Best of SNL lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Best of SNL - Lists at Ranker

Re-watching & cracking up at the funniest, most memorable sketches and lines in the history of Saturday Night Live.

Great Moments in SNL History

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live&nbsp;has produced many memorable sketches since the 1970s. Each sketch relies on a specific bit to draw humor from, and in many of those sketches, music is the driving force. With only a week to write and produce the sketches, it&#39;s actually quite impressive how the SNL team can create unique songs in such a short amount of time. Which of these SNL musical skits do you like best? Take a trip down memory lane to recall the sketches that had you rolling on the floor laughing.&nbsp;

One of the first musical sketches the show put on was The Blues Brothers. Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd played the eponymous brothers who would go on to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/behind-the-scenes-of-the-blues-brothers/erin-mccann" target="_blank">star in their own movie</a>. Another musical team that eventually got their own movie was <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-night-at-the-roxbury-a-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes" target="_blank">The Roxbury Guys</a>. You can definitely pick these guys out of a line-up for the unusual way they dance when &quot;What Is Love?&quot; starts to play. There are numerous other SNL musical segments that will have you singing along any time you watch them.&nbsp;

You will find dozens of the funniest musical SNL&nbsp;characters in the show&#39;s history on this list. Vote for the ones you frequently find yourself rewatching on YouTube.&nbsp;

The Best SNL Musical Sketches

Fictional Character

The Best Musical SNL Skits & Characters, Ranked by Fans

Best of SNL

With so many years on the air, the seasons of Saturday Night Live run the gamut from amazing to awful. Beause <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-season-of-saturday-night-live/reference" target="_blank">the good seasons of the show are so good</a>, the worst seasons of SNL often seem like a betrayal, with horrible sketches that haunt our memories for decades.Some bad seasons of Saturday Night Live spawned characters that went on to have <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-worst-snl-movies-and-films-from-snl-cast/ranker-film" target="_blank">monstrous movies</a>, others had moments and sketches that were iffy then and awful now. With so many members of the cast, some seasons just weren't as blessed with talent as the others. There are great seasons of SNL, but somewhere after 20 seasons (and especially after 40 seasons), there were going to have to be some definitively terrible seasons of SNL, just by sheer odds.Each season of SNL has at least one memorably terrible episode, so it isn't necessarily easy to figure out what the worst season is. Vote up any of the seasons that were no good entries into the archives of Saturday Night Live. If the worst season of SNL isn't as high as it deserves then vote it up so your disappointment can be known. Then check out the best episodes of the current season of SNL so you can be ready to decide its place in this list. Then check out <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-saturday-night-live-season-45-episodes/molly-gander" target="_blank">the best episodes of the current season of SNL</a> so you can be ready to decide its place in this list.

The Worst Seasons of Saturday Night Live

TV Season

Getting to host or be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live is quite the honor. There have been hundreds of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/snl-host-list/celebrity-lists">SNL hosts</a> and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/snl-musical-guest-list/ranker-music">musical guests</a> over the seasons, and out of those only a small percentage of folks have been chosen to host multiple times or return for an encore. But some folks have such talent that they&#39;ve been asked to not only host SNL but also be the musical guest.

Some people who have been both hosts and musical guests were one-and-dones, hosting the same episode they played songs on. Other celebrities have been back multiple times in either capacity. Sting and Justin Timberlake have been guests on Saturday Night Live six times each, as hosts, musical guests, and hosting musical guests. The artists who come close, Snoop Dog and Mick Jagger, have only reached four times each. The number of times SNL has had these artists return isn&#39;t necessarily indicative of who is the best celebrity who has hosted and been the musical guest. Dolly Parton and Stevie Wonder are both some of the most <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-entertainers-of-all-time/celebrity-lists">respected </a><a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-entertainers-of-all-time/celebrity-lists">talents</a><a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-entertainers-of-all-time/celebrity-lists"> in their genres</a>, and they brought that skill with them to SNL.

Which artists have done the duties of host and musical guest the best? Vote based on their overall performance across all appearances.

The Best SNL Musical Guests Who Have Also Hosted

Person

All The SNL Hosts Who Have Also Been Musical Guests, Ranked

Lists of musicians, actors, athletes, and other people in the public eye who passed too soon.

