It shouldn’t come as a shock that the best parts of the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special last night on NBC were seeing iconic stars back in Studio 8H again.
Everybody got to watch at least one of their favorites. It was the rare event that was just as nostalgic for 30-year-olds as it was for nonagenarians.
After Paul Simon, 83, kicked things off dueting on “Homeward Bound” with Sabrina Carpenter, 25, Steve Martin, who was never a cast member but hosted the program 16 times, began with a terrific opening monologue.
“A person born during the first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ could, today, be easily dead of natural causes,” Martin, 79, said dryly.
The wild-and-crazy guy went on: “This is the monologue — traditionally the weakest part of the show. The monologue is like a rent controlled tenant: it’s not going anywhere even though it stinks.”
It was also a thrill to see Bill Murray back. During “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost and Michael Che, Murray, who was behind the desk for two seasons in the 1980s, ranked the best “Update” hosts of all time. He named the late Norm Macdonald, who was eegregiously fired by NBC in 1997 for ruthlessly going after OJ Simpson, No. 2.
“He made me ask the question of myself: Could OJ possibly have done it?,” Murray said in what felt like a low-key apology to the stand-up great.
Eddie Murphy returned for the “Black Jeopardy” sketch to hilariously play none other than Tracy Morgan, who was standing right next to him.
“James Earl Jones was my biological father!,” Murphy shouted, Morgan-style.
Laraine Newman, who appeared during the first five seasons, had a funny video segment with Pete Davidson attempting to relive her glory days.
Mike Myers, who wasn’t announced as a part of the show until a day before, donned Linda Richman’s old “Coffee Talk” wig alongside Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph.
“I was at Zabars picking up a noodle kugel,” he said. “Two sticks of buttah — that’s what you are!”
In a fearless moment, Tom Hanks introduced an “In Memoriam” segment for canceled sketches that featured ethnic stereotypes, sexual harassment, body shaming and other now-taboo gags.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, almost nodding to their Golden Globes hosting gigs, did some medium-high roasting.
“Ryan Reynolds!,” Poehler said to the actor who’s been in the news for the wrong reasons along with wife Blake Lively. “How’s it going?”
“Why?!,” the good sport responded. “What’ve you heard?!”
Rachel Dratch delightfully brought back her Debbie Downer, this time as a tired bartender.
“You talkin’ to me?” she asked Robert De Niro.
“Is that supposed to be a joke,” the “Taxi Driver” star asked.
“No, I have dry eye and it’s hard to discern if you were talking to me,” Debbie said.
No “womp womp!” to that.
Adam Sandler, who was excitingly introduced by “Anger Management” co-star Jack Nicholson, accompanied himself on the acoustic guitar sang a beautiful song looking back at 50 years of the famed sketch-comedy series. It was hard not to get verklempt as clips of Chris Farley, Macdonald and so many brilliant performers who’ve made us laugh over the decades rolled.
So many stars were on-hand, onstage and off, that it would take too much time to name them all. Chevy Chase was there.
Even with all that wattage, though, a lot of “SNL”‘s most memorable skits were nowhere to be found.
Perhaps creator Lorne Michaels couldn’t convince enough alums to unearth their popular characters, or it was too challenging to pick.
Either way, most of the newer material, of which there was far too much, didn’t land.
A group of bridesmaids, played by Carpenter, Sarah Sherman and Ego Nwodim, singing at a wedding and an OK rehash of the once-incredible “Lawrence Welk Show” sketch with Kristen Wiig filled time.
I suspect Michaels wanted to loudly assert that “SNL” is no clip-show relic, and it’s not in danger of ending anytime soon. Still, viewers tuned into the three-and-a-half-hour broadcast for the old classics.
However, ingenious was when John Mulaney, who got his start on the show as a writer, brought back his New York Musical sketch from 2020.
Using Broadway showtunes, the performers took us on a journey through the last half-century of NYC.
To the tune of “Hakuna Matana,” Nathan Lane sang of the 1980s: “Cocaine and some vodka! What a wonderful phase! It means no sleepin’ for a couple of days!”
Kate McKinnon’s 1990s Rudy Giuliani, joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, rapped, “I AM throwin’ away my shot!”
And Scarlett Johansson, the wife of Jost, came onstage for the 2020s dressed as bruised Audrey from “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“Who hit you?,” a concerned Mulaney asked. “Colin?!”
“Not this time!,” the game actress said, before belting out, “Suddenly e-Bikes!”
What did Mayor de Blasio give us?: “Universal pre-K and universal marijuana!”
Then, to the music from “Les Miserables,” the cast ended by wailing, “Tomorrow we’ll discover what our godless city has in store.”
That I laughed so hard at a sketch from its modern era gave me hope for the future of the beloved late-night staple.
What will “Saturday Night Live” have in store?
Tune in next season to find out.
