Saturday Night Live is the holy grail of sketch comedy, even if it arguably hasn't been anywhere near the top of its game recently; the show has excelled at taking goofy improvisers, comedians, and writers and turning them into comedy legends for nearly half a century. From politics to pop culture, no topic is spared from SNL's comedic commentary.
Of course, the political humor of Saturday Night Live can get dated by definition, so it's usually the more evergreen, silly, or surreal sketches that become timeless. While fans of the show all have that one sketch that puts them in stitches every time they watch, here are some of the most iconic sketches from over the years.
Update January 20, 2024: It's Saturday night! That means this article has been updated with even more great sketches from across the series.
Saturday Night Live
Comedy
- Release Date
- October 11, 1975
- Seasons
- 49
15 Christmas Miracle
In "Christmas Miracle," Ms. Rafferty (Kate McKinnon), Sharon (Cecily Strong), and Doug (Casey Affleck) had very different experiences being taken to the North Pole in some Christmas Eve magic. They are being interviewed about their experience at the North Pole by Dr. Bethel (Aidy Bryant) and Cardinal Hansen for their miraculous and not-so-miraculous encounter with the thought-to-be imaginary Santa Claus. Sharon and Doug have a beautiful experience that healed their inner child.
What Makes It Great
They got to see Santa's workshop and meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus. On the other hand, Krinklemouse put Ms. Rafferty to work in the reindeer stalls after being dragged by a dog sled to the North Pole. This sketch is hilarious because of the juxtaposition of their experiences and the blatant ignorance of Sharon and Doug, and is arguably the best of the Ms. Rafferty sketches, along with being a genuinely funny Christmas video.
14 Jingleheimer Junction
Tim Meadows is one of the most underrated comedic actors of all time, and his tenure on SNL was always a delight. The Jinglehimer Junction sketch immediately stands out as Meadows plays a children's television show host who soon finds himself needing to stop a four people with letters on their shirt from spelling out an obscenity they can't say on television.
What Makes It Great
As seen in Mean Girls, Meadows is great at playing comedically put upon, as he knows exactly how to sell being stressed and tired to incredibly funny results. The comedic cutaways to "Please Stand By" are humorously abrupt, and also always returning to a more violent show than what audiences left is bound to get a laugh. It also helps that the sketch contains Will Ferrell, playing an over-the-top comedic kid-like character, which would be years before he would master the persona of Elf.
13 Back Home Ballers
This music video of a sketch features Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Sasheer Zamata, Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones, Cameron Diaz, and Lil' Baby Aidy Bryant going home for Thanksgiving and wreaking absolute havoc on their parents who won't say a thing to stop the destruction because like so many parents after their kids move out, they miss them and will let them do whatever they want.
What Makes It Great
The song in the sketch has garnered so much popularity, and it ahas also been featured as an audio in many viral TikToks. This skit is hilariously true, annoyingly catchy, and the star-studded ensemble in wacky costumes ties it all together brilliantly. Diaz effortlessly holds her own against her SNL comedic counterparts, and she wasn't afraid to let loose and embrace her zany side in the uproarious sketch.
12 President Bill Clinton at McDonald's
The late great Phil Hartman was one of the best stars to ever come out of SNL, and while there are plenty of great sketches to choose from, the one that comes to mind for many is his impression of Bill Clinton, the United States President from 1992 to 2000. In this sketch, Bill Clinton is supposed to be on his daily jog but stops at a McDonald's and keeps taking people's food, mixing a wide array of tastes together to something no one who has ever eaten at McDonald's would ever do.
What Makes It Great
"There is going to be a whole lot of things we don't tell Mrs. Clinton" is obviously a humorous line, but it is even funnier given the fact that this sketch aired in 1992, six years before the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal would become a major talking point. Hartman's impression of Clinton is easily one of the funniest, being both over-the-top exaggerations but also easily similar. It is also just great seeing famous comedians like Chris Rock, Chris Farley, and Rob Schneider in the sketch. While a lot of the political commentary ones might not have aged well, this one excels due to Hartman's natural charisma and just the absurdity of putting a United States president in a McDonalds.
