Half a Century of Saturday Night Live!

Saturday Night Live (SNL) 50th Anniversary Episode

Photo by Merch HÜSEY on Unsplash

Though the popular NBC comedy series is called “Saturday Night Live!” (SNL), it was on Sunday, Feb. 16 that current and past cast members, along with various celebrities, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the show with a three-hour episode to commemorate the many iconic moments throughout the years that fans know and love.

The celebration reprised many old sketches, such as the “Debbie Downer” skit starring returning cast member Rachel Dratch, “Close Encounters” starring Kate McKinnon and Meryl Streep, who made her SNL debut in the 50th anniversary episode. Kristin Wiig also reprised her popular role of Doonneese in the “Lawrence Welk Show” sketch that also included returning cast member Will Ferrell and guest Kim Kardashian. The monologues were done by Steve Martin and John Mulaney, who used to be a writer on the show. Among these, returning cast members Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler and many more celebrated the 50th anniversary special.

Along with the nostalgic old skits being reprised, the current cast members also created special moments to commemorate the occasion. The “Domingo” sketch, which has recently risen to popularity, was remade with all the original stars, such as Marcello Hernandez as the Domingo character, with the addition of actor Pedro Pascal, singer Bad Bunny and even Sabrina Carpenter, whose song “Espresso” was used in the original sketch that went viral online.

Overall, the SNL 50th Anniversary special was a well-received and nostalgic experience for both new and long-term fans of the show.