting this, especially after absolutely stealing the Homecoming Concert.
• An awesome visual with so many alums and a few cameos filling the stage. Such an epic visual is fitting for the big 50th.

Rating: ***1/2

Commercial Parodies

Alec Baldwin introduces commercial parody reel

• I am not sure, despite Alec’s reliable delivery, I’m caring much for the fake commercials he’s mentioning.
• The whole veneers bit with Sarah Sherman was more cute than funny.
• Nice to see this classic commercial reel opening with Oops, I Crapped My Pants! – easily in the top 5 SNL commercial parodies, in my eyes.
• Odd to see Bathroom Cobra in this, as it was never aired and thus isn’t SNL canon. From what I recall, I remember finding the commercial very funny (with a rare Jason Sudeikis-led VO), and certainly better than some of the stuff that actually aired in that episode.
• An overall nicely-done reel, especially the cool visual of many screens airing different commercials throughout SNL’s history.

Bronx Beat

Miles Teller [real] & Linda Richman (MIM) are guests

• Like Scared Straight, I was never that big into this recurring sketch back during its initial run, outside of Amy & Maya’s fun performances. With this being the 50th special, and most of the night having me in such an upbeat mode, I can tell I’ll enjoy this installment just fine.
• The usual fun & impressive delivery from Amy & Maya as these characters, even when I never was into this New York stereotype sketches from SNL, like most of the Coffee Talk sketches.
• Cool we had a celebrity audience member being called out from the audience as the guest in this installment. And Miles Teller is a good choice, as he already showed the game & solid host he is in the season 48 premiere.
• As expected, Miles is a solid straight man in this sketch.
• Holy hell at the random appearance of Mike Myers(!) playing Linda Richman, for the first time in almost 30 years.
• Mike is still got it as Linda, and while this is going the typical Coffee Talk route by now, the rapport between all three performers is charming and is making this crossover likable and fun.

Rating: ***

Musical Performance – “Mrs. Officer” & A Milli”

In Memoriam

Tom Hanks eulogizes now-problematic SNL sketches

• Tom Hanks is now skinnier than ever. I genuinely hope he’s doing this out of looking out for himself and not due to some illness. I cannot even imagine the day I’ll say goodbye to this genius performer – one of the few I have genuine emotional connection to.
• A hilarious twist on the typical In Memoriam segments on SNL, with the show apologizing in a humorous way for all its problematic material from its 50 years run. I love some of these sketches, but I was always all in for offensive humor when done well and still keeps me laughing.
• That fucking Italian sketch where Dana humps Victoria on the table slays me every single time. Maybe one of my hardest SNL laughs ever was me watching that moment for the very first time.
• Loved the Diddy/Fogle/R. Kelly portions.

Debbie Downer: Bar

Debbie Downer (RAD) spoils the 50th party

• Quite the odd way to use Drew Barrymore and Ayo Edebiri. The latter especially should be used more in this special.
• Meh at the return of this tepid character. A character I never cared much about, outside of a few sketches. Like the likes of Lisa From Temecula, this piece has no backbone outside of the breaking, and anything praised for lacking what’s familiar, will eventually feel thin.
• I was actually spoiled the return of this sketch, and that actually got me worried this special would go the route I feared it could go. Now that it’s close to being done, glad I was proven wrong.
• I am liking Jimmy in this, even if his performance reminds me of that great bar sketch with Jennifer Garner, where he delivered a fantastic straight man performance. He is still good here.
• Ugh at De Niro being in this, and I wondered why the night has been going too well.
• I didn’t get nor laugh at the whole Drew/De Niro moment in this. Drew was at least solid as usual.
• At least De Niro isn’t as stiff & unlikable as he always is on SNL – he’s still nothing great here, but remains by default one of his best performances on the show.

