As a long-time Saturday Night Live fan, I’ve been an avid viewer of their current season (number 50!!). Like so many others, I was eagerly awaiting the special 50th Anniversary episode that aired this past weekend. I’m very excited to say that the episode exceeded my expectations. It was double the time, had double the skits, and included SO many cameos from past cast members and hosts. I thought the whole episode showcased a nice blend of celebrating the past 50 years of SNL, while also adding in the comedy of today and current events.
The opening was a beautiful rendition of “Homeward Bound” sung by Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon. I was surprised by the lack of cold open, but I think the musical opening set the tone that this would be a special and unique episode. The episode also featured a special intro video, which included pictures and video clips of casts from previous years.
Steve Martin delivered the opening monologue of the night. His dry humor was hilarious, and he included the perfect amount of references to current events. It wasn’t a surprise that he was chosen for the monologue, since he’s hosted the show a total of SIXTEEN times.
All season long, Saturday Night Live has been celebrating 50 years by having fun celebrity cameos in their sketches. One example of this was the Martin Short Five Timers Club Cold Open, in which people that had hosted the show five or more times came together to welcome a newcomer. In regards to celebrity guests, the 50th Anniversary Special brought out ALL the stops. The episode featured previous cast members, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, and Jimmy Fallon, to name a few. There were even members of the original cast present, such as Chevy Chase and Garret Morris. BUT the cameos don’t end there: various other celebrities made an appearance, including Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Martin Short, Paul Rudd, Emma Stone, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Meryl Streep… the list goes on. Celebrity guests were featured in various sketches, as well as during an Audience Q&A hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This was a fun way to break up sketches and showed just how star-studded the audience was.
Another highlight of the show was various compilations of sketches from previous years. The first was a compilation of physical comedy moments, which was quite hilarious. It included stunts, dances, and props. There was also a collection of commercial parodies SNL has done in the past, including “Almost Pizza” and “Wells for Sensitive Little Boys.” These compilations were funny, and it was exciting to notice sketches that I was familiar with! Finally, they made a tribute to all of the “problematic” sketches of the years. It was quite a clever way of holding themselves accountable; Tom Hanks joked to the crowd, “You all laughed at them. So if anyone should be cancelled, shouldn’t it be you, the audience?”
There are a few other moments from the show I’d love to mention. Firstly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the iconic “Domingo” sketch. I’m sure everyone has seen the original by now, featuring Ariana Grande as a bridesmaid. The SNL 50 episode introduced a THIRD rendition. It’s definitely starting to get a bit overdone, but honestly I love it so much that I can’t complain. I specifically enjoyed the inclusion of Matt’s groomsmen, who introduced themselves as “the doormatts.” Another skit I loved was a music video in which Andy Samburg assured Bowen Yang that “everyone on SNL has anxiety” – does this mean I have a higher chance of getting in the cast someday?? There were also a few moments that made the theater kid in me very happy. For example, Lin Manuel Miranda reprised his role as Hamilton, which was not on my 2025 bingo card. The cast also performed a medley of famous musical theater songs, parodying them to celebrate New York City in all its unique forms.
Finally, I HAVE to talk about the return of Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer. For those who don’t know, Debbie Downer was a recurring character on SNL years ago, known for ruining the mood of exciting events. Rachel Dratch first showcased the character in the iconic Disney World skit, which is probably my favorite SNL sketch of all time. If you haven’t seen it before, I implore you to go watch! Nothing is funnier than seeing professional actors break character, something that Debbie Downer is known for. In the anniversary episode, Debbie Downer returned as a bartender, dulling the vibe of Jimmy Fallon, Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore, and Robert De Niro as they attended the SNL 50th Anniversary party. The script included iconic lines and references to previous skits and was such a fun tribute to the character.
Overall, I really enjoyed “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special.” Not every skit was a win for me, but it was so much fun to watch and appreciate all the years of sketch comedy that SNL has brought us. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!