11 Diner Lobster
"Diner Lobster" feels like a fever dream in the best way. John Mulaney returned to host and finally got to do the sketch he wrote while on the show that never made it to air during his time, and that sketch is Diner Lobster. In less than five minutes, Pete Davidson's attempt to order lobster at a diner turns into Kenan Thompson playing a Les Mis singing lobster begging not to be eaten and his daughter (Kate McKinnon) also using Les Mis lyrics to get her point across volunteers to be eaten in his place.
What Makes it Great
The nonsensical and complicated nature of this sketch lends reason as to why this sketch was hard to get on the air during Muhlaney's time on the show, but thank goodness it finally did. Another bit in the sketch that is funnier to watch now than when it came out is the joke about Davidson's Bumble lawsuit as his playboy behavior has escalated tenfold since this sketch came out.
10 Wayne's World: Aerosmith
"Wayne's World" is a recurring sketch that garnered so much popularity that there was eventually a movie based on the SNL skit. In this particular installment, idiotic metalhead friends Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have Garth's cousin Barry (Tom Hanks) on their public radio show because Barry promises to bring the members of Aerosmith with him.
What Makes It Great
The duo asks the members of Aerosmith weird and personal questions, giving them the comedic opportunity to behave exactly the opposite of how one would expect a rock band to, even answering questions about foreign policy with poise. Wayne and Garth are undeniably some of the greatest characters to originate from the long-running program, and both Myers and Carvey are in peak comedic form and effortlessly deliver their unparalleled offbeat energy and humor.
9 Total Bastard Airlines
Even though "Total Bastard Airlines" first aired in 1994, its witty commentary on passive-aggressive airlines is so topical today, it could've been written yesterday. David Spade and Helen Hunt herd angry and question-filled passengers off their flight to Pittsburgh with one respond and one response only: "buh-bye."
What Makes It Great
The few times Spade and Hunt break their routine buh-bye, it's only to insult offloading passengers. The repetitive response is funny the first time audiences hear it and only gets more hilarious every time they say it, and viewers could easily tell just how much fun Spade and Hunt were having in the side-splitting skit.
8 CBS Evening News: Katie Couric Interviews Sarah Palin
This sketch makes light of a then-recent interview between Katie Couric and Sarah Palin. Katie Couric (Amy Poehler) and Gov. Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) discuss a range of topics, including foreign policy, her trip to New York City, and her disappointment about the UN office being filled with foreign workers.
Related: SNL: Is it Time for Saturday Night Live to Come to an End?
What Makes It Great
Although it's written to be comedic and poke fun at their interview, the real comedy comes from how little they needed to change between the comedic interpretation and the real interview. This has actually been one of the problems with SNL — our political reality has become so absurd, that it makes its own comedy and is thus hard to satirize.
7 The Olympia Restaurant: Cheeseburger, Chips and Pepsi
There are several sketches on SNL's anthology set in the Olympia Café, but "Cheeseburger, Chips and Pepsi" is a different breed of comedy. Patrons of the Olympia Restaurant grow annoyed that they can only get cheeseburgers, chips and Pepsi despite the restaurant's sprawling menu. This sketch is based on a local Chicago eatery with the same attitude and offerings called The Billy Goat Tavern.
What Makes It Great
The growing anger of the patrons juxtaposed the staffs' indifference and insistence on their menu offerings in a maddening, hilarious manner. SNL legend John Belushi stole the show as the bossy Greek immigrant Pete, who runs the Chicago eatery with the help of some colorful characters like his increasingly agitated lackey (Bill Murray) and his cool and calm grill cook (Dan Aykroyd). All these amusing elements helped make the iconic '70s skit a knockout and one of the show's very best.
6 AA Meeting
In the midst of an AA meeting led by Bowan Yang, he encourages Jesse (Jack Harlow) to speak up about his struggles with addiction. Instead, Harlow launches into a full pitch of his great idea for a new Pixar movie. Yang tries to reroute the meeting, but eventually, the AA meeting transforms into a writer's room.
What Makes It Great
This sketch's comedy lies in the group's immediate interest in creating a Pixar movie together as well as how spot on the pitch is for what Pixar movies really look like. Harlow fully commits to his genius Pixar pitch about lost luggage, throwing a major curve ball during the meeting and causing his fellow peers to throw in their two cents about his wondrous movie idea.