Gone Too Soon

Lists about Saturday Night Live cast members, hosts, musical acts, and backstage antics of America's favorite sketch comedy series, airing from 30 Rockefeller Plaza since 1975.

Live from New York!

This list examines the tragic fates of all of the Saturday Night Live cast members who passed&nbsp;too soon. The SNL curse has been attributed to the untimely passing&nbsp;of many SNL cast members. Some of these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-snl-castmembers-of-all-time" target="_blank">hilarious comedians</a> succumbed to cancer or&nbsp;other illnesses, while other SNL members suffered&nbsp;overdoses. 
 
Who will you find on this list of SNL cast members who left us too soon? Known for hilarious sketches like Samurai Hotel&nbsp;and the Blues Brothers, John Belushi was a breakout star member of&nbsp;Saturday Night Live&#39;s original cast. Sadly, he struggled with substance use for many years; on March 5, 1982, he was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles hotel room at the age of 33. Chris Farley (&quot;Da Super Fans,&quot; &quot;The Chris Farley Show,&quot; &quot;Matt Foley Motivational Speaker,&quot; etc.) also passed from substance use at the age of 33 in 1997. 
 
Perhaps the most tragic SNL passing&nbsp;was that of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actors-whose-deaths-became-storylines/anncasano" target="_blank">Phil Hartman</a>, who perished at the hands of his own&nbsp;wife, Brynn Omdahl, in 1998. Other SNL cast members who left us&nbsp;too soon include Gilda Radner, Jan Hooks, and Charlie Rocket.

The Best SNL Cast Members Who Died Too Soon

The 10 Best SNL Cast Members Who Died Too Soon, Ranked

&quot;Saturday Night Live&quot; has been around since 1975, and one of the show's trademark segments is the wonderful Weekend Update, which gives us the news, with jokes of course. The hosts and co-hosts of the Weekend Update range from superstars like Bill Murray to new guys like Colin Jost, always offering unique comedic perspectives on that week's headlines.The early days of &quot;Saturday Night Live&quot; featured a Weekend Update brought to you by Chevy Chase, who sometimes received help and substitution from Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd. Over the years, some of the more memorable hosts (now considered some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-funniest-stand-up-comedians-in-entertainment">best standup comedians</a> out there) include Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, Colin Quinn, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Fey has hosted with Poehler, as well as alongside future &quot;Tonight Show&quot; host Jimmy Fallon. Poehler used to host the segment with future &quot;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-late-night-talk-shows-of-all-time/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Late Night</a>&quot; host Seth Meyers, who later hosted the Weekend Update all by himself. Meyers was later joined by Cecily Strong and was ultimately replaced by Colin Jost.

Every Host in SNL Weekend Update History, Ranked

Person in TV

The Best SNL Weekend Update Hosts

Saturday Night Live premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975. That&#39;s right, this sketch comedy show has been running for more than 40 years. With all those hours of television and all those crazy personalities in one place, making live television, there are bound to be more than a few truly shocking moments. The top 18&nbsp;most shocking SNL moments on this list are legendary.

SNL has brought so many hilarious&nbsp;comedians to the mainstream and kick-started many wonderful film careers (and also some not-so-wonderful ones). But not everyone was successful as a host or a musical guest. Some hosts decided to take matters (and material) into their own hands after feeling censored by producers and/or the network. Some musical guests changed their playlists at the last minute, or just forgot what they were up there doing altogether.

Below we celebrate the most shocking moments from the television institution that is Saturday Night Live. Vote up the moments you were most shocked by below. And remember: It&#39;s never a good idea to rip up a picture of the pope on live television.

The Most Shocking Moments From 'Saturday Night Live'

General

Most Shocking SNL Moments | List of Shocking Saturday Night Live Sketches and Moments

