Fifty years of laughs, music and history. Fifty years of cold opens, cue cards and quick changes. And in the melodic words of comedian Adam Sandler, “50 years of the best times of our lives.”
Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend, starting with Friday’s star-studded Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music Hall. The celebration continued with a rerun of the show’s first ever episode in 1975 — which featured The Muppets and inspired the 2024 Golden Globe-nominated film Saturday Night — on Saturday.
On Sunday, a three-hour special aired live from Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The episode featured a who’s who of the comedy world, with too many surprise cameos to count. The audience at Studio 8H overflowed with A-list celebrities, including Cher and Peyton Manning.
The usual suspects also returned to the studio. Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Seth Meyers, Leslie Jones, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell and other comedy legends dominated on their home court. Amy Poehler described the event as a “family reunion” on the red carpet before the special.
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The special also brought back fresh interpretations of classic sketches. Domingo, Black Jeopardy and Close Encounter were among the more recent returning fan favorites. John Mulaney reprised his New York Musical sketch in the biggest and boldest rendition yet.
Rachel Dratch reprised her depressing yet iconic role as Debbie Downer. Davidson came back as his nonchalant character Chad. Poehler and Maya Rudolph reverted back to their “Sweater Weather” days for Bronx Beat.
In an homage to his Lonely Island days, Andy Samberg starred in an ‘80s-inspired music video alongside Bowen Yang, hilariously commenting on the mental health issues comedians face. A commercial parody compilation covering 50 years perfectly underscored the cultural significance of Saturday Night Live. Watching it felt like opening a memory box.
The special was a true celebration of the show’s earnest beginnings and how far it has come, with particular respect to cast members who have died. With tears in his eyes, Adam Sandler sang a commemorative song honoring the show’s history and dead SNL stars, such as Chris Farley, Norm Macdonald and John Belushi.
In a brief cameo to introduce musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, actress Aubrey Plaza made her first public appearance since the death of her husband in early January wearing a tie-dye shirt in his honor.
In a night packed with touching tributes, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin held up an image of Gilda Radner during goodbyes — the only women on the original cast. Garrett Morris, another original cast member, also received his flowers for his contribution to building a historic comedy establishment.
The music lineup was also stacked with a fair blend of some of the industry’s biggest artists. Duos such as Paul Simon with Sabrina Carpenter and Lil Wayne with The Roots illustrated how SNL has been instrumental in picking the right artists at the perfect moments.
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SNL also didn’t shy away from its past controversies and public mistakes. Tom Hanks introduced a segment that depicted a compilation of racist, sexist and other bigoted skits from the show’s 50 year history.
With a three hour runtime, there was something for everyone. To die-hard fans, who understood the significance of each brief cameo and every historic comedic reference, three hours wasn’t nearly enough. But even those less familiar with SNL enjoyed a game of celebrity “Where’s Waldo?”
By the end of the night, the Goodnights stage was more packed than before with show creator Lorne Michaels making a surprise appearance on stage. It was a reunion that felt like the audience watching at home was part, too.
The special was not without faults — the multitude of moving parts left quite a few technical issues. But these little slip ups made the episode all the more endearing. Saturday Night Live may be a 50-year-old entertainment institution, but it is also still a coalition of comedians flying by the seat of their pants to try to put on the best show possible.
And for 50 years, they have succeeded.
