Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special

"Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special"
Saturday Night Live episode
Episode no.Season 50
Directed byLiz Patrick
Narrated byDarrell Hammond
Original air dateFebruary 16, 2025 (2025-02-16)
Running time209 minutes (with commercials)
List of episodes

"Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special" (also billed as "SNL50: The Anniversary Special") is a three-hour television special to commemorate the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live. It aired on February 16, 2025, on NBC and Peacock and, like the 40th Anniversary Special, was preceded by two hour-long live red carpet specials: one was hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg for SNL's social media such as YouTube;[1][2][3][4] Willie Geist, Leslie Jones, and Matt Rogers hosted the pre-show on NBC. The special was watched by nearly 15 million viewers.[5][6]

Synopsis

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The special followed the format of a typical Saturday Night Live episode, extended to 3½ hours instead of the usual 1½, and included a cold open, a monologue, sketches, a short film, commercial parodies, and musical performances.[7][8]

Sketches

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Sketch Notes
Opening Monologue Steve Martin hosted featuring cameos from John Mulaney and Martin Short, with David Letterman in the audience. Mikey Day and Devon Walker appear as ICE agents escorting Short off the stage.
The Lawrence Welk Show
& The Maharelle Sisters 		Fred Armisen as Lawrence Welk, Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet, Kristen Wiig as Dooneese, Ana Gasteyer as Margaret, Kim Kardashian as Holly, and Scarlett Johansson as Janice. Kenan Thompson briefly appears as Florian Trent, a body contortionist.
Black Jeopardy! Kenan Thompson reprises his role as Black Jeopardy! host Darnell Hayes with Leslie Jones as Shanice, Tracy Morgan as Darius, Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock as a Special Guest Clue, and Tom Hanks reprising his role as Doug.
Physical Comedy clip montage Emma Stone and Molly Shannon as Sally O'Malley presented a montage dedicated to physical comedy on SNL.
Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey Handey's voice reminisces about 50 years of SNL, but values his salary above anything.
Domingo: Vow Renewal Martin Short and Molly Shannon as parents of the bride, Chloe Fineman and Andrew Dismukes as the couple, Sabrina Carpenter, Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman, and Ego Nwodim as bridesmaids, Andy Samberg, Bowen Yang, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney as the Groomsmen, Marcello Hernandez as Domingo, Pedro Pascal as Renaldo, and Bad Bunny as Santiago.
Q&A Segment Tina Fey and Amy Poehler answer questions from audience members Quinta Brunson, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Nate Bargatze, Donna Richards (host dresser), Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Keith Richards, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Bad Bunny, Seth Meyers, Al Sharpton, Ray Romano, Jason Momoa, Fred Armisen, and Peyton Manning.
SNL Digital Short Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, Sarah Sherman, Chris Parnell, Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon, Will Forte, Taran Killam, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney appear in a musical pre-taped digital short about anxiety at SNL.
Weekend Update Colin Jost and Michael Che host Weekend Update. Che pays tribute to both Norm Macdonald and O.J. Simpson.[a] Cecily Strong plays The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party alongside Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle. Seth Meyers introduces "Lorne's Best Friends from Growing Up" (Vanessa Bayer, Fred Armisen). Bill Murray ranks his favorite Weekend Update anchors.
"Close Encounters" sketch Aidy Bryant and Jon Hamm play officials investigating an alien abduction. Kate McKinnon reprises her role as Colleen Rafferty with Pedro Pascal and Woody Harrelson playing other abductees and Meryl Streep playing Colleen Sr., Rafferty's mother.
"The Stagehand" pre-taped sketch Laraine Newman reminiscences being around Studio 8H and meets Chad (Pete Davidson). Cameo from Mikey Day.
"Moving to New York" musical sketch Musical sketch featuring John Mulaney as Big Nick, Pete Davidson, David Spade, Adam Driver, Maya Rudolph, Emil Wakim, Alex Moffat, Paul Shaffer, G. E. Smith, Nathan Lane, Chloe Fineman, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Nick Jonas, Taran Killam, and Ana Gasteyer with Kate McKinnon reprising her role as Rudy Giuliani, Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton, Sarah Sherman as Michael Bloomberg, and Devon Walker as Eric Adams. Audience members Jenna Ortega and Kevin Costner also take part, perhaps unintentionally, sitting between two of the singers.
Commercial parody clip montage Alec Baldwin introduces a montage of commercial parodies. (with Sarah Sherman.)
"Bronx Beat with Betty & Jodi" Sketch Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph as Betty and Jodi with Miles Teller and Mike Myers who reprises his role as Linda Richman.
In Memoriam to cancelled sketches Tom Hanks presents an In Memoriam to cancelled characters, stereotypes, jokes in poor taste, or "sketches that have aged horribly."
"Debbie Downer" sketch Jimmy Fallon, Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore, and Robert De Niro with Rachel Dratch reprising her role as Debbie Downer working as a bartender.
"Scared Straight" sketch Sketch featuring Eddie Murphy, Kenan Thompson reprising his role as Lorenzo McIntosh, Will Ferrell, Jason Sudeikis reprising his role as Officer Sikorski, Mikey Day, Michael Longfellow, and Marcello Hernandez.
"Don't Look Back in Anger" short Garrett Morris introduced the Schiller's Reel short, "Don't Look Back in Anger" starring John Belushi.
SNL goodnights Martin Short salutes the original cast and thanks Lorne Michaels on-stage as they began the famous SNL goodnights.