Entertainment

The Best Saturday Night Live Characters of All Time

TV Character

The best SNL musical performances are those special moments where the musical guest on Saturday Night Live has wowed the audience with an especially great or memorable performance. Each Saturday Night Live episode features a musical guest, usually a band or singer popular at the time, who plays two or three songs in between the comedy sketches. While often these performances are good but not great, in these instances they stole the show.For many of these great SNL music performances, the appearance on the long-running NBC show was some of the best and most memorable live performances for these musicians. It's hard to forget when Nirvana appeared in 1992, Patti Smith played in 1976 or Pearl Jam rocked out in 1992, the same when Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and The Blues Brothers performed on the iconic SNL stage.Though we remember those SNL musical guests for their high quality performances, others are remembered for including a bit (or in some cases a lot) of controversy. Elvis Costello was <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/banned-snl-hosts/best-of-snl" target="_blank">banned from SNL</a> for over a decade after playing the media-trashing &quot;Radio, Radio&quot; in his 1977 appearance. Ashlee Simpson became the talk of the town after her dreadful 2004 lip-syncing incident on SNL. But few compare to the 1992 appearance from Sinead O'Connor during which she tore up a photo of the pope in an awkward unscripted moment.Which Saturday Night Live music performance sticks out in your head? Vote for those you love, add any not listed or re-rank this list all below. When you're done, head over and vote for the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-frequent-snl-hosts/best-of-snl" target="_blank">most frequent SNL hosts</a> you love best too.

The Best SNL Musical Performances

Band/Musician

The best Saturday Night Live sketches of the &#39;00s brought us some of the funniest, wackiest and most memorable moments and characters to ever grace the Saturday Night Live stage. From Gilly to Colonel Angus to Stefon to the Barry Gibb Talk Show, these Saturday Night Live sketches from the 2000s easily rival any of the previous decades.

Spanning seasons 25-35 of the long-running show, the 2000s saw not only great writing on Saturday Night Live but also some of the most remarkable cast members who took these characters to the next level. The likes of Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Fallon, and Chris Kattan ushered in the decade while stars like Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg, and Bill Heder finished the 2000s on the series. Each brought something special to the show and many will be remembered as portraying some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-saturday-night-live-characters-of-all-time/best-of-snl" target="_blank">best Saturday Night Live characters of all time</a>.

But just as the best SNL 2000s sketches one-upped the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-the-1990s/best-of-snl" target="_blank">best SNL sketches from the 1990s</a> (like character Penelope did in any situation she encountered), the 2010s are hot on the tail of the 2000s with more fantastic Saturday Night Live appearing on NBC weekly.

The Best Saturday Night Live Sketches of the 00s

Best Saturday Night Live Sketches of the 2000s | Funny Recent SNL Skits

The best 'Saturday Night Live' characters of all time include classic, unforgettable characters brought to life by the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-saturday-night-live-characters-of-all-time/best-of-snl">best cast members on SNL</a>. The list itself is impressive, filled with hilarious characters from the greatest 'SNL' shows from the 1970s, 1980s and beyond. Whether it's Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat, Chris Farley's Matt Foley or John Belushi's Samurai, the characters on this list represent the absolute greatest - those that made us laugh for days after the show aired. This is a vote ranked list, so be sure to cast your vote for your personal favorite 'SNL' character ever (and vote down any characters you don't like). If you don't see your fave on the list, feel free to add it!'Saturday Night Live's original sketch comedy represents some of the funniest ever on television. Since the show first aired in 1975, so many talented comedians and actors have given their all to make sure everyone kept laughing. Whether it's the recurring characters from the early years like The Coneheads and The Blues Brothers, or more modern classics like Chris Kattan's Mango, Adam Sandler's Opera Man or, more recently, Bill Hader's Stefon, all are memorable and all are truly funny.For more great 'SNL' info, check out these lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-original-cast-sketches/best-of-snl" target="_blank">best 'Saturday Night Live' original cast sketches,</a> <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-monologues-of-all-time/best-of-snl" target="_blank">monologues,</a> <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-the-80s/best-of-snl" target="_blank">sketches from the 1980s</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-the-1990s/best-of-snl" target="_blank">the 1990s.</a> Ever wonder who the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-frequent-snl-hosts/best-of-snl" target="_blank">most frequent 'SNL' hosts</a> are? There's a list for that, along with information about the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/youngest-snl-hosts-ever/best-of-snl" target="_blank">youngest</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/oldest-snl-hosts-ever/best-of-snl" target="_blank">oldest 'SNL' hosts</a> ever - and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/banned-snl-hosts/best-of-snl" target="_blank">'SNL' hosts who were banned.</a> Enjoy!

