Saturday Night Live has currently reached its 50th season marking an amazing milestone as one of most culturally relevant and successful comedy shows in the history of television. The television program has won 84 Primetime Emmy Awards six Writers Guild of America Awards plus three Peabody Awards along with new fans joining every new generation. The format that includes live sketches unique musical guests and a unique host each week provided revolutionary approach. The cast changes many times which enables this iconic series to stay ever changing.
Navigating 2024 Through Comedy: SNL's Impact and Enduring Appeal with Live Performances
The year 2024 proved hectic and audiences find much comfort from SNL’s weekly broadcast episodes despite any challenges seen across the globe. Saturday Night Live's approach goes in numerous creative approaches which includes political satire emotional narratives absurdist stories. SNL still manages a great ability to attract people regardless of their views of particular topics that could be contentious. Despite a format that includes risk with inconsistent results fans still appreciate unpredictability of live show and all different skits presented every broadcast . Some of the Saturday Night Live’s episodes were better than others and we see more hits that provide great entertainment with different tastes. There is another new episode this Saturday to cap off the year however these ten provide consistent comedy that has proven popular among many critics as most popular for 2024.
"Jumanji" with Kristen Wiig and Will Forte Highlights Hilarious Dialogue And an Overused Catchphrase
In season 49's "Jumanji" we can witness a humorous debate where a host character portrayed by Andrew Dismukes introduces the game Ticket to Ride among a close circle of friends but Kristen Wiig's character adamantly refuses due to concern for a Jumanji like scenario. The term "Jumanji" repeats many times demonstrating an intense refusal from a character that remains rigid in viewpoint during debate. This sketch that heavily relies on simple dialogue succeeds due to amazing pace. The argument evolves with such perfection and we see how patience decreases among all as debate increases. Recurring statements surrounding the importance of specific films over others in the Jumanji series makes audience engage further along with cameo by veteran Will Forte at the end of sketch.
"Trump Sneakers" Skit: Shane Gillis’s Confident Performance Showcases Political Satire with Familiar Characters
The character of Gordon Dwyer presented by Shane Gillis discovered Trump's "Never Surrender" Sneakers that gives him a newfound confidence in this humorous locker room scene. Using confidence to get everything he asks for this satirical approach also includes an appearance from James Austin Johnson who recreates a superior Trump performance with Michael Day providing a comical Biden response. "Trump Sneakers" highlights a unique side to presidential candidates while staying within acceptable realms of discourse regarding policy as some found issues with new sneaker lines. Mikey Day's portrayal of President Biden made audience react in a comical manner which added more levity to already humorous scene with Shane Gillis.
"Beavis and Butt-Head" Comedy Scene Turns Chaotic Featuring Ryan Gosling Heidi Gardner and Mikey Day
Kenan Thompson masterfully plays the distracted MIT professor character in "Beavis and Butt-Head" during a discussion regarding artificial intelligence however two audience members Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day whose similar appearances to the 90s MTV cartoon made the performance stray completely from the planned narrative. Heidi Gardner's inability to contain her laugh during this iconic scene was the most remembered of this chaotic skit along with other performers who struggled to maintain composure and stay within the lines. Some might consider SNL performers losing their ability to contain laughter a poor showing however for some it creates added impact just like iconic Debbie Downer skit from years prior .
"Bank Robbery" Explores Brolin's Talents and Chaotic Humor with Great Timing
Josh Brolin who famously portrayed Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought a dynamic new character of a ridiculously horny bank patron to "Bank Robbery" alongside Heidi Gardner whose characters act in ways that deviate dramatically from typical bank robbery scenes. Bank robbers seem entirely dumbfounded by the character choices that include self tying while discarding clothes while the bank manager character portrayed by Bowen Yang faces awkward situations that adds an uncomfortable element. The dialogue showcases the absurd lines with humorous actions which is very impactful such as “I do Pilates okay?”. Josh Brolin’s screaming added memorable highlights along with Bowen Yang's obvious lack of wanting to get involved that also demonstrated the zany and humorous content from sketch.
