The iconic late-night sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday with a three-hour special event.
The special, which included a star-studded assortment of former cast members, hosts, writers and musical guests, paid homage to the many talents who have contributed to “SNL” over its extensive history.
The show opened with four-time host Paul Simon and pop star Sabrina Carpenter performing a duet of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “Homeward Bound,” which Simon performed with George Harrison on the show in 1976. This was followed by the show’s classic monologue opening performed by actor and 16-time host Steve Martin.
The rest of the show followed this comedic suit, making references to iconic moments that have come out of the show’s run while poking fun at its long history.
“Now, a fun fact,” Martin said. “A person born during the first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ could today be easily dead of natural causes.”
Familiar sketches from the past 50 years were reintroduced with new celebrity accompaniments. Meryl Streep appeared as Kate McKinnon’s mother in the now infamous “Close Encounter” sketch where McKinnon details being abducted by aliens.“SNL” legends Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell joined Kenan Thompson in a new take on the “Scared Straight” sketch, where they play prisoners meant to intimidate young delinquents into refraining from committing crimes.
Even recent hits like “Bridesmaid Speech,” — better recognized by fans as “Domingo” — the parody sketch of Carpenter’s “Espresso,” re-emerged with Carpenter herself as well as celebrities Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny, complimenting a large ensemble of “SNL” cast members past and present singing parodies as bridesmaids and groomsmen at a vow renewal.
Outside of sketches, video compilations were also prominent in the special as odes to the past, with clips focusing on physical comedy on “SNL,” commercial parodies and an in memoriam dedicated to politically incorrect sketches that have aged poorly over the years.
Not every instance of reflection was a complete joke, though, despite everything being infused with some degree of comedy. Adam Sandler sang a song entitled “50 Years” where he referenced experiences shared by the cast over the show’s history and paid tribute to some of the legendary performers who made the show what it became.
“50 years of one of us getting to say ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night,’” Sandler sang. “50 years of standing on home base, waving goodnight and goodbye. 50 years of the best times of our lives.”
In another tribute, original “SNL” cast member Garrett Morris introduced a short from 1978 titled “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which featured late cast member John Belushi visiting the fictional graves of his fellow original cast members, nicknamed the “Not Ready for Primetime Players.” The inclusion of the short was a touching call back to the show’s first cast, and a way to memorialize those of them who have died, including Belushi and Gilda Radner.
The show included performances from past musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard as well as Lil Wayne and The Roots. It concluded with an “Abbey Road” medley by Paul McCartney, in which he sang beloved Beatles tracks “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End.”
Everyone who took part in the celebration stood on the iconic stage at Studio 8H to say goodnight at the close of the show. Former cast member Martin Short shouted out the show’s iconic cast members and recognized the contributions of the man who created and is still in charge of “SNL” today.
“The reason we’re all here, the man who made our dreams come true … the one and only Lorne Michaels,” Short said.