Musical performances

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Presenter Musicians Notes
The cold open Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter "Homeward Bound", previously performed by Simon and George Harrison on the November 20, 1976 episode
Aubrey Plaza Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard "Nothing Compares 2 U", previously performed by Sinead O'Connor on the October 3, 1992 episode
Jack Nicholson Adam Sandler "50 Years", a tribute song to SNL written by Sandler
Dave Chappelle Lil Wayne and The Roots Medley of "Uproar", "Lollipop", "6 Foot 7 Foot", "Mrs. Officer", and "A Milli"
Martin Short Paul McCartney "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End"

Cast and crew

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Appearances

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The initial headliners for the 50th anniversary special were announced on February 6, 2025, 10 days before the broadcast.[9][10][11] Several more headliners were spoiled, in a picture The New York Times used, during an interview with executive producer Lorne Michaels.[12] On February 14, it was confirmed that cast alumni Dan Aykroyd and Bill Hader would not be present at the event; Aykroyd was unable to attend, while Hader declined the invitation due to a schedule conflict.[13] Aykroyd later gave his blessing to the special, stating in a social media post that he "smile(d) from start to finish" watching from home.[14] Other alumni who were absent included Dana Carvey (who was suffering from a severe case of influenza), Colin Quinn (who had an engagement booked in North Carolina that night), Dennis Miller and Dick Ebersol.[15]

Writers

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Several past writers for the show returned to become "staff writers" for the special, including Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, and John Mulaney.[16]

Audience members

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Also in attendance were numerous actors, musicians, comedians, media figures, and celebrities, many of whom had appeared on or hosted SNL in the past, with some seen prominently during some sketches. Confirmed as attending were:

note: former cast members Patrick Weathers and John Milhiser attended the Friday anniversary concert but not the Sunday live show.

Preceding specials

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Before the main event, NBC aired three other specials: SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a four-part documentary debuting on Peacock on January 16; Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, airing on NBC on January 27; and SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, on February 14 live on Peacock.[17][18] NBC also aired the first episode of the show the night before the anniversary special.[19] The main special was preceded by a one-hour "red carpet special" featuring interviews with celebrities and past and current cast members (including many participating in that night's show).[4]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the episode a score of 66 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]

Joe Berkowitz of Vulture wrote, "SNL50 had three jobs: capture the significance of the milestone, pay respect to those who made it possible, and be funny. It handily managed all three, often at once."[22] At Entertainment Weekly, Andy Hoglund critiqued the show's cozy relationship with corporate "brand synergy" - as well as its "hypocritical" tribute to Sinead O'Connor - while recognizing its effective use of lore and returning cast members, particularly Eddie Murphy.[23]

Notes

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  1. ^ Che explains that Norm Macdonald lost his job due to too many jokes about O.J. Simpson, and Che then sincerely mentions that he admired NFL football player and actor Simpson.

References

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  1. ^ Wood, Becca (2024-05-13) [2024-05-11]. "'SNL' announces three-hour 50th anniversary special. What to know". Today. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  2. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (2025-01-07) [2024-12-11]. "How Is SNL Celebrating Its Big Five-Oh?". Vulture. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  3. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (2024-05-10). "'SNL' to Mark 50th Anniversary With a Live Primetime Special (on a Sunday)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  4. ^ a b Gardner, Chris (2025-02-11). "Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Red Carpet Livestream for 'SNL' 50th Anniversary Special". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  5. ^ "'Saturday Night Live' 50th anniversary special watched by nearly 15 million people". Associated Press. February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  6. ^ Seitz, Loree (February 18, 2025). "'SNL50' Draws Nearly 15 Million Viewers Across Peacock, NBC". Yahoo. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  7. ^ Lemire, Sarah; Wood, Becca; Ellis, Maddie (February 16, 2025). "'SNL50': Recap of the massive 3-hour 'Saturday Night Live' special — from Domingo to Debbie Downer". Today.
  8. ^ Romero, Dennis; Dickerson, Terry; Hamedy, Saba; Abbruzzese, Jason (February 17, 2025). "'SNL50' highlights: Steve Martin, Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Eddie Murphy and more celebrate show's legacy". NBC News.
  9. ^ Steve Martin, Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney and More Celebrate 50 Years of SNL (YouTube). Saturday Night Live. 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  10. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (2025-02-05). "'SNL 50' Sets Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell and More Returning Cast Members". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  11. ^ @nbcsnl (2025-02-14). "musical performances! sunday! anniversary special!". Retrieved 2025-02-16 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Dowd, Maureen (2025-02-14). "Live From New York, It's Lorne Michaels". Arts. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2025-02-14. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  13. ^ Rosenzweig, Jed (2025-02-14). "Dan Aykroyd, Bill Hader Decline SNL50 Invites". latenighter.com. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  14. ^ "Dan Aykroyd Praises 'SNL' 50th Anniversary Special as 'Triumphant' Following His Absence: 'Well Done as Usual'". People.com. Retrieved 2025-02-19.
  15. ^ Schneider, Michael (2025-02-18). "Why Dana Carvey, Bill Hader and More 'SNL' Legends Skipped 50th Anniversary Show". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-19.
  16. ^ "Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Reminisce on Co-Hosting Weekend Update, Their Mom Jeans Sketch and SNL50". YouTube. 2025-02-13.
  17. ^ Otterson, Joe (2025-01-10). "Timothée Chalamet Set as 'SNL' Host and Musical Guest, Dave Chappelle Also Hosting in January". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  18. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (2025-02-13). "'SNL' 50th Anniversary Concert to Feature Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, Backstreet Boys and More". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  19. ^ Hailu, Selome (2025-02-07). "'SNL' First Episode from 1975 to Re-Air on NBC Ahead of 50th Anniversary Special". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  20. ^ "Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 18, 2025. Edit this at Wikidata
  21. ^ "Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  22. ^ Berkowitz, Joe (February 17, 2025). "SNL50 Recap: This One's For the Millennials". Vulture. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  23. ^ Hoglund, Andy (February 17, 2025). "The best and worst moments from the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
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