Top 10 SNL Sketches of the Last Decade
#10: “Diner Lobster”
Sometimes the best “SNL” sketches are the ones that initially showed little promise. “Diner Lobster” was rejected when John Mulaney and Colin Jost wrote it in 2010, but Mulaney dug up the old sketch when he hosted in 2018. It starts off simply enough as Pete Davidson orders a lobster, even though diners don’t exactly have the best reputation for seafood. Despite everyone’s warnings, Davidson insists on having lobster, which turns out to be . . . Kenan Thompson channeling Jean Valjean. This musical sketch is just starting to get weird, as then the lobster’s devastated daughter pleads for his life, and a barricade of lobster traps enters the scene. We’re not sure how we got from lobster to “Les Misérables.” Just like Davidson, however, we can’t hide our laughter.
#9: “The Californians: Stuart’s Dad”
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“The Californians” evolved into a recurring sketch parodying “valleyspeak” and soap opera clichés. Above all else, it’s a sketch series about California highways. Even when Stuart’s long-lost father, played by Mick Jagger, pays an unexpected visit, it doesn’t take long for several California streets to force their way into the conversation. A truly great comedian can make reading the phone book funny, but this sketch somehow makes driving directions hilarious. As per usual, the exaggerated accents turn even the most straight-forward lines into comedic gold. What propels this particular “Californians” sketch into Top 10 territory, though, is a last-minute cameo from Steve Martin as a man with amnesia. He may not have his memory, but he does have the hair of a twenty-something-year-old.
#8: “Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off a Lamp”
How long does it take you to turn off a lamp? A few seconds at most probably. Yet, this sketch squeezes four minutes of nonstop laughs out of the most basic premise imaginable. As the title suggests, the sketch is about Liza Minnelli, played to over-the-top perfection by Kristen Wiig, trying to turn off a lamp. Liza can’t simply flip a switch, however. This run-of-the-mill task becomes a jazzy – not to mention tipsy – routine right out of a cabaret. All the while, Jonah Hill just sits in a chair with his cigar, even though he could easily get up and turn off the lamp himself. Between Wiig’s dedicated impression and physical comedy gifts, we can’t help but get a kick out of every ridiculous moment.
#7: “Meet Your Second Wife”
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Now this one pushes some boundaries. When we see an older man dating a significantly younger woman, most of the time we don’t think much about the actual amount of years separating them. But when you consider how young the woman would have been when the man is already an adult, however, the relationship in this light can seem a little . . . off-putting, to say the least. In this uproarious sketch, three men are given a chance to meet their future second wives on a twisted game show. The oldest is in eighth grade while the youngest is still a fetus. Making matters even more uncomfortable, their current wives are all in the audience. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, an always-reliable comedic duo, play the show’s chipper hosts.
#6: “Career Day”
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Adam Driver may be best-known for portraying the brooding Kylo Ren, but the “Star Wars” actor has demonstrated surprisingly strong comedic chops on “SNL.” Driver went undercover at Starkiller Base in another sketch, but he completely transformed himself in this instant classic. With the physical appearance of Albert Einstein and devilish persona of Daniel Plainview, an unrecognizable Driver plays Abraham H. Parnassus, an oil man who visits his son’s school on career day. His class presentation quickly escalates into a Shakespearean speech as Parnassus describes how he crushed his enemies and overcame a premature birth. As goofy as Driver looks and acts, he actually manages to bring a genuinely menacing quality to the stone-faced Parnassus, which makes the sketch all the more hysterical.
#5: “Close Encounter”
Kate McKinnon has been an “SNL” MVP throughout the past decade and her castmates could barely contain their laughter in this sketch. McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Ryan Gosling play three people abducted by aliens. Where Strong and Gosling look back on the experience as profound and enlightening, McKinnon’s abduction was more like a really intrusive medical examination. Although we never actually see what happened, listening to McKinnon recount her ordeal while casually smoking a cigarette is arguably even funnier. What’s especially priceless is how matter-of-factly McKinnon delivers her jaw-dropping dialogue. Even after getting fondled by aliens and landing on a Long John Silver’s without wearing pants, she treats the whole night more like a wild bender than first contact.
#4: “Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks”
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Sean Connery may be MIA, but “Black Jeopardy” has become one of the most popular recurring “SNL” sketches of the past few years. As humorous as Drake and Eddie Murphy’s appearances were, the game show’s most memorable contestant thus far would have to be Doug, played by Tom Hanks. From the second the camera pans to Doug in a “Make America Great Again” hat, the audience can tell that they’re in store for a wicked sketch. Instead of going for the obvious Trump jokes, the sketch continually subverts expectations as Doug fits in surprisingly well on the “Black Jeopardy” set. Just when it looks like the sketch is going to slide by without any awkward moments, however, Doug is given the category “Lives That Matter.”
#3: “The Day Beyoncé Turned Black”
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At Super Bowl 50, Beyoncé performed her new “unapologetically Black” single “Formation.” Although the track was met with acclaim for its celebration of African-American culture, its political subtext also attracted a fair deal of controversy. “SNL” poked fun at just how overblown this controversy was in a sketch where white people around the world suddenly realize – gasp – Beyoncé is black! Beyoncé had never made her pride in her identity a secret, but here, when she releases a song more explicitly about her race, white folks react, uh, a little strongly, which plays out like a suspenseful horror movie. Oh, and if you’re not a huge Beyoncé fan, expect to hear from the Beygency soon.
#2: “I Just Had Sex”
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The Lonely Island delivered some of their best satirical material during Andy Samberg’s final years on “SNL.” While it’s tempting to single out “Jack Sparrow” or “3-Way (The Golden Rule),” “I Just Had Sex” is truly something boastfully awesome. This Digital Short finds Akon and members of the Lonely Island standing on a roof, announcing to the world about their . . . exploits. As excited as they are, their sexual partners (Blake Lively and Jessica Alba) aren’t all that impressed. The same can be said about the other many listeners who are forced to hear about the guys’ activities. But the enthusiasm proves infectious, though, and by the time the song nears its end, everyone is singing along. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: “Bern Your Enthusiasm” “Papyrus” “Wes Anderson Horror Trailer” “Puppet Class with Seth MacFarlane” “Sean Spicer Press Conference”
#1: “Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins)”
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On a haunted house elevator ride, a couple comes across many of the usual scary suspects, but they’re thrown for a loop upon encountering Tom Hanks’ David S. Pumpkins and his dancing skeletons. The couple doesn’t understand why Pumpkins is present and the audience is equally baffled by the sketch’s intent. When this hit the airwaves, a lot of people weren’t sure what to make of it. Was this a work of brilliance or a work of random madness? In retrospect, it’s a little bit of both. It’s also developed into an iconic sketch that we look forward to revisiting every Halloween… or basically whenever we need a good laugh. The scariest thing to the mind is the unknown. Something similar can be said about comedy.
