Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Saturday Night Live's 40th Anniversary Special


As many people know, this year marks the 40th season of Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live, better known by its abbreviated title, SNL, was created by Lorne Michaels, and first aired on October 11, 1975. Each show is fronted by a celebrity host, and a musical guest, along with a handful of permanent cast members. Each week they produce a 90-minute show consisting of comedy sketches that parody anything from pop culture to politics.  


To celebrate the fact that the show has been on the air for 40 years, SNL produced a special anniversary episode on Sunday, February 15, 2015. Studio 8H was filled to the brim with former cast members and hosts, who were each given time to announce segments, or even appear in a sketch. Not surprisingly, the program opened up with an intro by everyone’s favorite pair, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. The rest of the show consisted of former cast members reprising their roles in timeless sketches, and even featured celebrity hosts taking on some well known characters. Former Weekend Update hosts, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin came back to the news desk to provide current events and introduce a few characters. The show also featured musical guests including Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West. One of the most memorable moments in my opinion was when the program featured short clips from the audition tapes of multiple former cast members. This served as a nostalgic point that worked to tie the whole show together, and reflect on where many of the now successful comedians got their start. All in all, this special was a pretty solid representation of 40 years of late night comedy.

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