‘SNL 50’ Can’t Live Up To ‘SNL 40’

Jack Nicholson appearing in public for the first time since 2023? That deserved a collective, “wow.” 88-year-old Garret Morris introducing a legendary film from the “Saturday Night Live” archives? Remarkable. Ryan Reynolds taking a non-descript question from Amy Poehler and making it one of the most buzz-worthy moments of the night? I mean, Reynolds knows what he’s doing. Adam Sandler performing a new song that somehow was the most moving moment of the night? Worthy of a genuine, “Bravo.” But, overall, the long-hyped “SNL 50” special was something of a disappointment. It just couldn’t live up to the surprise and excitement of the “SNL 40” special a decade ago. Frankly, it was probably to be expected.

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The “SNL 40” event was the first time Lorne Michaels had staged something so elaborate to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the seminal NBC series. That night brought back former favorite cast members and popular hosts, and peppered in current cast members when it could. It felt fresh and historic. Despite being the hottest ticket in town this time around, the crowd in Studio 8H didn’t look like it packed the same punch. Perhaps the Rockefeller Center concert the night before (also not what it was hyped to be) diminished the surprise. Sure, Cher, Steven Spielberg, Jason Momoa, Quinta Brunson, Conan O’Brien, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, David Letterman, Jon Hamm, Catherine O’Hara, Jenny Ortega, Jack White, Kevin Costner, Bad Bunny, Robert DeNiro, David Byrne, Kieth Richards, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Driver, Zach Galifianakis, Natasha Lyonne, Peyton Manning, and Scarlett Johannson were in the audience, but they’ve been in town. Many have popped on the show a ton over the past year alone. The only real surprise was Nicholson.

Most of the non-cast alumni who appeared in skits were recent fan-favorite hosts such as Sabrina Carpenter (fantastic), Ayo Edebiri (wasted), and Bunny (I mean, he definitely helps on social media) or longtime repeat hosts who often appear on the show too way much for guest spots (Paul Rudd, Woody Harrelson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alec Baldwin, Johannson, and Driver). And yes, Johannson was great pulling off an excellent Ellen Greene impression in John Mulaney’s “New York 1975” musical number. Streep was having a blast jumping into an updated alien abductee skit with Kate McKinnon. But Kim Kardashian in a Robert Goulet meets The Maharelle Sisters sketch with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig? Nobody asked for that. Lorne, who told you that was a good idea? Why didn’t Ferrell or Wiig say no?

Shockingly, the musical numbers were also all downers. Carpenter and Paul Simon kicked off the live telecast singing a duet of his 1966 song “Homeward Bound,” perhaps the most low-energy opening for “SNL” we’ve ever seen. Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covering Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” was a great idea on paper, but fell flat even in the hands of those Grammy legends. Lil’ Wayne and The Roots, I mean, sure, but forgettable? The show then went over 15 minutes so Paul McCartney could end with a medley of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” which was nostalgia bait only for anyone over 70. Maybe those McCartney tracks were Lorne’s requests? After the previous night, it all felt like a missed opportunity. For a program that has continued to reinvent itself for five decades, it all felt so…old. Which was odd, because that’s not what “SNL” has felt like for the past few years. 

Considering the four-and-a-half-hour runtime, there had to be some good skits or bits. There was too much talent in the room for there not to be. Eddie Murphy was utterly hilarious playing Tracy Morgan next to the real Morgan in “Black Jeopardy.” He was so good Leslie Jones couldn’t stop breaking up during the bit. That skit also brought back Tom Hanks‘ MAGA character which – oops – didn’t work so well the second time around. The now “uncancelled” Bill Murray did a very funny ranking of the Weekend Update hosts and that segment also saw the welcome return of Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle (perhaps one of his best bits as the character ever). Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and a pitch-perfect Mike Myers also killed it with a “Coffee Talk” meets “Bronx Beat” moment that fans have waited years for. 

The rest, eh (Even we think “SNL” is going overboard with Marcello Hernández’s Domingo character and we’ve been Hernández fans since the beginning.)

As the night progressed it seemed obvious to anyone who has watched the show for decades that most of these guest stars were just good friends of Lorne or in the “SNL” family via marriage or another connection. And for a celebration of the show’s longevity that’s fine. This is what “SNL” will be until Lorne decides to retire which – newsflash – isn’t happening anytime soon (and NBC isn’t pushing him out with some of their highest ratings in years over the past 12 months). Maybe this would feel more joyous in a different political environment. Maybe it was hard to wonder why Dave Chappelle is still showing up after complaining about being censored during his last hosting gig. Maybe Bill Heder was missed more than we thought he’d be. Maybe it felt all too familiar. 

There was a moment where Myers, as Linda Richman, was having a “Verklempt” moment. She told Betty and Jodi (Poehler and Maya Rudolph), “The Progressive Era was neither progressive nor an era! Talk amongst yourselves!” This was pretty biting from Myers (quite liberal in real life), but it was also a subtle dig at the show itself. At one point in the proceedings, Hanks introduced a bit that reflected on all the politically incorrect impressions, hairstyles, and makeup the show had done over the decades. And, notably, some not that long ago. Notably, the show has had long-running, out, queer cast members since McKinnon and has pushed the envelope in portraying those communities for almost a decade. But this anniversary telecast still ended with the return of the “Scared Straight” bit with Keenan Thompson and Murphy playing “former” inmates meant to frighten petty criminals into setting their lives right. And they continually did it by using stereotypes over the fear of being raped in jail by fellow prisoners. It wasn’t just one joke, it happened again and again. And then Ferrell, who just starred in the landmark documentary “Will & Harper,” showed up as…honestly, we’re not sure what he was trying to do. It was partially supposed to be a flamboyant ex-inmate who loved all the sex in prison. But maybe it wasn’t? The sketch was a mess, it should have been cut, but it also was the epitome of everything “SNL” recognized it used to and shouldn’t have done. And yet, there it was.

We’d love to know Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman’s thoughts on that trainwreck. It just left us thinking, “Was Myers trying to tell us something?” Ponder. 

“SNL 50” is available to stream on Peacock.