Last Sunday, Saturday Night Live premiered its 50th anniversary special, “SNL50.” The show brought back incredible performers from previous casts, generations of musical artists, and various montages to commemorate the past 50 years. As a long-time fan of the show, it’s been exciting to see so much content and behind-the-scenes looks at the show in the weeks leading up to the broadcast. While some sketches fell flat in my eyes, I thought overall, the show did not disappoint.
ANxiety – Andy Samberg
There may be some personal bias here, as I’m a long-time fan of Andy Samberg and the Lonely Island crew. The Lonely Island revolutionized SNL in 2005 by incorporating digital shorts into the show and blending the show with the emerging digital age. In his 7-year tenure and various cameos since his departure, Samberg has consistently delivered hilarious sketches and witty, surprisingly catchy songs. The “Anxiety” digital short continued his streak. Accompanied by Bowen Yang, Samberg sang about how every cast member at SNL had anxiety in a 1980s-inspired music video. It’s funny and punchy but manages to pay an earnest tribute to past cast and crew members. Samberg has made several appearances, both with the Lonely Island crew and as Doug Emhoff with Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris. Though I love seeing him on television and in movies, I hope he continues to spontaneously appear on the show.
50 Years – Adam Sandler’s song
National treasure Adam Sandler brought his guitar back to the main stage to sing a song celebrating 50 years of SNL. Amidst the night of comedy, this segment was a heartfelt moment. Sandler is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, and on Sunday he showed us why he deserves his acclaim. He honored past cast members and paid his respects to the late Norm Macdonald and Chris Farley.
weekend update – Bill Murray feature
Weekend Update is arguably the most consistently funny segment of SNL, especially with the seasoned Colin Jost and Michael Che behind the desk. This week, Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer appeared as “Lorne Michael’s best friends from growing up.” Cecily Strong returned as “the girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with at a party” and Bobby Moynihan revived the “drunk uncle” character. These were all funny, entertaining bits, but what stuck out among all of them was Bill Murray. He ranked the Weekend Update anchors of the past, demonstrating perfect comedic timing and dry, sarcastic punchlines. The writing was tight and the delivery was deadpan in classic Bill Murray fashion. He pokes fun at various anchors — namely Colin Jost — but pays his respects at the same time, specifically to Norm Macdonald.
“New York 50th Musical”
It would be wrong not to acknowledge John Mulaney’s role in the show. Though he appeared in the monologue with Steve Martin, he was most prominently featured in “New York 50th Musical.” Since the birth of the “Diner Lobster” sketch in 2018, Mulaney has been merging musical theater and comedy each time he hosts. This was undoubtedly his largest production yet, as he took audiences through New York City from 1975–2025. The performance parodied many famous Broadway hits, but my favorite was Scarlett Johansson and Paul Rudd’s rendition of “Suddenly Seymour,” as “Suddenly E-bikes.”
“Scared Straight”
My favorite sketch of the night may have been “Scared Straight.” The sketch featured some of my favorite SNL alumni — Jason Sudeikis, Will Ferrell, and Eddie Murphy — as well as some of my favorite current cast members — Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, Marcello Hernandez, and Michael Longfellow. The sketch is mainly carried by Ferrell’s large personality, supported by Thompson and Murphy playing fellow prisoners. Nearly everyone on stage breaks character in this sketch. If their laughter wasn’t already contagious, the ridiculous writing and Ferrell’s cue card mess-up will surely get you.
Audience q&A – Tina fey and Amy Poehler
This was another one of my favorite segments of the night. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — former cast members and weekend update co-anchors — hosted a star-studded audience Q&A, answering questions from Quinta Brunson, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Jon Hamm, Peyton Manning, and more. My favorite moment came from the magnificent Julia-Louis Dreyfus and her “service dog.” This bit was overall full of quick, witty jokes.
Musical Performances
Finally, straying from the comedy, are the musical performances by Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, Lil Wayne and the Roots, and Paul McCartney. The show brought together multiple generations of musical talent, spanning multiple genres. Each performance was brilliant, though I’m partial to McCartney and Simon with Carpenter.
It’s impressive how long SNL has been on the air, and it’s refreshing to see more people tuning in to the show this year and see sketches get a lot of online attention. If you’re interested in watching “SNL50” or starting to watch the show, all 50 seasons are available to stream on Peacock, and new episodes air nearly every Saturday at 11:30 pm. You can also view each sketch individually on YouTube. Happy watching!