Gilda Radner, as Roseanne Roseannadanna, Jane Curtin, 1970s; SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 9 — Pictured: (l-r) Will Ferrell as Craig Buchanan, Cheri Oteri as Arianna during “Basketball Game” skit on December 16, 1995; SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, ‘Dick in a Box’, (Season 32, aired December 16, 2006). Photo:
Christopher Little / TV Guide / NBC /Courtesy Everett; Norman Ng/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Dana Edelson / NBC / courtesy Everett
Saturday Night Live‘s landmark 50th season has already given fans some standout sketches — Ariana Grande introduced Marcello Hernandez‘s “Domingo” and Bowen Yang made Chappell Roan’s complaints about fame hilariously relate to Moo Deng‘s own meteoric rise — but there’s never a bad time to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the crazy characters who have gone down in comedy history.
From Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin to Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, here are 15 hilarious sketches, characters and moments from the last 50 years of SNL.
Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1979. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Gilda Radner first grossed out Jane Curtin with her iconic Weekend Update reporter with a geometric wig in 1977.
Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd during the ‘2 Wild and Crazy Guys’ skit. NBC
Steve Martin and Aykroyd first played Czech immigrants eyeing their American neighbors played by Radner and Laraine Newman — and really any woman they saw — in 1977, and went on to reprise the Festrunk brothers several times, always defending their ridiculousness with: “We are two wild and crazy guys!”
Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1975. Courtesy Everett
Eddie Murphy spoofed Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in sketches where he contended with the police and eviction notices starting in 1981.
Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell, Dana Carvey as Garth Algar during the ‘Wayne’s World’ skit on ‘Saturday Night Live’ on September 28, 1991. Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank
Mike Myers played Wayne and Dana Carvey played Garth in a 1989 sketch about their public access TV show filmed in Wayne’s basement, which spawned two films and a bevy of catchphrases.
Will Ferrell as Craig Buchanan, Cheri Oteri as Arianna during “Basketball Game” skit on December 16, 1995. Norman Ng/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri played wannabe cheerleaders Craig and Arianna as they wiggled their spirit fingers in a 1995 sketch.
Ana Gasteyer as Margaret Jo McCullin, Alec Baldwin as Pete Schwetty, Molly Shannon as Terry Rialto during ‘The Delicious Dish’ skit on December 12, 1998. Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
In 1998, host Alec Baldwin played Pete Schweddy alongside Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon for a racy holiday edition of the recurring sketch and NPR spoof.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Molly Shannon first introduced Sally O’Malley, the energetic and eager 50-year-old who likes to “kick and stretch and kick!” in 1999 — and she’s jumped back on screens in her signature red onesie many times since (pictured in 2007).
Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake during the ‘Dick in a Box’ skit on Dec. 16, 2006. Dana Edelson / NBC / courtesy Everett
Lorne Michaels asked Andy Samberg for a holiday musical sketch in 2006 — the result was a gift that keeps on giving: a ’90s era R&B duo (with Justin Timberlake) singing about, well, you know.
NBC
Bill Hader introduced the world to Stefon in 2008, and the New York City caricature, who he created with John Mulaney, was a Weekend Update staple between 2010 and 2013.
Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Bill Hader during “The Californians” sketch on May 11, 2013. Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
The soap opera sketch with Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Bill Hader lampooned incoherent Valley accents and labyrinthine freeway directions in L.A.
Tom Hanks as David Pumpkins and Bobby Moynihan during the “Haunted Elevator” sketch on October 22, 2016. Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Tom Hanks played the haunted house star with a penchant for butt-slapping for the first time in 2016 and has reprised it several times since — and even earned the character his own NBC Halloween TV special in 2017.
Mikey Day as Sean Evans, host Maya Rudolph as Beyonce, and Kenan Thompson as her hair stylist during the “Hot Ones” sketch on Saturday, March 27, 2021. Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Maya Rudolph has played Beyoncé more than 10 times on SNL, but she tested her spice limits in 2021 (with Mikey Day as Hot Ones hot Sean Evans and Kenan Thompson as Beyoncé’s hairdresser) — and a new level of spoof was unleashed.
Bowen Yang. Will Heath/NBC/Getty
Yang made a splash with his Weekend Update characters, the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 2021.
Kate McKinnon. NBC
One of McKinnon’s most iconic characters is playing Colleen Rafferty in “Close Encounter” sketches, whose alien experiences are always much different than her fellow abductees.
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Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary special airs Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