5 The Lonely Island's Digital Shorts: D*** in a Box
The Lonely Island's epic collaboration with Saturday Night Live resulted in some of the funniest, most buzzed about sketches in the enduring show's illustrious history, and the comedy trio's partnership with Justin Timberlake for the legendary digital short "D*** in a Box" premiered just in time for Christmas. In the unforgettable music video, Andy Samberg and Timberlake serenade their respective ladies and give them a present they'll never forget: their genitals all wrapped up in a box.
What Makes It Great
Lauded as one of the best Christmas-themed SNL sketches of all time, "D*** in a Box" features the uproarious Samberg and Timberlake rocking goatees while sporting silk suits and flashy chains as they give their lovers (Maya Rudolph & Kristen Wiig) a special gift for Christmas. The skit paid homage to early '90s R&B crooners and was unsurprisingly a viral hit, being streamed over 28 million times in less than a year and becoming the group's signature song.
4 Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood: Nutrition
Undeniably one of the greatest talents to ever grace the Studio 8H stage was without-a-doubt comedian extraordinaire Eddie Murphy, who took the show by storm from 1980 to 1984. One of the star's most memorable characters was the streetwise Mr. Robinson, who hosted a children's show from his rundown apartment in a brilliant spoof of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
What Makes It Great
In the brilliant sketch, the morally-questionable Mr. Robinson taught kids everywhere the importance of eating right and consuming nutritious foods, showing off the groceries he had in his brown bag (which were in fact stolen). "Nutrition" is even more hilarious because of the whimsical musical that plays in the background as Mr. Robinson is ultimately visited by his rowdy landlord and the police, with Murphy hamming it up for the camera every step of the way as he sneaks out the window.
3 Matt Foley: Down by the River
Beloved funnyman and fearless performer Chris Farley was revered for his chaotic and energetic comedic style, and was never one to shy away from getting a little physical for the sake of a sketch. In the endlessly quotable and ever-amusing "Matt Foley: Van Down By The River", Farley completely threw himself (pun intended) into the character of the larger-than-life motivational speaker Matt Foley, who couldn't help but remind his teen listeners (David Spade & Christina Applegate) that he lives in a van down by the river, and that they may end up there too if they don't stay on track.
What Makes It Great
The zany, clumsy, and extremely loud Matt Foley made his debut in a 1993 episode and was created by Bob Odenkirk, and quickly became a fan-favorite segment and one of SNL's greatest and most adored characters. Both Spade and Applegate could barely keep it together as Farley served up some seriously priceless antics in his fiery speech, continuously adjusting his pants and throwing himself onto the coffee table in his passionate plea to the troubled teens.
2 More Cowbell
"More Cowbell" includes the rock band Blue Oyster Cult featuring Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, and Will Ferrell as they try to record a new song. They can't get through the recording session because their producer Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) insists Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell) play more cowbell, much to his other band members' annoyance.
Related: SNL: Top 10 Most Prolific Alumni
What Makes It Great
This sketch would be iconic and hilarious just by how ferociously Ferrell plays the cowbell and how it's never enough for Walken, but the circ*mstances that surround the sketch make it timeless. While his inability to deliver lines without laughing is a point of contention for many fans of SNL, this sketch is only made sillier by Fallon's constant break of character. Additionally, Walken's iconic line about having a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell was improvised by the comedy genius only making the shock on the cast faces even funnier.
1 Celebrity Jeopardy
"Celebrity Jeopardy" features celebrities playing other celebrities that may have never picked up a book in their lives. Will Ferrell portrays the late Alex Trebek as he leads contestants Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond), Justin Bieber (Kate McKinnon), Tony Bennett (Alec Baldwin), Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald), and Matthew McConaughey (Jim Carrey) through a humiliating round of Jeopardy.
What Makes It Great
This sketch pokes fun at how silly celebrities are at Celebrity Jeopardy in real life while also layering on the idea that they are celebrities who could very easily play themselves but instead choose to portray other stars. This sketch is so absurd that fans would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't even crack a smile at their antics.
After 49 seasons, there are dozens of sketches that will have audiences laughing so hard it hurts. With new comedians making their ascent to fame through SNL, the frequency of hilarious sketches show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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