David Farnor | On 12, Apr 2025

It’s been 50 years since Lorne Michaels and a bunch of funny people gathered in New York to make people laugh on a Saturday night – live. As the show celebrates its half-century birthday, cast members new and old again gather for an evening to celebrate the show’s legacy – and it’s a joyful, star-studded spectacle for longtime viewers and newcomers alike.

Spanning a whopping three hours, it begins on a surprisingly understated note, as Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter team up to sing Homeward Bound, which Simon previously played on SNL in 1976. But while there’s emotion aplenty in this heartfelt reunion of friends and fans, the show rapidly falls into its momentum. An opening monologue by, of course, national treasure Steve Martin kicks things into gear, with former show writer John Mulaney joining him on stage – along with, of course, fellow national treasure Martin Short.

Following in their familiar footsteps is a parade of classic characters and concepts, including Kenan Thompson hosting Black Jeopardy – along with guests Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones and Chris Rock – an appearance from Molly Shannon’s Sally O’Malley, an enthusiastic moment of overwhelm with Mike Myers’ Linda Richman, and drinks with Jimmy Fallon, Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore and Rachel Dratch’s always-funny Debbie Downer.

A 50 Years of Weekend Update round-up from the perennially sharp Colin Jost and Michael Che doesn’t just bring back characters such as The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party (Cecily Strong) and Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan), but also finds time for Seth Meyers and Bill Murray to return as anchors – including, in a show-stealing bit from Murray, a ranking of the 10 best Weekend Update anchors.

The chameleonic Fred Armisen teams up with Ferrell to reprise variety show presenter Laurence Welk and lounge singer Robert Goulet, who collide in an inspired mash-up with Kristen Wiig’s Denise (a sibling, naturally, to Anna Gasteyer, Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson).

More recent fan favourites also get their moment, including the earworming Domingo (Marcello Hernandez), who as always finds new ways to infiltrate the newlywed bliss of Kelsey and Matt (Chloe Fineman and Andrew Dismukes) – this time, with help from Sabrina Carpenter as well as Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman, Andy Samberg, Kyle Mooney, Bowen Yang and Beck Bennett. Oh, and a game-as-ever Pedro Pascal. Pascal sticks around for the return of Kate McKinnon’s laugh-out-loud alien abductee – along with Woody Harrelson, Jon Hamm and Aidy Bryant – although the absence of Ryan Gosling is keenly felt, even with Meryl Streep trying to plug that hole. A police skit also gives Jason Sudeikis, Will Ferrell and Eddie Murphy more time to remind us just how brilliant they were in their SNL time, alongside the heart of the show Kenan Thompson.

Repeated host speeches break things down into digestible chunks, with Emma Stone and Aubrey Plaza popping up, plus Tina Fey and Amy Poehler effortlessly fielding questions from the notable celebrities in the audience. Even though there’s a separate SNL concert to truly celebrate the show’s musical repertoire, there’s welcome opportunity for Adam Sandler to share a cute ditty about the show’s potted history, while a Broadway-style showstopper – featuring John Mulaney and David Spade, among many others – continues the show’s fond tributes to New York through the medium of Les Mis.

The night is also punctuated by a smart use of video, much of which comprises tightly edited highlight reels – from slapstick, featuring Chris Farley, Molly Shannon, Gilda Radner and John Belushi, to parody adverts and an admirably self-scathing montage of jokes that have dated badly. But there’s also a delightful skit that sees Pete Davidson’s Chad tour the studio, and a new music video by Andy Samberg and Bowen Yang – two of the best talents the show has produced in recent years – about how everyone on SNL suffers with anxiety.

Throughout, everyone thanks not only their friends and colleagues on the show but Lorne Michaels, the man who started it all. He politely takes the jibes and wisecracks, while sitting in the audience, and there’s an honest undercurrent about how he’s not always an easy person to work with, which makes the unabashed sentiment of the night feel much more genuine and easy to stomach. The result is a stuffed but sincere, long, but not laborious – it feels like a deserving way to give everyone involved in SNL both past and present their minute in the spotlight. What emerges is a fond, funny and typically frenetic ode to legacy, comedy, time and mortality. But as the current ensemble powering the show continue to build in confidence and consistency during this anniversary season, this extended party is proof that, after 50 years, SNL is still live and kicking.

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