The BEST episodes of Saturday Night Live
Every episode of Saturday Night Live ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Saturday Night Live!
"Saturday Night Live," NBC's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase, brings yet another year of laughs, surprises and great performances. Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.
#1 - Bill Russell/Chicago
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/3/1979
Sketches include ""Kennedy in '80,"" ""Banshee,"" ""The Black Shadow,"" ""The Landers Files,"" ""Mr. Bill at Home,"" ""Nick in the Arctic,"" ""Eleanor Roosevelt,"" ""Sports Hot Line,"" and ""Big n' Tall That's All."" Chicago performs their 1970 hit ""I'm a Man"" and their then-current single ""Street Player.""
#2 - Sean Penn/L.L. Cool J., Michael Penn & the Pull
Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/24/1987
Live from New York, it's... Sean Penn! Sketches include "Fatal Attraction 2," "Wall Street Week," "Church Chat," "Pitman & Bullock," "The Teeny Cafe," "Keister Family Talk," "Discover," "The Spimozo Brothers," and "Cat Dentist" (film). LL Cool J performs "Go Cut Creator Go." Michael Penn and The Pull performs "This & That."
#3 - Dabney Coleman/The Cars
Season 13 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/31/1987
Live from New York, it's... Dana Carvey! Sketches include "Lifestyles of the Rich, Famous, and Scary," "Nature's Broom," "The Winning Spirit," "Don't Go Down To The Basement," "Scary Campfire Stories," "Marriage Counselor," "Count Dracula, Self-Taught Auto Mechanic," "The Pat Stevens Show," "New High School Mascot," and "Lambert & Fitch Securites." The Cars performs "Strap Me In" and "Double Trouble."
#4 - Danny DeVito/Bryan Ferry
Season 13 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/5/1987
ive from New York, it's... Danny Devito! Sketches include: "Gorbachev-Reagan," "Siskel & Ebert," "Church Chat," "Eddie Spimozo's Jungle Room," "White Trash Appraiser," "Ann Landers' Playhouse," and "Reminiscing with Doorman." Bryan Ferry performs "The Right Stuff" and "Kiss and Tell."
#5 - Carl Weathers/Robbie Robertson
Season 13 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/30/1988
Sketches include ""Bush-Whacked,"" ""The NFL Today,"" ""Handi-Off,"" ""Democratic Debate '88,"" ""Helen and Cheri,"" ""TV Actress,"" ""Master Thespian,"" and ""The Garden"" (film). Robbie Robertson performed ""Testimony"" and ""Somewhere Down the Crazy River.""
#6 - Justine Bateman/Terrance Trent D'Arby
Season 13 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/13/1988
""53rd. Debate of the 1988 Republican Presidential Candidates"", ""Learning to Feel with Denise Venetti, Ph.D."", ""Family Ties: If These Old Walls Could Talk (Flashback-Flashback Episode)"", ""Blocked songwriter Derek Stevens loses his Muse"", ""An older man, the bimbo girlfriend Linda and his Judgemental Friends"".
#7 - Helen Hunt/Snoop Doggy Dogg
Season 19 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/19/1994
Sketches include ""Rockers Explain Whitewater,"" ""Total Bastard Airlines,"" ""Sexist Director,"" ""Office Space,"" and ""Rob Schneider's Girlfriend Theater."" Snoop Dogg performed ""Gin & Juice.""
#8 - Charlie Sheen/Nelly Furtado
Season 26 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/13/2001
Sketches include ""Dick Cheney,"" ""Iron Chef,"" ""Eric Dickerson's NFL Pre-Game Special,"" ""The Culps,"" ""Patsy March,"" ""Giving Birth to a Grown Man,"" ""T.G.I. Friday's Obnoxious Waiter,"" and ""Charlie and Fleisy.""
#9 - Mena Suvari/Lenny Kravitz
Season 26 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/20/2001
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Airport Metal Detector,"" ""Janet Reno's Dance Party, ""Rap Street,"" ""Veronica & Co.,"" and ""The DeMarco Brothers.""
#10 - Alec Baldwin/Coldplay
Season 26 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/7/2001
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Military Soldier,"" ""Inside the Actor's Studio,"" ""Robert Goulet,"" ""Democrats.""
#11 - Sean William Scott/Sum 41
Season 27 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/2001
Live From New York, It's...Will Ferrell Sketches include: Bush Warns bin Laden, Law and Order: Parking Violations Movement, Snotty Department Store Guys, Emmy Awards Pre-Show, Jarrett's Room, The Patriotic Co-Worker, The ""How Do You Say? Ah, Yes"" Show, The Approval Center, and The Porn Star Blind Date Sum 41 performs: ""Fat Lip"" and ""In Too Deep""
#12 - Jon Stewart/India.Arie
Season 27 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/9/2002
Live From New York, It's...Darrell Hammond Sketches include: Cheney's Concerns, The Cheese Game, MTV's Total Request Live, The Bloder Brothers, TV Funhouse: MTV Forum (Fun With Real Audio), Talkin' To The Stars, News Media, Jazzvisions, We Were Soldiers Who Knew What Women Want, and My Big Thick Novel India.Arie performs: ""Video"" and ""Ready For Love""
#13 - Cameron Diaz/Jimmy Eat World
Season 27 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/6/2002
Live From New York, It's...Will Ferrell & Ana Gasteyer! Sketches include ""The Culps In Lamaze Class,"" ""17th Annual Auto Show Spokeman Awards,"" ""MTV Spring Break 2002,"" ""SNL 530,"" ""Astronaut Jones,"" ""Celine Dion on CBS,"" ""Gorgeous Living,"" ""The First Female Peepers,"" ""MTV 4"", and ""My Big, Thick Novel."" Jimmy Eat World performed ""The Middle"" and ""Sweetness.""
