Some "SNL" skits are more timeless than others. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the five “SNL” sketches that keep us laughing years later and the five that have started to show their age.
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00:00Stinglehoffer! Making copies of McStingster!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the five
00:09SNL sketches that keep us laughing years later,
00:12and the five that have started to show their age.
00:20Number 5. Timeless, Lazy Sunday.
00:23After the release of this sketch, SNL arguably staked its claim for internet glory.
00:27Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon.
00:30Call Parnell just to see how he's doing.
00:32Hello, what up, Parn?
00:34Yo, Sandberg, what's cracking?
00:35You thinking what I'm thinking?
00:36Party up, man, it's hot!
00:37The Lonely Island crew showed that their digital shorts could be musical,
00:41topical, and hilarious.
00:43Lazy Sunday combines all three elements for a certified classic.
00:47Who knew that a music video about going to a movie could be this fun?
00:50Hit up McNolkia and mack on some cupcakes.
00:53No doubt that bakery's got all about Martin Foster.
00:56I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Gosselin.
01:00Andy Sandberg and Chris Parnell order cupcakes and head to see Chronicles of Narnia,
01:04showing off their rap skills in this wild adventure.
01:07It's full of surprises, references, and some excellent rhymes.
01:11The song itself is well-produced and expertly written,
01:14bringing together some amazing talents that help to make more iconic shorts.
01:18It's the Chronicles of Narnia!
01:20It's the Chronicles of Narnia!
01:23We love the Chronicles of Narnia!
01:25Number 5.
01:26Product of its era.
01:27The Olympia Restaurant.
01:29Cheeseburger, chips, and Pepsi.
01:31If you're a fan of the early years of SNL,
01:33you've undoubtedly heard about or seen this iconic sketch.
01:36You're out of tuna?
01:37No tuna.
01:38Cheeseburger?
01:39Uh, cheeseburger?
01:42Come on, come on, come on, come on.
01:43We got all day, man, we got all day.
01:44Okay, we gotta have a turnover, turnover.
01:46Okay, what are you gonna have?
01:46The Olympia Cafe is known for cheeseburgers, chips, and Pepsi.
01:50The actors give it their all as they utter catchphrases
01:52and serve customers with a strict menu.
01:54Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger.
01:56Four Pepsi, two chips.
01:57Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger.
01:59Two Pepsi, one chips.
02:00It's an amusing premise, but it doesn't really go anywhere
02:03or feature many prominent jokes.
02:05Despite its legendary status among Saturday Night Live sketches,
02:09it really feels like a concept that's been somewhat lost to time.
02:12Ultimately, it's much more of a fun experience
02:14than it is a timeless piece of comedy.
02:17No grape.
02:17Pepsi.
02:18Four Pepsi.
02:20Okay, ten minutes.
02:21All right.
02:23Four Pepsi.
02:25Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi!
02:27Number four.
02:28Timeless.
02:29More Cowbell.
02:30In a parody of Behind the Music,
02:32this hilarious sketch continues to be a huge
02:34and entertaining piece of SNL history.
02:37Come on, Jim!
02:39You can not sing!
02:43It features one of the show's most talented cast members
02:45playing a cowbell player who struts his stuff.
02:48The recording session also includes a fantastic appearance
02:51by Christopher Walken as an opinionated producer.
02:54That was going to be a great track.
02:55Guys, what's the deal?
02:56Uh, are you sure that was sounding okay?
02:58I'll be honest, fellas, it was sounding great,
03:00but I don't think it's going to be a great track.
03:04I'll be honest, fellas, it was sounding great,
03:06but I could have used a little more cowbell.
03:09With some famous lines,
03:10this goofy sketch really gets going with its silly energy.
03:13There are also some amazing deliveries from Walken
03:16as his character motivates the band.
03:18The great performances and strange ideas
03:20mix together for one of the series' funniest creations.
03:23Guess what?
03:25I got a fever!
03:27And the only prescription is more cowbell!
03:30Number four.
03:31Product of its era.
03:32Rich Meister.
03:33Fans of 1990s SNL will probably remember this sketch.
03:37It's arguably Rob Schneider's most famous contribution to the show,
03:41setting him up as the irritating co-worker
03:43who loves to give people nicknames.
