The BEST Episodes of Saturday Night Live
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Nov 26, 2020
Network: NBC
"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 - Aired Nov 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".
10.00 
#2 - Bill Russell/Chicago
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired Nov 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.""
10.00 
#3 - Helen Hunt/Snoop Doggy Dogg
Season 19 - Episode 16 - Aired Mar 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.""
10.00 
#4 - Julianna Margulies/DMX
Season 25 - Episode 12 - Aired Feb 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.""
10.00 
#5 - Val Kilmer/U2
Season 26 - Episode 7 - Aired Dec 9, 2000
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""
10.00 
#6 - Charlie Sheen/Nelly Furtado
Season 26 - Episode 9 - Aired Jan 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.""
10.00 
#7 - Mena Suvari/Lenny Kravitz
Season 26 - Episode 10 - Aired Jan 20, 2001
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Airport Metal Detector,"" ""Janet Reno's Dance Party, ""Rap Street,"" ""Veronica & Co.,"" and ""The DeMarco Brothers.""
10.00 
#8 - Alec Baldwin/Coldplay
Season 26 - Episode 16 - Aired Apr 7, 2001
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Military Soldier,"" ""Inside the Actor's Studio,"" ""Robert Goulet,"" ""Democrats.""
10.00 
#9 - Sean William Scott/Sum 41
Season 27 - Episode 2 - Aired Oct 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""
10.00 
#10 - Jon Stewart/India.Arie
Season 27 - Episode 14 - Aired Mar 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""
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#11 - Cameron Diaz/Jimmy Eat World
Season 27 - Episode 16 - Aired Apr 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.""
10.00 
#12 - Alec Baldwin/P.O.D.
Season 27 - Episode 18 - Aired Apr 20, 2002
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""
10.00 
#13 - Conan O'Brien/Don Henley
Season 26 - Episode 14 - Aired Mar 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)
9.94 
#14 - Drew Barrymore/Squeeze
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired Nov 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""
9.67 
#15 - Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman/Eddy Grant
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired Oct 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.""
9.67 
#16 - Sharon Stone/Pearl Jam
Season 17 - Episode 17 - Aired Apr 11, 1992
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."
9.67 
#17 - Rosie O'Donnell/Whitney Houston
Season 22 - Episode 9 - Aired Dec 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.""
9.50 
#18 - Michael Palin/Eugene Record
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired Apr 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"
9.50 
#19 - Alec Baldwin/Paul McCartney
Season 18 - Episode 13 - Aired Feb 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"".
9.43 
#20 - Eddie Murphy/The Honeydrippers
Season 10 - Episode 9 - Aired Dec 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.""
9.33 
#21 - Chris Farley/The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Season 23 - Episode 4 - Aired Oct 25, 1997
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.""
9.33 
#22 - Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson
Season 34 - Episode 18 - Aired Mar 14, 2009
9.33 
#23 - Jim Carrey/Soundgarden
Season 21 - Episode 20 - Aired May 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"".
9.30 
#24 - Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired May 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.
9.20 
#25 - Buck Henry/Leon Redbone
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired Nov 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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