Ever since its humble beginnings in 1975, Saturday Night Live is a dependable source of digestible satire and surreal comedy. The late-night comedy show has produced a lot of notable sketches that left a mark in pop culture and shaped American humor until this day.
Even on its rocky history during the ’80s when the show switched from one showrunner after another, there have been notable moments that got the deserved hype and others that slipped through the cracks. Rest assured that having this bulk of overrated and underrated sketches in the ’80s, SNL is an undisputed institution of comedy.
Underrated: The Sweeney Sisters
The Sweeney Sisters are a parody of the musical group, Andrew Sisters. It features Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn as Candy and Liz Sweeney, a duo of party singers who do cover medleys in high-pitched tones in the same manner as Nick the Lounge Singer.
The sisters perform in different lounges with spontaneous songs that segue into the first word of the next song. They are joined by accompanist Skip St. Thomas (Marc Shaiman). And both Hooks and Dunn sell the concept with their surprisingly good voices and giddy enthusiasm.
Overrated: James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party
Eddie Murphy was an explosive SNL cast member during the first half of the 1980s. And his outrageous presence made him a huge standout. Aside from his famous characters, he also brought life to celebrity impressions of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and famously, James Brown.
In this classical sketch, Celebrity Hot Tub Party comprises Murphy as Brown performing a repetitive song number, removing his bathrobe, and dipping into a bubbling hot tub. It then suddenly jumps to the next segment. It is absurdly brief, yet it got ridiculously famous.
Underrated: Toonces the Driving Cat
Toonces the Driving Cat is a ridiculous creation. It features a pet tabby cat (portrayed by both a live cat and a puppet), whose owners let him drive the car, but Toonces would drive the car recklessly and speed up to a cliff.
Steve Martin and Victoria Jackson play the couple in the Toonces’ first appearance. They were willing to let their cat drive, but they soon regret their decision when Toonces crashes their car. It was an overlooked gem in the age of Internet cats.
Overrated: Master Thespian
Folks can thank Jon Lovitz for making “Acting!” an over-the-top line. He plays the Master Thespian, a narcissistic method actor with an archetypal Shakespearean English accent who wants others to absorb his performance and join in his acting one-upmanship. The famous of which is against his mentor Baudelaire (John Lithgow).
The Thespian would always upstage those he faces against and declare “Acting!” as a form of victory. Lovitz’ crazed performance made the Thespian perhaps his most popular SNL character - and one that he appeared as 13 times.
Underrated: Derek Stevens
The character of Derek Stevens actually started as a stand-up comedy routine by Dana Carvey to spoof vapid pop songs. Stevens is an English singer who sends demos of his songs to producers and insists on booking him. But when he had the opportunity, all Steven can sing is the endless repetition of “Choppin’ broccoli…”
Stevens would perform that specific lyric in different tones and styles on his four appearances that started from 1986. Carvey plays the character with righteous determination and utter silliness.
Overrated: Church Chat
But perhaps Carvey’s most popular solo sketch has to be Church Chat. Carvey plays Enid Strict, or The Church Lady, who is a devoted but conceited host who features celebrities for interview segments. Those celebrities proudly talk about their advocacies or projects, but Strict often judges them for their recent issues and secular lifestyles.
Strict is known for shamelessly condemning celebrities into acceptance, which become highlights of this famous recurring sketch (and also her catchphrases). Church Chat is so reliably funny that the segment was even aired in 2016.
Underrated: Stuart Rankin, All Things Scottish
While not Scottish, Mike Myers pulls off a hilarious over-the-top Scottish accent in this recurring sketch. Myers is Stuart Rankin, an owner of a Scots-themed gift shop who is so egregiously devoted to his culture that he projects it to his customers. He would accost them into buying purely Scottish items, claiming “If it's not Scottish, it's crap!”
The latter catchphrase became a brief comedic staple in the ’80s. However, Rankin would become overshadowed by Myers’ other famous SNL characters. Luckily, he used the Scottish accent for Shrek.
Overrated: Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood
Eddie Murphy played a slew of memorable characters, including Buckwheat, Gumby, Velvet Jones and (perhaps the most prolific) Mister Robinson. Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood is a direct parody of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, where a street-hustling Mr. Robinson educates about his poverty-stricken lifestyle and his illegal activities.
The segment would feature Robinson delivering a soft-spoken monologue a la Rogers, then jumps to introducing the week’s “lesson”. The segment ends on Robinson being called out by his landlord and escaping through the fire exit.
Underrated: Dion's Hairstyling
However, Murphy showed some range when he did Dion. Dion is a flamboyant hairstylist who creates outrageous hairstyles for the celebrity hosts of the week. He is joined by his equally flamboyant assistant Blaire (Joe Piscopo) in their hairstyling escapades. Their latest gig is working for SNL, providing several hairstyles for the host, journalist Edwin Newman.
Dion is such a colorful character who made an impression on his own. And even though Murphy’s other SNL characters got the share of the spotlight, the flamboyant hairstylist deserves another shot at hairstyling fame.
Overrated: Wayne's World
Yet, perhaps the most popular SNL sketch that debut in the 1980s is Wayne’s World, featuring Mike Myers as the excitable Wayne Campbell and his equally excitable sidekick Garth Algar. The duo hosts a local public-access TV show from Illinois where they discuss rock-and-roll, babes, and juvenile antics. They also segue to fantasy sequences and acting reenactments.
The sketch produced tons of memorable appearances, such as the duo’s jam with Aerosmith that also includes Tom Hanks as Garth’s roadie cousin and a dream sequence featuring Madonna. Their success is so unstoppable that they have two feature-length movies.