03:45Tom Tom!
03:46How you doing, Richard?
03:48The Tomster, making copies!
03:50Mr. Tom!
03:52Tommy!
03:54Yeah, see ya.
03:55As people come by to make copies,
03:57Schneider's character doesn't let up with his endless naming ideas.
04:01It's one of those concepts that you'll either love or hate.
04:04It's kind of annoying.
04:04Maybe somebody ought to talk to him.
04:06Steve-o-rama!
04:08Steve-o-rama-vich!
04:11We've all tried.
04:11There's nothing we can do.
04:13While it might have done well back in season 16,
04:15the Rich Meister role doesn't quite hold up as anything more than a one-off joke.
04:20It mostly adds up to a scene that fits the definition of
04:22you had to be there.
04:23Making copies!
04:25For McStingster!
04:27Sting-a-tola!
04:28Sting!
04:28Sting-a-ling-a-ding-ding-ding-dong-dong!
04:33Number 3.
04:34Timeless – Debbie Downer
04:36Played by Rachel Dratch,
04:37this character became a recurring sketch starting in the 2000s.
04:41She always comes around to be negative in entertaining ways.
04:44Debbie Downer ruins any occasion in surprising ways,
04:47making even a trip to Disney World worse.
04:50By the way, it's official.
04:59I can't have children!
05:03The amusement park also provides a setting
05:05for their most memorable version of this sketch.
05:07With host Lindsay Lohan present,
05:09the idea devolves into laughter in one of the show's best examples of breaking.
05:13Or during the fireworks when you went over-
05:16when you went about about feline AIDS.
05:19It's the number one killer of domestic cats.
05:23I can't take it!
05:26It makes all of Dratch's lines even funnier as she can barely hold it together.
05:30In another scene at a birthday party,
05:32the actress and her co-stars keep laughing through some absurd dialogue.
05:36It's a concept that seems to be an endless source of entertainment.
05:39Count me out, guys.
05:41Doctor said if I don't cut down on my consumption of fish,
05:44my mercury level will reach toxic proportions.
05:50Number 3.
05:51Product of its era, Jennifer's Date.
05:53What if you ask someone out on a date and their dad was Steven Seagal?
05:56This sounds like a decent idea for a sketch,
05:59but it all takes a turn when the lead performer isn't funny.
06:02Man, your daughter sure does take her time.
06:05What?
06:08Does that bother you?
06:10No.
06:12No.
06:12Seagal somehow takes a decent premise and a great co-star like Chris Farley for granted.
06:17The scene contains a bizarre amount of dead air and awkwardness,
06:20with the action hero taking himself a little too seriously for this script.
06:24We're gonna party.
06:25Hope you don't mind.
06:30Well, uh, I guess it wouldn't matter if I did,
06:32because I wouldn't be there at the time.
06:36I'd be here waiting.
06:38This couldn't be more evident in this sketch,
06:40as most of the laughs come courtesy of his fellow performers.
06:43There's a reason that this episode gets mentioned as a low point for the show.
06:47He's got a huge joint that's about to go bad,
06:49but it'll get him there and back.
06:50Oh, and I found this in the glove compartment.
06:52It's a fake ID.
06:53It says he's 25.
06:55Get out of here.
06:56Yes, sir.
06:57Number 2.
06:58Timeless, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood.
07:00In a short period of time,
07:02Eddie Murphy went from a new cast member to a comedy powerhouse on SNL.
07:06His parody of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is among his best works,
07:10subverting the children's TV show with a much different perspective.
07:13That's a lot of money, boys and girls,
07:15especially for a lady who can only afford to give me a quarter to carry this to her car.
07:22I feel so bad, so I carry the rest of the way to my apartment for free.
07:26The premise is a hilarious mix of childlike wonder and adult themes.
07:30Whether he's teaching lessons or interacting with neighbors,
07:33the role provides one funny moment after another.
07:35Oh, look, an eviction notice brought by Mr. Landlord.
07:43Can you say s***?
07:44Murphy is in complete control here,
07:46as he conducts a one-man show surrounding an unlikely television host.
07:50Even after bringing the character back decades later,
07:53the actor could still get big laughs with this entertaining parody.
07:56My neighborhood has gone through so much.
