“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
This is a sentence that has been engraved in so many households across the United States for 40 years. The iconic Saturday Night Live stage celebrated its 40th anniversary this past Valentine’s Day weekend with a very special episode filled with an all-star cast.
Lorne Michaels is the man responsible for creating the stage that every aspiring comedian dreams of being on, and those fortunate enough to achieve it, have launched their careers into comedy. Skits like “Weekend Update” created comedy powerhouses like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Saturday Night Live discovered Jimmy Fallon, who has gone on to become the newest host of The Tonight Show. Even the most off-the-wall skits like “Coneheads,” “Wayne’s World,” and “Night at the Roxbury’ all made it to the big screen.
The anniversary episode opened with audience favorites Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake performing a skit recapping the last 40 years of Saturday Night Live. They reminded fans of the classic parodies, the ridiculous songs, and the notorious one liners that viewers have come to love
Saturday Night Live is known to push the boundaries with its political satire and raw humor. Throughout the anniversary show, they highlighted the popular skits that mocked politics and imitated the outrageous behavior of Hollywood’s elite along with celebrity sports figures.
In addition to being known for its comedy, SNL is also widely popular for its musical guests. The anniversary episode included Miley Cyrus performing “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and Kanye West doing a very Kanye West type of performance.
In the 40 years that SNL has been on the air, they have lost some of their beloved cast members. During the episode, some of the celebrity guests paid tribute to those former cast members, such as Melissa McCarthy portraying Chris Farley and Emma Stone as Gilda Radner. Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd reenacted the legendary performance of The Blues Brothers in honor of John Belushi. Later on in the show, there was a montage in memoriam of the people involved in the show that had passed away.
One of the biggest highlights of the show was the Celebrity Jeopardy skit with Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek and character portrayals of Matthew McConaughey, Justin Bieber, Sean Connery, and Burt Reynolds. One of the most talked about skits was titled “The Californians,” where Bradley Cooper kissed Betty White for an uncomfortable amount of time.
Even though there were many great moments in the episode, there were a few that fell flat, especially the much anticipated appearance by Eddie Murphy, which left the audience disappointed. Overall, the show had several high points. For the faithful viewers, the show was a very nostalgic experience and it also introduced a newer generation to what Saturday Night Live does best. So here’s to 40 more years of uncontrollable laughter, brilliant skits, and hopefully less Kanye West.