“SNL50: The Anniversary Special” offered something for all fans: Those who come for the music (Lil Wayne and The Roots; Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard; Paul McCartney), for viewers who love the recurring sketches/characters (Mike Myers’ Linda Richman; Cecily Strong’s Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party; Pete Davidson’s Chad; Molly Shannon’s Sally O’Malley) and for TV watchers eager for “SNL’s” satirical take on current events (“Weekend Update”).
After a duet of “Homeward Bound” by Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter, Steve Martin delivered the monologue, which he called, “traditionally the weakest part of the show, but it’s like a rent-controlled tenant, it’s not going anywhere even though it stinks.”
John Mulaney joined Martin to call the show’s celebrity hosts “some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life. Over 50 years, 894 people hosted ‘SNL’ and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder,” a reference to past “SNL” hosts O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake who were charged and acquitted criminally.
After Mulaney, Martin Short joined Martin to say he thought they were hosting together.
“Do you have your passport on you?” Martin asked. Short said he didn’t.
“ICE, get him!” Martin said as ICE agents dragged Short offstage as Short screamed he’d “name names: Mike Meyers, Jim Carrey,” citing fellow Canadian comic stars.
Then it was onto the sketches, which worked incredibly well, because while “SNL” brought back fan favorites, they enhanced each sketch with clever twists.
Having Eddie Murphy play Tracy Jordan, while standing next to the real Tracy Jordan on “Black Jeopardy!,” was inspired.
Will Farrell played Robert Goulet, who wound up smitten by Dooneese (Kristen Wiig) of the Maharelle Sisters on “The Lawrence Welk Show.”
The recent “Domingo” recurring sketch ended with a revelation and Kate McKinnon reprised her alien abductee and introduced her mother, played by Meryl Streep.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did a funny QA with the celebrities in the audience, including a bit with Julia Louis-Dreyfus who took up two seats for her and her service dog while Jon Lovitz was seated across the street from Rockefeller Center in the American Girl Store. Louis-Dreyfus revealed the dog was not for her, she was there for her blind dog and preceded to describe Poehler as “the blond woman” and Fey as “the old woman.”
Bowen Yang and Andy Samberg teamed up for a Samberg-style digital short about how “every single person that ever worked at ‘SNL’ had anxiety” (and IBS).
In a rare public appearance, Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson introduced Adam Sandler’s musical tribute to “SNL’s” stars of the past, including some of the short-lived ones, which drew a deserving standing ovation.
If Pittsburgh native Dennis Miller was in attendance at “SNL50,” I didn’t see him, but Miller did get a shout-out in Sandler’s song and from Bill Murray, who ranked the Top 10 “Weekend Update” anchors of all time — Miller landed at No. 7.
The latest Mulaney Broadway-inspired musical, featuring Mulaney leading Pete Davidson and David Spade through New York’s changes from the ‘70s to the present, was the cherry on the “SNL50” sundae, especially Nathan Lane in the ‘80s singing about cocaine to the tune of “Hakuna Matata” from Disney’s “The Lion King.”
And kudos to “SNL” for its self-deprecating “In Memoriam” segment to sketches that aged horribly, including those featuring ethnic stereotypes, body shaming, sexism, racial slurs, questionable makeup, gay panic and sexual harassment. Although as Tom Hanks noted, “You all laughed at it, so if anyone should be canceled, shouldn’t it be you?”
Really, it’s hard to imagine how “SNL50” could have gone any better as it delivered a welcome mix of comedy and music over almost three-and-a-half hours, wrapped in a warm blanket of nostalgia (without getting sappy). If you missed it, many sketches are already on YouTube and the full program should be on Peacock Feb. 17.
Of course, the future of “SNL” is anything but clear. Executive producer/series creator Lorne Michaels, 80, told Maureen Dowd in The New York Times that he doesn’t feel “done” with running “SNL.” But given his age and that Michaels is credited as the key to the show’s longevity and ability to reinvent itself, what happens when Michaels is gone?
That, of course, is TBD.
For now, though, “SNL” remains a successful franchise for NBC. As Joe Adalian pointed out in his Vulture.com “Buffering” column last week, new episodes average 7.1 million linear viewers this season, which would make “SNL” a Top 20 show if it aired in prime time. And in the key demo of adults 18-49, Adalian reports “SNL” is broadcast TV’s No. 1 entertainment series this season.
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In an era when viewing has splintered due to an over-abundance of options, “SNL” remains a rare, unifying cultural force.
Pittsburgher back on ‘Jeopardy!’
Margaret Shelton, who lives in Pittsburgh’s East End, makes her second return to “Jeopardy!” on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., WPXI-TV) as part of the “Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.”
Shelton first appeared on the game show in early 2022 winning four games and she returned later that year as a Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist.
Shelton is among 27 players vying for the $150,000 in the Invitational Tournament. The winner will also get to compete in the next season of ABC’s “Jeopardy! Masters.” (The 2024 Invitational Tournament winner, Pittsburgher Victoria Groce, went on to win “Jeopardy! Masters.”)
Invitational players will compete across nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals and a multiple game final series. The first contestant to win two games will be the Invitational champion.
Channel surfing
Netflix renewed “XO, Kitty” for a third season. … Paramount Global reached a new carriage agreement with YouTube TV, avoiding a blackout of Paramount channels, including KDKA-TV and WPKD-TV locally.
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, X/Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.