Elwood Blues

SNL Characters | List of the Best Saturday Night Live Characters Ever

The best 'Saturday Night Live' sketches of the 80s featured some of the funniest and most memorable characters ever created for the show. At the center of it all: Eddie Murphy (at least for several years). Murphy's funniest characters included Buckwheat, Gumby and Mr. Robinson (from the parody 'Mister Robinson's Neighborhood'). Martin Short's Ed Grimley, a character he originally portrayed on 'SCTV,' is another phenomenal sketch worth noting. Other great 'SNL' 1980s sketches include Jon Lovitz's &quot;Master Thespian,&quot; &quot;Fernando's Hideaway&quot; featuring Billy Crystal (&quot;You look mahvelous!&quot;) and of course &quot;Pumping Up with Hans &amp; Franz,&quot; starring Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey, some of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-saturday-night-live-characters-of-all-time/best-of-snl">SNL's best cast members</a>.List of SNL sketches from the 80s includes some real gems like 'SNL' fan favorites &quot;Jackie Rogers, Jr.'s $100,000 Jackpot Wad&quot; and Phil Hartman's hilarious &quot;Anal Retentive Chef.&quot; If you haven't seen this one in forever, now's the time to watch. This list is vote ranked, which means you get to vote for your personal favorite 'Saturday Night Live' sketches from the 1980s (and vote down the skits you didn't like).What are the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-original-cast-sketches/best-of-snl?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best SNL skits</a> from the 1980s? This funniest 'Saturday Night Live' sketches from the 80s list includes all your favorites (including the ones you might have forgotten about). Enjoy!

The Best Saturday Night Live Sketches of the 80s

TV Episode

Saturday Night Live 80s Sketches | List of SNL Characters from the 80s

This list includes the oldest 'SNL' hosts ever. And it's pretty eye-opening. And, you know, totally geriatric. At this point, a dozen celebs 65 and older have graced the 'Saturday Night Live' stage as hosts. The list includes beloved actors, actresses, a controversial TV commentator, at least one politician - and a grandmother from New Orleans. Pretty impressive! For now, it doesn't seem likely that anyone else will join this list - at least not in the short term. As 'SNL' heads into its 37th season, only Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy and Jimmy Fallon have been announced as hosts. A <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Burnett-to-Host-SNL-PLEASE/109017179140190?v=wall">Facebook campaign</a> to get Carol Burnett to host 'Saturday Night Live' (amazingly, she never has!) continues. If she does do it, the 78-year-old Burnett would become the 13th person over 65 to host!From the sextagenarians to the octogenarians, enjoy this list. And be sure to vote for your favorite hosts! For more 'SNL' info, check out these lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-frequent-snl-hosts/best-of-snl">most frequent SNL hosts</a> (one person is on this list as well), the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-monologues-of-all-time/best-of-snl">best 'Saturday Night Live' monologues of all time,</a> the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-original-cast-sketches/best-of-snl">best 'SNL' original cast sketches</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-the-1990s/best-of-snl">best 'SNL' live sketches of the 1990s!</a>

Oldest SNL Hosts Ever

Who are the youngest &#39;SNL&#39; hosts ever? This list might surprise you. As of now, 9 people under the age of 18 have hosted Saturday Night Live&nbsp;since its run. Yes, it&#39;s a pretty short list - far shorter, say, than the list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/oldest-snl-hosts-ever/best-of-snl">oldest &#39;SNL&#39; hosts</a> ever. But hey, respect your elders kids! Very few celebrities become famous enough to host &#39;Saturday Night Live&#39; before they are even old enough to vote.

Some of these youngsters weren&#39;t even born when the first &#39;SNL&#39; aired in 1975. Many of them, in fact. From the youngest of the young, to the almost adults (almost), here&#39;s my list of the youngest people ever to host &#39;Saturday Night Live.&#39;

If you&#39;re a huge &#39;SNL&#39; fan, you might also want to check out these lists on the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-frequent-snl-hosts/best-of-snl">most frequent &#39;SNL&#39; hosts</a>, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-monologues-of-all-time/best-of-snl">best &#39;Saturday Night Live&#39; monologues of all time,</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-original-cast-sketches/best-of-snl">best &#39;SNL&#39; original cast sketches.</a>

Youngest SNL Hosts Ever

Youngest SNL Hosts Ever List

Fascinating and funny tales from behind the rotating set pieces of Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.

