SNL 50 Highlights: A Legacy Like No Other
Fifty years is a long time for anything — let alone a TV show. As Steve Martin aptly quipped in the opening monologue, “A person born during the first season of Saturday Night Live could easily… be dead of natural causes.”
The build-up to this night was huge: retrospective lists, documentaries, music specials — even a retrospective film from Jason Reitman, starring the likes of Dylan O’Brien and Cory Michael Smith — all leading to a celebration packed with past and present cast members, former guest hosts, and longtime friends of the show. And sure, it’s easy to be cynical, to roll your eyes at a production maybe a little too high on its own supply. But it delivered exactly what we wanted: nostalgia, celebrity cameos, and even a few surprisingly moving moments.
At this point in the show’s lifespan, it has accumulated a staggering amount of lore. Former cast members now routinely share behind-the-scenes stories either on their own podcasts or others. So for a special that thrived on meta-humour and in-jokes about the show’s inner workings — Lorne’s Wednesday night dinners, the Thursday table read, etc. — it helped that the audience is already pretty well versed in how the show works.
It was a tribute to a kind of television that doesn’t really exist anymore — and won’t again if SNL ever calls it quits. We’ll all be worse off for it when that day comes. Without further ado, here are some of the best moments from this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special.
Adam Sandler’s Tribute Song
Adam Sandler, who was once part of a crew considered the “Bad Boys of SNL” took the stage to serenade the audience with a heartfelt song about the 50 years, blending his signature acoustic-guitar-driven goofball humor with genuine emotion. He’s a big ol’ softy, folks!
The entire audience rose for a standing ovation. You could see Sandler got a little choked up!
Bill Murray’s Top 10 Weekend Update Anchors
In his signature too-cool-to-be-here deadpan, Bill Murray joined current Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che to rank the best anchors in the segment’s history. Kicking things off by acknowledging Black History Month, he ranked the best Black Update anchors — naming Che as the one, only, and best “by default.” From there, he moved on to the “regular” anchors, playfully teasing Jost about his ranking before revealing the number one spot.
I won’t spoil it for you — but trust me, it’s worth a watch.
Eddie Murphy’s Tracy Morgan Impression
The sketch had its moments, but not even cameos from Chris Rock or Tom Hanks could steal the spotlight from Eddie Murphy. He completely revelled in doing a pitch-perfect Tracy Morgan impression — while standing right next to Tracy Morgan — during “Black Jeopardy!”.
Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Audience Questions Bit
A repeat concept from the 40th anniversary show, but a welcome one. Sure, as Seth Meyers cynically pointed out during the sketch, it’s an easy way to give celebs some screen time — but when that lineup includes Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Cher, Keith Richards, Jon Hamm, Jason Momoa, and Peyton Manning, who’s complaining?
Unsurprisingly, Julia Louis-Dreyfus stole the show, explaining to her blind dog how Adam Driver — sitting next to her — was pretending not to be attracted to her. Jerry Seinfeld was behind them barely able to keep it together — nice to see how much she makes him laugh to this day.
Performances by Legends Paul McCartney & Paul Simon
The show opened with Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter performing “Homeward Bound”, a song Simon originally sang with George Harrison on SNL in 1976. “I wasn’t born then,” Carpenter joked. “And neither were my parents.” It was a charming moment, especially for Simon, who has been part of SNL since the beginning and remains close friends with Lorne Michaels. At 83, his voice still carried a warmth that made the performance feel all the more special.
Closing out the night, Paul McCartney and his band delivered a Beatles medley, seamlessly blending “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight”, and “The End” from Abbey Road. At 82, McCartney’s voice may be a little weathered, but moments like these are a reminder to appreciate him while we still can. It was a fitting finale — an icon paying tribute to a show that has defined generations, just as his music has.
John Belushi‘s Schiller Film
In one of the night’s more poignant moments, we had this re-airing of a short film by writer Tom Schiller. In it, John Belushi, aged up with makeup, visits the graves of his departed castmates from the original seasons.
When it first aired, the joke was that Belushi, known for his wild lifestyle, would somehow outlive them all. Yet, it doesn’t dwell in sorrow. It ends with him dancing joyously, a reminder of his spirit and a moment that keeps SNL from getting too sentimental.
Other Great Moments
It’s nearly impossible to list every noteworthy moment, but we tried our best — here’s a rapid-fire selection of additional highlights:
- “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey” making a return. The joke wasn’t the strongest, but Phil Hartman’s warm voiceover was enough to bring me back.
- LOVED seeing Lil’ Wayne perform, as random as it was. Where’s he been?
- Meryl Streep making her first-ever SNL appearance, playing Kate McKinnon’s mom in the “Alien Abduction” sketch.
- Rare Jack Nicholson sighting! He showed up to introduce his good buddy Adam Sandler.
- Steve Martin delivering a classic dry-witted monologue: “When Lorne called me, I was vacationing in the Gulf of Steve Martin.”
- Will Ferrell hamming it up as Robert Goulet and later as “Big Red” in the show’s signature “Scared Straight” sketch. Who doesn’t love Ferrell in jorts, trying to make the cast break?
- Rachel Dratch bringing back “Debbie Downer” and immediately bumming out Robert De Niro with a grim fact about how many microplastics he likely has in his balls.
- The entire cast bringing out Lorne Michaels at the end of the night to congratulate him and say good night.
Feature photo by Torval Mork/stock.adobe.com.
