The Best Episodes of Saturday Night Live
Last Updated: May 17, 2019
"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 - Ray Charles/Franklyn Ajaye
Season 3 - Episode 5
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".
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#2 - Bill Russell/Chicago
Season 5 - Episode 3
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.""
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#3 - Helen Hunt/Snoop Doggy Dogg
Season 19 - Episode 16
Sketches include ""Rockers Explain Whitewater,"" ""Total Bastard Airlines,"" ""Sexist Director,"" ""Office Space,"" and ""Rob Schneider's Girlfriend Theater."" Snoop Dogg performed ""Gin & Juice.""
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#4 - Steve Forbes/Rage Against the Machine
Season 21 - Episode 17
Sketches include ""Class Reunion,"" ""Nightline,"" ""House Workers,"" ""Entering Penn State,"" ""Seattle Today,"" ""Greyson-Moore,"" ""Gibberish Sergeant,"" ""Fuzzy Memories,"" ""Steve Forbes and the Flies""
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#5 - Dana Carvey/The Wallflowers
Season 26 - Episode 3
Live From New York, it's...Dana Carvey Sketches include: ""The Third Presidental Debate"", ""Magic Mouth"", ""Delicious Dish"", ""Church Chat"", ""Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. Go Hunting"", ""VH-1 Vogue Fashion Awards"", and ""Ching Chang's Chicken Play"" The Wallflowers perform: ""Sleepwalker"" and ""Hand Me Down"" (a third performance is done by guest Baha Men)
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#6 - Val Kilmer/U2
Season 26 - Episode 7
Live From New York, it's...Chris Parnell Sketches include: Gore's Lawsuit, Wade Blasingame: Dog Lawyer, Behind The Music, Palm Beach, Veronica and Co., Seasons Greetings From SNL, Doing Voices, The Tyson Bros., and Corn Chip Nails (from the Rob Lowe/Eminem and Dido episode) U2 performs: ""Beautiful Day"" and ""Elevation""
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#7 - Mena Suvari/Lenny Kravitz
Season 26 - Episode 10
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Airport Metal Detector,"" ""Janet Reno's Dance Party, ""Rap Street,"" ""Veronica & Co.,"" and ""The DeMarco Brothers.""
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#8 - Alec Baldwin/Coldplay
Season 26 - Episode 16
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Military Soldier,"" ""Inside the Actor's Studio,"" ""Robert Goulet,"" ""Democrats.""
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#9 - Sean William Scott/Sum 41
Season 27 - Episode 2
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""
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#10 - Jon Stewart/India.Arie
Season 27 - Episode 14
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""
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#11 - Cameron Diaz/Jimmy Eat World
Season 27 - Episode 16
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.""
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#12 - Alec Baldwin/P.O.D.
Season 27 - Episode 18
Live From New York, It's...The Parrot From ""Barretta"" Sketckes include ""FOX News: Robert Blake Murder,"" ""Kotex Classic"" (rerun from the Ian McKellen/Kylie Minogue episode), ""Gay Voice Mail,"" ""When White Men Date Old Black Women,"" ""Ozzy Osbourne's Problems,"" ""Let's All Hate France"", ""TV Funhouse: The Anatominals"", ""The Cardinals"", ""Lovers' Birthday Party,"" and ""The Tony Bennett Show."" P.O.D performs: ""Alive"" and ""Youth of the Nation""
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#13 - Forest Whitaker/Keith Urban
Season 32 - Episode 13
Live from New York, it's... Darrell Hammond!Sketches include "Valentine's Day with the Cheneys," "Bronx Beat," "Andy Everywhere" (film), "Assagio's," "Urigro," "Man Versus Beast: The Road to the Final Four," "Love Whitney," "Am I a Crazy Street Person?," and "A Message from the Staten Island Zoo."Keith Urban performed "Stupid Boy" and "Once in a Lifetime."
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#14 - Drew Barrymore/Squeeze
Season 8 - Episode 7
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""
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#15 - Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman/Eddy Grant
Season 9 - Episode 2
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.""
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#16 - Sharon Stone/Pearl Jam
Season 17 - Episode 17
Live from New York, it's... Mike Myers and Dana Carvey! Sketches include "Wayne's World," "Jiffy Pop Airbag," "Hitting on a Women," "Sex Games," "Flippy, The Flipping Chihuahua," "Lung Brush," "Pat's Interrogation," "Airport Security Check," "Ernie's," "Tayster's Choice Spermicidal Jelly," "Phil Hartman Creations," and "Pornographic Romance." Pearl Jam performed "Alive" and "Porch."
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#17 - Rosie O'Donnell/Whitney Houston
Season 22 - Episode 9
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.""
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#18 - Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey/G-Unit with 50 Cent
Season 29 - Episode 10
Live from New York, it's... Jeff Richards Sketches were: ""Howard Dean HQ,"" ""Tylenol Extreme,"" ""Joey Mack,"" ""El Cantador Restaurant,"" ""American Idol,"" ""MTV Future,"" ""American Beef Council,"" ""The Sharon Osbourne Show,"" ""Panty Shopping,"" ""Bubba Sparxxx Ad Jingles,"" and ""Tuna of the Dirt."" G-Unit performed ""Stunt 101.""
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#19 - Conan O'Brien/Don Henley
Season 26 - Episode 14
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)
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#20 - Chris Farley/The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Season 23 - Episode 4
Sketches include ""Farley Gets Permission to Host,"" ""Morning Latte,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker,"" ""Goth Talk,"" ""The Sally Show,"" ""Monday Night Football Song,"" ""Superfans,"" and ""El Niño.""
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#21 - Colin Firth/Norah Jones
Season 29 - Episode 14
Sketches include; Nightline, Bad Southern Accent, Show Biz Grande Explosion, TV Funhouse: FCC-Approved Cartoons, Tim Calhoun In Court, The Horny Bellhop, Meet the Press, The Sopranos, and Hollywood vs. History: Jesus Christ.
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#22 - Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson
Season 34 - Episode 18
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#23 - Bruce Willis/Neil Young
Season 15 - Episode 1
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""thirtysomething Cereal,"" ""Wayne's World,"" ""Phil Donahue,"" ""Anal-Retentive Carpenter,"" ""Johnny O'Connor,"" ""Sprockets,"" and ""Bruce Willis' Bluesy Commercial Jingles""
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#24 - Maya Rudolph/Sleigh Bells
Season 37 - Episode 15
Host Maya Rudolph; Sleigh Bells perform "Comeback Kid" and "End of the Line". Sketches include Linsanity Postgame Cold Open, Maya Angelou Prank Show, Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Baby, Sleigh Bells: Comeback Kid, Really? with Seth and Amy, What Up With That: President’s Day Special, Super Showcase, Cosby Obama, Sleigh Bells: End Of The Line and How’s He Doing?.
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#25 - Justin Timberlake/Lady Gaga
Season 36 - Episode 22
Sketches include Rikers Island, Liquorville, WXPD News, Three-Way (Digital Short), What's That Name?, Merry-Go-Love Tunnel, Secret Word and The Barry Gibbs Talk Show. Lady Gaga performs "The Edge of Glory", "Judas" and "Born This Way".
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