07:58It's gone through something called gentrification.
08:02Can you say gentrification, boys and girls?
08:05It's like a magic trick.
08:07Number 2.
08:08Product of its era, Commie Hunting Season.
08:11During its catastrophic sixth season,
08:13SNL was desperate to continue after the original cast left.
08:17Are they easy to spot, Uncle Lester?
08:20Well, sometimes they is and sometimes they ain't.
08:22They then made the unfortunate decision to make jokes about the Greensboro Massacre.
08:26On top of all that,
08:27Charles Rockett even uses a slur during this misguided sketch.
08:31With Malcolm McDowell as a host,
08:33the new cast members put on accents and try to play up Southern stereotypes.
08:37Now listen up here a minute now.
08:39Now we're all anxious to get started.
08:42And no one's more anxious than I am.
08:45The result is a sketch with hardly any humor that plays to almost complete silence.
08:50McDowell's character dies at the end,
08:52but by that point the audience seems to have completely checked out.
08:56This scene definitely supports the argument that this season was a huge bummer.
09:00It was an accident, Uncle Lester.
09:02Of course it was an accident.
09:03Before we unveil our top picks, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:07Product of its era, Holes.
09:10This hair metal parody has a big production,
09:12but there's only one iffy joke.
09:24Product of its era, Gen Z Hospital.
09:27A cringey sketch and script with a strange Elon Musk performance.
09:31You all might want to sit down.
09:32What I have to say right now might be a little cringe.
09:34Just give us a tea.
09:36Okay.
09:37Well, as you may have seen on our live,
09:39your bestie took a major L while driving her Hellcat.
09:42Timeless, Celebrity Jeopardy.
09:44This game show parody always draws laughs for the fights between Trebek and contestants.
09:48I don't want to hear it.
09:51What's the difference between you and a mallard with a cold?
09:55One's a sick duck.
09:57I can't remember how it ends.
09:58Timeless, Schiller Visions, hidden camera commercials.
10:01Chris Farley's violent reaction to coffee crystals is nothing short of hilarious.
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10:28Number 1.
10:29Timeless, Matt Foley, Van Down by the River.
10:32Among Chris Farley's best sketches, this lively character allows him to show off
10:37all of his comedic talents at once.
10:39He has a way of raising his voice and moving his body around that is undeniably funny.
10:44First off, I am 35 years old, I am divorced, and I live in a van down by the river.
10:53As a motivational speaker, Farley takes over the scene and even makes his co-stars break
10:58with his ecstatic delivery.
10:59He also falls through a table in another sign of his physical prowess.
11:04You're gonna be doing a lot of doobie rolling when you're living in a van down by the river.
11:11No highlight reel of 1990s SNL is complete without this timeless idea,
11:16giving us a memorable catchphrase and recurring role.
11:19It's quotable, frenetic, and nothing short of hilarious.
11:23Here's you, here's Matt, there's you, there's-
11:31Whoops-a-daisy.
11:33Number 1.
11:34Product of its era, word association.
11:36Depending on how you look at it, word association is either a classic sketch or a dated one.
11:41It's just a word association.
11:42I'll, uh, throw you out a few words, uh, anything that comes to your mind,
11:45just throw it back at me, okay?
11:46Just kind of an arbitrary thing.
11:48Like if I said dog, you'd say...
11:50Tree.
11:50Tree.
11:51It definitely features two legends sparring in a job interview.
11:54Richard Pryor shines as he tries to get the job,
11:57but Chevy Chase's interviewer ends up using racial slurs against his scene partner.
12:01While you could argue that comedy was a lot different in the 1970s,
12:05you could also make a case that there's some jokes that don't age that well.
12:08How about a starting salary of $5,000?
12:10Yo mama!
12:13Uh, $7,500 a year.
12:16Your grandma!
12:17One thing is for sure, SNL would never make the sketch today.
12:20Some viewers may or may not find it offensive,
12:23but ultimately it's a glimpse into a much different era.
12:26Want me to start now?
12:27Oh no, no, no, it's all right, I'll clean all this up.
12:29Take a couple of weeks off, you look tired.
12:31Which timeless SNL sketch did we leave out?
12:33Let us know in the comments below.
12:46Do you agree with our picks?
12:48Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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