Behind the Scenes at SNL

As these banned SNL hosts and guests proved the hard way, on live television, anything can happen. These fine actors, comedians, public figures, and musicians each did something so profane, outrageous, or just plain rude that they were banned from the sketch comedy institution of Saturday Night Live for life. Which hosts and musical guests have been banned from SNL?

It might be a surprise that in over 40 years of the show being on the air, only a little over a dozen of the hundreds of performers and guests have been banned. From Sin&eacute;ad O&#39;Connor&#39;s infamous incident with the photo of the Pope,&nbsp;to <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ludicrous-steven-seagal-stories/robert-f-mason?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">actors like Steven Seagal</a> acting like jerks, these stars and public figures are all part of an elite group banned from Saturday Night Live.

It&#39;s not necessarily a group they wanted to be a part of, but their outrageous behavior, either on stage or behind the scenes (or both), got all these people on the Saturday Night Live banned list. Read through the list below to find out if your favorite SNL host or musical guest has ever been banned from appearing on the show.

17 People Who Have Been Banned from SNL

Banned SNL Hosts | List of Stars Banned from Saturday Night Live

This list of the most frequent SNL hosts is impressive. Sure, most of us know that Alec Baldwin has hosted a lot - but did you know that he&#39;s hosted a record number of times?! Yep. Who has hosted SNL the most? Those on this list have graced the SNL stage multiple times, and while most are actors and comedians (and former &#39;SNL&#39; cast members), at least one musician also made it.&nbsp;

At the moment, there are a dozen members of the so-called &quot;Saturday Night Live Five Timers&#39; Club,&quot; meaning they&#39;ve hosted the show at least five times (some way more than that). Are they the funniest hosts ever? Some are, some aren&#39;t (in my opinion). Some people with the most SNL host appearances are ones who I would happily never see on that stage again. I&#39;ve included plenty of videos, as well, so you can check out the Five Timers past monologues.

Enjoy this list of the most frequent Saturday Night Live hosts, and be sure to vote for your favorites! If you&#39;re craving more SNL goodness, check out these lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-monologues-of-all-time/best-of-snl">best &#39;Saturday Night Live&#39; monologues of all time,</a> the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-original-cast-sketches/best-of-snl">top &#39;SNL&#39; original cast sketches</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-the-1990s/best-of-snl">best &#39;SNL&#39; live sketches of the 1990s!</a>

Stars Who've Hosted SNL The Most Number of Times

Most Frequent SNL Hosts | List of Saturday Night Live Guest Hosts

Some of the absolute best &quot;Saturday Night Live&quot; original cast sketches came in the show's very early years, when brilliant young comedians and actors such as John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, and Jane Curtin dominated. The show, which has been on the air for over 30 years, set the bar high with the first season of the classic sketch comedy show.What are the best classic &quot;SNL&quot; sketches? The &quot;Saturday Night Live&quot; skits from the 1970s saw the birth of such iconic &quot;SNL&quot; characters as the Coneheads, the Blues Brothers, and Mr. Bill (oh nooooooo!). Check out some of these truly classic, absolutely funny, original cast sketches. Don't see your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Saturday Night Live Original Cast Sketches

Classic SNL Skits | List of the Best Saturday Night Live Classic Sketches

The best Saturday Night Live sketches of the 1990s feature some of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-funniest-stand-up-comedians-in-entertainment?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best comedians</a> to ever appear on the long-running comedy show, doing what they do best, making people laugh. The 1990s ushered out an era of top performers such as Adam Sandler, David Spade, Mike Meyers, and Dana Carvey, and welcomed a new crew with the likes of Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Molly Shannon, with both providing some of the funniest sketches to ever appear on SNL.From the classic &quot;Wayne's World&quot; and &quot;Church Lady&quot; skits to the unforgettable moments like the living in a van <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-songs-with-river-in-the-title/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">down by the river</a> routine, the best SNL sketches from the 1990s easily rival that of any other era on the show. There's really nothing like the SNL cast 1990 and all through the 90s, so scroll on down and enjoy these classic sketches. A veritable <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/adam-sandler-saturday-night-live-characters/stephen-tompkins?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Adam Sandler SNL</a> skits list, there are also plenty of other funny cast members from the unforgettable Saturday Night Live 1990s era.

17 lists