Having an ever increasingly inconceivable alumni -- Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Bill Hader to name a small few -- has always made it tough for SNL to convince viewers that its best days aren’t behind it; but wise fans know that today’s no-names (originally called the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players") are tomorrow’s talk show kings, today’s buzzy sketches are tomorrow’s classics. Get acquainted with the below performers and moments to avoid the perennial SNL mistake of waxing repetitive about the “good old days”.
1. "Baby It’s Cold Outside"
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/baby-...
An infamously rapey Christmas classic is turned on its head brilliantly, becoming a commentary on the actual awkward mess of casual sex that hits cringeworthingly close to home. Even more memorable than the writing are the genuinely stageworthy musical performances from both the legendary Fallon and current superstar talent Cecily Strong.
2. Marcus Comes To Dinner
For about the first 25% of it, you know exactly where this sketch is going. Chris Redd’s gay porn star character will repeatedly be unintentionally sexually suggestive, gradually cluing in host and recent Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, the scenario’s closeted-gay father. In a turn almost meta in that it counts on the viewer’s assumption of SNL’s oft-lambasted one-joke, long-scene format, Rockwell has his epiphany early, obliterating any comedic tension that had been built to an even more hilarious end.
3. Diner Lobster
The best SNL sketches are the kinds whose premise have your friends already laughing while you scroll YouTube to pull them up. For a recent triumph called one of the show's best in ages, host John Mulaney wrote, acted, and channeled Les Misérables. With content like this, you don’t have to dream a dream of time gone by.
4. Bad Boys
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/bad-...
Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney’s typical relegation to late-in-show position combined with their off-kilter sense of humor often make them relatively inaccessible, but adding Chris Pratt and merciless 90s television satirization is the kind of mainstream boost for breaking out of the hardcore comedy nerd shadows. The funny thing, and I do mean funny, is that they did not even come close here.
5. Trump Brothers
Mikey Day and Alex Moffat channel Chevy Chase in their comfort and visible fun-having onstage. That’s far more difficult for the cast members today who are part of a storied institution rather than a scrappy live broadcast show. These two prove how worthwhile the attitude is, especially through Eric & Don Jr. -- characters which blend satire with originality.
