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SNL’s 50th Anniversary: When Comedy and Music Stole the Show

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Steve Martin performed on stage at 30 Rock during NBC’s Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special on Sunday. He made some witty references to current events in his monologue, such as joking about being the newest diversity hire and claiming that a joke written by one of its writers was actually penned by AI. One of SNL‘s most accomplished alumni, he also referred to “the Gulf of Steve Martin” (a name change I wholeheartedly support). This set the tone for a three-hour live broadcast that blended elements from SNL‘s storied past and challenging modern times, all against the backdrop of our strange 2025 world.

In simpler terms, not all parts in SNL50 were as successful as Martin’s segment, which was to be expected given the show’s history of varying quality. The episodes often feature a combination of brilliant, clever, overly long, and bizarre sketches. Overdoing the pomp, especially during a victory lap like this one, can sometimes overshadow SNL’s core spirit, which relies on spontaneity. However, the best moments of SNL50 stood out because they combined comedy and music, the show’s fundamental ingredients. These unique instances distinguished it from other anniversary content and similar specials in the past.

The SNL golden jubilee celebration has been ongoing for several months now. It started in September with the release of the Jason Reitman movie, “Saturday Night,” which dramatized (with generous doses of legend-enhancing details) the chaotic 90 minutes preceding the series premiere. The night after the film hit theaters, SNL launched what NBC calls its “Anniversary Season.” In January, Peacock premiered a four-part docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, which included an entire episode dedicated to the classic Christopher Walken-Will Ferrell sketch “More Cowbell,” and a feature documentary, Ladies & Gentlemen…: 50 Years of SNL Music, directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Last Friday, Lady Gaga, Cher, Bad Bunny, and others performed at the Radio City Music Hall for the live broadcast of SNL50: The Homecoming Concert. Throughout this period, numerous articles and books have been published to mark the milestone; one such book made headlines on Friday due to a publicity blunder involving Tina Fey and Jon Hamm.

50 years is like forever in TV comedy terms, even ‘Cheers’ grew old after a decade. Given this, it’s not surprising that there was such a grand celebration, as Lorne Michaels likely felt the need to surpass the 40th anniversary special from 2015. The mix of big names in formal attire (Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul McCartney and Simon), montages of clips, and all-star sketches (“Celebrity Jeopardy,” “Wayne’s World”) felt friendly but somewhat routine. Eddie Murphy, who hadn’t appeared on Studio 8H since his last hosting stint in 1984, was the main attraction. However, his joke-free appearance was shorter than its introduction by Chris Rock. Critics described the night as “patchy,” “imperfect,” and “funny, except when it wasn’t.” (In typical SNL fashion, Amy Poehler predicted this in “Weekend Update”: “Saturday Night Live turns 40 this week with a live broadcast that won an Emmy within the first 10 minutes and then lost it somewhere in the middle.”) As it happened, the show went on to win the award for Outstanding Variety Special, among others.

If you’re curious about how many episodes of TV comedy have passed since then, let me share an interesting reminder. Recently, I recalled the moment when Sarah Palin appeared on stage to joke about running for president in 2016 alongside Donald Trump as her VP. At that time, Trump hadn’t yet been given his hosting role by Michaels. The event featured several individuals who were later accused of #MeToo allegations, such as Louis CK and James Franco, as well as Kanye West, who was performing in the same studio where Taylor Swift was acting in an all-star “Californians” sketch. The cultural battles that comedy would come to symbolize were just starting to heat up again.

Since then, audiences have become more divided along lines such as platform, generation, identity, and ideology. In order for SNL to thrive in the 2020s, it needs to attract viewers through live TV, streaming platforms, and social media. It also requires a mix of boomer icons and Gen Z favorites (Stevie Nicks and Billie Eilish performed in successive episodes this season). The show has managed to profit from edgy comedians like Dave Chappelle, Shane Gillis, Bill Burr, as well as edgy billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk, who hosted in 2021. At the same time, it aims to keep fans of progressive comics like Chappell Roan, Quinta Brunson, and Ramy Youssef from feeling alienated.

At the opening of SNL50, Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter sang a duet of “Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel, symbolizing an attempt to cater to audiences of all ages. However, despite this effort, the show mostly celebrated established legends rather than introducing new talents. The event was carefully planned to avoid controversy, with many familiar faces from the 40th anniversary show appearing again, including loose cannons like Chappelle and Baldwin who were limited to brief introductions. Lorne Michaels delivered the monologue, and the special ended with McCartney performing a Beatles medley that had a strong concluding feel, making it seem as if SNL might be ending at that moment (though it didn’t).

Refreshing updates to a ten-year-old formula gave SNL50 a more diverse and entertaining feel, closer to a variety show rather than an awards ceremony. The decision to emphasize new skits over montages and clips was strategic; old SNL episodes are easily accessible today. Familiar segments like “Debbie Downer” (Rachel Dratch’s character serving a mix of cocktails and gloom to celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, and Ayo Edebiri) and “Black Jeopardy,” where Eddie Murphy excelled in his performance alongside Tracy Morgan playing his iconic character Darius, were highlights. The blending of Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph’s “Bronx Beat” with Mike Myers’ “Coffee Talk” was seamless. Crowd work featuring Keith Richards, Cher, and Ryan Reynolds thrived due to the self-deprecating humor of hosts Poehler and Fey, who skillfully poked fun at their attempts to showcase A-list celebrities. The emotional reprise of the 1978 short “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” featuring John Belushi playing an older version of himself visiting the graves of his SNL castmates and introduced by Garrett Morris, was particularly touching.

In this rephrased version, I’ve aimed to keep the essence of the original text but have made it more accessible by breaking it down into smaller chunks:

1. Despite the low points, there were bright spots.
2. Teens who watched Carpenter might not have stayed for long due to a lengthy sketch from the Lawrence Welk Show at the beginning.
3. However, Kristen Wiig consistently brought laughs with her quirky singing character Dooneese.
4. With current hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost at the desk, “Weekend Update” could have seemed less unique—until Murray appeared to deliver his characteristic deadpan top 10 list that didn’t include either of them.
5. The surprise guest, Meryl Streep, saved an overly long alien-abduction sketch by playing the equally eccentric mother of Kate McKinnon’s character, who talks excessively about her abductions (“This devil wears nada!”).
6. Although “Nothing Compares 2 U” was an unusual song choice for a show that had already covered Sinead O’Connor, who made the track famous, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard gave it a fitting performance.

In my opinion, the most impactful moments for me blended humor with music instead of keeping them separate. The ’80s pop-style music video created by Bowen Yang and Andy Samberg about everyone who worked on SNL being an emotional wreck was an immediate hit. (The genre-suitable rap segment from Sarah Sherman and Chris Parnell? Wow!) Adam Sandler’s power ballad “50 Years” was both hilarious, with jokes about how all the interns were children of Michaels’ famous friends, and profoundly moving, with tributes to his late castmates, Norm Macdonald and Chris Farley. Former writing staff member and frequent host John Mulaney is known for a series of beloved sketches that spoof Broadway, capturing the peculiarity of New York: “Diner Lobster,” “Subway Churro,” “Port Authority Duane Reade,” etc. Naturally, he had to create a musical history of the city, from SNL’s 1975 debut up to the present, featuring a spoof of “Fame,” McKinnon reprising her scratchy Rudy Giuliani impression, and Nathan Lane singing “cocaine and some vodka” to the tune of “Hakuna Matata.” This sketch embodied what makes SNL worth admiring—it was both amusing and catchy, clever and punctuated by slapstick, absurd and intelligent, specific to New York and relatable to four generations of fans around the world.

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2025-02-17 10:06

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