An SNL Digital Short is the specialty filmed segments that Saturday Night Live launched in 2005. After they are hired as writers for the show, the comedy musical trio The Lonely Island (composed of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) added these digital segments between live sketches to add variety to the show.
The move is needed to keep the relevance of SNL in the evolving information age, where viral hits have become rampant online and video content offers a more receptive response. Though that era ended, here is a look back at the ten best SNL Digital Shorts.
People Getting Punched Just Before Eating
Here is a random premise but a funny one: a person is about to munch on their food, and Andy Samberg pops into the frame and punches him or her. It sounds insane but it was delivered hysterically. The timing that Samberg does to punch his victims is expected yet funny in unexpected ways.
Among his victims are Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Jorma Taccone, host Jon Bon Jovi, Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. Aired on October 13, 2007, the short resembles an earlier digital short Andy Popping Into Frame. The ending is also funnily random.
Laser Cats!
When it comes to SNL, any random concept is possible on-air. In comes the cinematic seven-parter known as Laser Cats. First featured in 2006, the premise is that Samberg and Bill Hader would pitch to SNL boss Lorne Michaels to greenlight their Digital Short idea.
The first story in mind is about Samberg and Hader playing heroes Admiral Spaceship and Nitro, respectively, and using cats as laser-welding weapons to save a princess (Lindsay Lohan) from an evil robot (Forte). Every pitch for Laser Cats gets more ludicrous for each sequel. One includes blackmailed, Tom Hanks. Another has Steven Spielberg.
Shy Ronnie
Samberg plays a socially awkward redheaded nerd named Ronnie, who is paired with Rihanna for two situations. One of which is to perform an inspirational song to a classroom of young kids, only to botch it with his squirming voice. Another of which is to assist Rihanna in robbing a bank, only to be awkward around her.
The character of Ronnie is meant to be obnoxious. But his try-hard chemistry with Rihanna brings the laughs of a clichéd premise. Andy sold his role well as the nerd with socially inept skills and temper, and his non-singing talent is actually skillful.
The Japanese Office
One of the rarest Digital Shorts where none of the guys from The Lonely Island are featured, SNL aired a sendup of The Office. The original creator of The Office Ricky Gervais claimed that he got his inspiration to create the show from a similar Japanese show. The Japanese Office showcased Steve Carell reprising Michael Scott as his Japanese version, as well as Dwight (Hader), Jim (Sudeikis), Pam (Kristen Wiig) and Stanley (Kenan Thompson).
The show featured hallmarks present in modern-day Tokyo workplaces, like respectful bowing, polite greetings and trivial karaoke. It is truly faithful to The Office and Japan.
Like a Boss
Some of Lonely Island’s songs became Internet sensations that spawned social media frenzies and responsive memes. One of them is “Like a Boss”, a brash anthem about relentless bragging. The video centers on episode host Seth Rogen interviewing Samberg about his life as a company leader. The song starts off with Samberg achieving goals “like a boss” and progresses to each goal becoming more surreal and hyperbolic.
Rogen’s astounded facial expression, in the end, mirrors that of the viewers. “Like a Boss” is one of the songs featured in Lonely Island’s album Incredibad. It then spawned enduring online popularity.
Jack Sparrow
The Lonely Island finally got Michael Bolton to do a vanity song where he is open to bring a “big, sexy hook” for the trio’s track. Instead, they received Bolton’s sudden love letter for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (and also surprising segues to Forrest Gump, Erin Brockovich, and Scarface). Samberg, stunned, unapologetically acknowledged him as a “major cinephile”.
“Jack Sparrow” is a silly yet outrageous song that is bolstered by Bolton’s signature intonation and mixed with the collective attempts of Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone to retain their vision of a club banger. Bolton even dressed as Jack Sparrow.
The Shooting
SNL would satirize anything, including the second-season finale of The O.C. That came in the form of “The Shooting” aka “Dear Sister”. It was originally intended for airing, but NBC did not push, due to royalties for the song “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap.
The plot revolves on Keith (Hader) being shot by Dave (Samberg) as the former reads his sister’s letter. The spree continues when another man (Shia LaBeouf), the sister (Wiig) and two cops (Sudeikis and Armisen) enter the room, and they shoot each other out as the song overlaps and plays all over in every gunshot.
Lazy Sunday
The viral hit that not only propelled Samberg to fame, “Lazy Sunday” is the video responsible for solidifying YouTube as a mainstream portal for video content. Its subsequent featuring on the online site made it a viral hit.
Like any YouTube content nowadays, its variety came from its sharp execution of such a mundane concept: Samberg and Chris Parnell summed up a Sunday matinee of watching The Chronicles of Narnia with gathering a dozen cupcakes in a Magnolia Bakery and buying Mr. Pibb and Red Vines. Both players’ ability to rap bring in the laughs as they sold every humdrum routine.
D**k in a Box
Another viral hit, “D**k in a Box” came as a response to the success of “Lazy Sunday” when Michaels requested a special number that features Justin Timberlake’s music chops. The result is an unexpected Christmas ballad with Samberg and Timberlake as suave R&B singers Andy and Raif serenading to their girlfriends (Wiig and Maya Rudolph) with their special gift to them: their junks stored in gift-decorated boxes.
The song and the video are hilarious homages to jazzy R&B ballads that instantly became a huge viral sensation. It also won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. The song soon had followups: “Motherlover” and “3-Way (The Golden Rule)”.
I'm on a Boat
Arguably, the SNL Digital Short that had the biggest reception is “I’m on a Boat”. Both the song and the video are outrageous fares of a simple premise of three guys getting access to a yacht. Samberg takes Schaffer and rapper, T-Pain, with him on a free boat ride, a prize from a cereal box.
The song then transitions to Samberg and Schaffer rapping how awesome it is to stay on a boat, then finding any awesome thing to rap about. Meanwhile, Taccone stays helplessly behind to do daily routines. But then, T-Pain delivers his auto-tuned featured verses to random effect. Yet, the end result is an awesome platinum track.