#14 - Ray Charles/Franklyn Ajaye
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/12/1977
Live From New York, It's...John Belushi Sketches include-- "Don Corleone", "A Message From the President of the United States", "Mamorex", "Howdy Doody's Widow", "Tomorrow", "The Young Caucasians", "Ray Charles Medley", "Franklyn Ajaye", "Evelyn Woodski Slow Reading Course", "Blackout Burglary", "Buck Henry Announcement".
#15 - Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman/Eddy Grant
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/15/1983
Sketches are ""Calvin Klein Cream Pies,"" ""Mister Robinson's Neighborhood,"" ""Crazy Edelman,"" ""Book Beat,"" ""What Would Frank Do?"" ""Amos n' Andy,"" and ""Spanish Class."" Eddy Grant performs ""I Don't Wanna Dance,"" ""Electric Avenue,"" and ""Living on the Front Line.""
#16 - Rosie O'Donnell/Whitney Houston
Season 22 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/14/1996
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton and Bob Dole,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Goat Boy,"" ""Rita Delvecchio,"" and ""The Local News with Joe Blow.""
#17 - Michael Palin/Eugene Record
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/8/1978
Live From New York, It's...Dan Aykroyd Sketches include--"Oscar Awards", "Little Chocolate Donuts", "Tax Deductions", "H&L Brock", "Great Escape", "Nerds Piano Lesson", "The Case of the Scarlet Membrane", "Good Time At Party", "Mr. Bill Pays His Taxes", "Danger Probe"
#18 - Conan O'Brien/Don Henley
Season 26 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/10/2001
Live from New York, it's...Will Ferrell Sketches include: Bush's Good Health, Subshack, The Boston Teens At The Liquor Store, Moleculo: The Molecular Man, Napster Testimony, Taint-less Ted, Find The Black People At The Knicks Game, VH-1 Diva-Thon, Democratic National Committee, and Sports Century: The White Boxer Don Henley performs: ""Everything is Different Now"" and ""Heart of the Matter"" (the second performance was cut on the NBC rerun and replaced with a DeMarco Bros. sketch where Chris Parnell, Chris Kattan, and Conan O'Brien audition for Don Henley)
#19 - Alec Baldwin/Paul McCartney
Season 18 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/13/1993
Sketches include ""Dateline NBC,"" ""The Mimic,"" ""The Chris Farley Show,"" ""Soap Opera Digest,"" ""Gap Girls,"" ""Naked Woman Theater,"" ""Daily Affirmation With Stuart Smalley,"" ""The Bodyguard,"" and ""French Class"".
#20 - Jim Carrey/Soundgarden
Season 21 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/18/1996
Sketches include: ""Nightline,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Roxbury Guys,"" ""Overprotective Lifeguard,"" ""I'll See You In Hell,"" ""Spade in America,"" ""The Joe Pesci Show,"" and ""Jimmy Tangen's Fat Busters"".
#21 - Drew Barrymore/Squeeze
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/20/1982
Sketches include ""Dressing Room Opening,"" ""Gertie Kills E.T.,"" ""The Whiners,"" ""Mr. Blunt,"" ""Tim Kazurinsky Babysits Drew,"" ""My Friend Zeus,"" ""Robin Duke's Biological Clock""
#22 - Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/14/1977
Live From New York, It's...John Belushi Sketches include-- Bee Sketch Is Pre-Empted by Norton-Bobick Fight, Video Vixens, Badly Disguised Bank Robber, Viva Las Vegas II, "Baba Wawa At Large", Feuding Couple, "Bad Ballet", "Night of The Moonies", Audience Member Chevy.
#23 - Julianna Margulies/DMX
Season 25 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/12/2000
Sketches include ""Bill and Hillary Clinton,"" ""Regurgitating Family,"" ""E! News Daily,"" ""Simma Da Na,"" ""Crocodile Hunter,"" ""Erectile Dysfunction/Tootsie Roll Add,"" ""Jessica Simpson,"" and ""Bloder Brothers.""
#24 - Eddie Murphy/The Honeydrippers
Season 10 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/15/1984
Sketches include ""Buckwheat Lives!"" ""White Like Me"" (film), ""Milestones,"" and ""Newsmakers."" Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers perform ""Santa Claus is Back in Town.""
#25 - Buck Henry/Leon Redbone
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/19/1977
Live From New York, It's...Anyone Can Host Contest Finalists Sketches include--"The 'Anyone Can Host' Contest Finalists", "Little Chocolate Donuts", "Samurai Psychiatrist", "Stunt Babies", "Motel Sanitation Items", "Tomorrow", "Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow", "The Rickey Rat Club", "The History of Franken & Davis", "Jackie Onassis", "'Anyone Can Host' Contest Film ", "Life After Death"
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