Rating: **

Scared Straight

teens are set up straight

• Much like Debbie Downer, I was spoiled the return of this sketch a few days before the special aired.
• I actually never cared much for these sketches, besides Jason’s fantastic performance in them – a role I easily could’ve seen Phil Hartman playing as well or even better in the early ‘90s. Outside of him, and maybe some breaking, these are rather flat.
• It makes sense having Michael and Marcello as teen delinquents, but Mikey? Not to be mean towards the guy and everything, but I ain’t buying him as being some bad boy teen in this.
• Eddie Murphy is already making me laugh with his look alone. He seems to already be more fun and energetic than his infamous “comeback” in the prior special.
• Considering his physical comparisons to young Bill Hader, let’s see if the very professional Michael Longfellow is going to crack up in this.
• Holy hell at the entrance of Ferrell dressed like…. like THAT! He’s perfect for this sketch and is elevating it already.
• Will is absolutely hilarious in this. Just every single line and those great little touches he’s adding to his physical mannerism are slaying me. It genuinely impresses me, besides brief moments with Kenan, the other performers aren’t losing their shit laughing at him here. Kudos.
• I really love Michael in this sketch, despite basically being silent. He is such a great straight man and a hilarious person so naturally that I’m cracking at the closeups when he is being roughed around.

Rating: ***1/2 (the last 1/2 for Will)

Belushi TV

Garrett Morris pays tribute to John Belushi

• Garrett! I see that, with the opening joke, he remains as fun & funny as ever.
• A wonderful & classy way (which par the course tonight) to pay tribute to John Belushi. Don’t Look Back in Anger is my favorite thing he did in his fantastic tenure and the best Schiller’s Reel to me, right after La Dolce Gilda.
• As I watch John happily dancing over the graves of his fellow Not Ready For Prime Time Players as the classic closes out, I feel both happy and emotional. That’s truly the magic of SNL at its best.

Musical Performance – “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight”, “The End”

• An epic way to finish the night by reprising some of the classic Beatles cuts, and who is better than Paul McCartney to close out the night? The celebrity audience vibing to the songs adds to the special feeling of this medley.

Goodnights

• An incredible sight to behold all these stars celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show.
• Such a sweet tribute to Gilda by Laraine and Jane. If only we had for this moment and all three prior specials. We miss you so much, Gilda.

Rated Segments Ranked From Best to Worst

Monologue

Black Jeopardy!

The Stagehand

Anxiety

Scared Straight

New York 50th Musical

Weekend Update

Audience Q&A

Bronx Beat

Close Encounter

Debbie Downer: Bar

The Lawrence Welk Show

Domingo: Vow Renewal

Final Thoughts:

• A wonderful & well-made special. Like many fans said online about it, I greatly admired the effort, energy and commitment put into this one, and for particularly not going the self-fellating route with the cameos taking over every segment and going the encore presentation route all night and instead tried to celebrate the show’s history and use as much of the alums throughout its history as possible. While there were a few hiccups around the way, most of the episode worked very well, we had tons of standout, strong segments – certainly more than the three prior specials had combined. It goes also without saying the Beatles medley by the legendary Paul McCartney added also to the special, epic vibes of the night. It feels so good, after being so salty for a good while this season, to be upbeat and positive for three shows in a row, even when this special is not a regular episode (nor will it factor in the season’s averages).
• With me now having reviewed the 50th anniversary special I feel very proud. This feels so significant to me, especially that I created this blog with great initial worries and concerns I could never commit to the gruelling task of doing these reviews, making screencaps and managing a full-fledged site. Now removed over three years from that date, I am amazed I kept this site going and that it grew in such a short span from a small, obscure site, to a site with quite an impressive large number of followers and regular commenters. Not only that, but with having some of the best bases around, and for that I am even more grateful to you all than ever. Thanks and hopefully this site is just getting started.

My Favorite Moments of the Special, Represented with Screencaps:

Up Next:

• SNL returns March 1st, with Shane Gillis & Tate McRae.

My full set of screencaps from this special is here