Mulaney's "New York City Council Campaign" Sketch: Political Commentary through Absurd Misidentification
John Mulaney wore a bald cap playing New York State assemblyman Harvey Epstein to make light of the two sexual offenders sharing the first name last name but with completely different life history. In the format of a campaign commercial Epstein tries to showcase himself as not one of those named Epsteins as to great comic effect with absurd signs of “No Relation” and using some word play to highlight that he deserves his first chance. The satirical performance used self aware humor while simultaneously addressing issues that resonated with audience and political viewers. Harvey Epstein himself reacted very positively to this Saturday Night Live performance .
"Washington's Dream 2" Explores American Quirks with Humorous Delivery of Historical Character
Nate Bargatze reappeared as George Washington alongside American revolutionary soldiers which acted as continuation of "Washington's Dream" with observational humor and highlighting all that's illogical with the English language. "Washington's Dream 2" touches upon topics from multiple spellings of words such as donuts versus doughnuts foods with different names from live animal and even numbers that describe grades within academia and highlights such absurdity from a deadpan character perspective. Bargatze added subtle touches of sloppiness to his execution which does not diminish overall impact of great character performance. Highlights of this comedic skit included the character of George Washington asking an un-American character off the boat and descriptions of symbols used on one dollar bills which are humorous as to their history and presentation.
"Please Don't Destroy: Skydiving" Combines Anxiety With Absurdist Comedy and Great Character Roles
"Please Don't Destroy: Skydiving" featured Ben Marshall whose skydiving instructor character was filled with anxiety while the other diving instructor is Michael Keaton whose character experiences family separation issues which all culminated to very unique humor style with the diving process itself providing background of chaos. The unpredictable elements provide all twists and plot points which were both great along with a pilot that wasn't very excited about skydiving experience. This was successful because of unexpected story changes that produced great chaos in all segments along with romantic failures that enhanced comedy throughout the entirety of the scene.
"Bridesmaid Speech" Song & Dance Number Offers Catchy Remix and Chaos
"Bridesmaid Speech" transformed the hit song “Espresso” from singer Sabrina Carpenter while Ariana Grande Heidi Gardner Ego Nwodim Sarah Sherman are all playing wedding bridesmaids that discussed the wild times during their bachelorette party focusing upon an interesting stranger who also ended up being Domingo himself brought to life by Marcello Hernandez adding chaos. The groom is portrayed by Andrew Dismukes who shows his discomfort by all elements revealed as all involved reassure that everything was completely fine and normal adding an extra dose of chaos to storyline. Singer Sabrina Carpenter approved the satire which might have added further impact to overall reception by her large group of followers on various platforms.
"Rorschach Test" With Bill Burr Offers Inappropriate Imaginations Of Iconic Animation Characters
Bill Burr embodied a stereotypical Bostonian firefighter in “Rorschach Test" but surprises with overly sexualized imaginative interpretations during a routine test using famous cartoon animations such as Mike Wazowski’s and other memorable animations from various children shows. Ralphie’s extremely inappropriate visions of animated characters grew increasingly shocking. His attempts at proper interpretation showed the contrast between normal perceptions versus his own uniquely chaotic viewpoint along with intense commitment from Bill Burr and performance skills.
“Get That Boy Back" is Musical Performance That Mixes Revenge With Everyday Chaos and Unique Performances
“Get That Boy Back” proves a musical achievement by Saturday Night Live that offers revenge through catchy songwriting by featured women character actresses that includes Ego Nwodim Chloe Fineman and Chloe Troast with focus on their recently cheated boyfriends. The performance goes into unexpected directions with methods of petty acts in everyday activities. Troast’s over the top commitment to revenge such as changing the exes shoes changing out puzzles along with her unique interactions with Heidi Gardner as ex’s mother creates iconic comedic impact in short time span. A notable addition from Ryan Gosling who plays a former CIA brother enhances sketch greatly with country icon Chris Stapleton performing.
Saturday Night Live continues to be an example for comedic performance innovation plus impactful political cultural awareness throughout these top ten sketches that are some of the most memorable among 2024’s performances from the series.