Entering the 2000’s, Saturday Night Live has found its groove with its talented cast of comedians gaining recognition, within and outside of the show. With several of the homegrown cast members leaving, SNL paved the way for a fresh breed of talent to make their marks in a productive decade.
Out of those outstanding talents came movie stars, TV stars, late-night show hosts and behind-the-scenes crew. And those guys can attribute their success from their popular sketches and under-the-radar bits. For this list, live sketches will count, not Digital Shorts nor Weekend Update segments since they deserve their own list.
Underrated: Astronaut Jones
Tracy Morgan brought either his prideful halfwit personality or his urban humor brand on whatever the sketches require. He used the former for his SNL characters Brian Fellows and Astronaut Jones. The latter is an intentional parody of B-movie sci-fi, down to the cheap production design and the elementary graphics.
On a short runtime, the sketch follows a cold open, then to the theme song and finally to Astronaut Jones encountering an extraterrestrial, suggesting for her/them to do something sexual. It is brief, but it gave a broader range for Tracy Morgan.
Overrated: What Up With That
SNL is also known to be a showcase of song-and-dance numbers. What Up With That is one of them. A variety talk show on BET, the sketch features Kenan Thompson as enthusiastic host DeAndre Cole as he introduces three guests (the third being Bill Hader as Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham) in a show-stopping musical fashion.
Cole then gives way for the first guest to talk but interrupts them halfway to allow two other performances (the first by the host), much to the guests’ puzzlement. It is repetitive but it works.
Underrated: NASA Potato Chip
Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte have been underrated performers whose talents flourished in every sketch they are in. While Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink are true favorites, it is perhaps the infamous NASA Potato Chip sketch where the two are their loosest cannon.
Sudeikis plays an elderly Southerner applying for NASA. When his interviewer (Forte) steps out his office, he warns not to take a potato chip on his desk. Sure enough, the Southerner takes one, leading to a crazy but hilarious screaming match between him and the sadistic interviewer.
Overrated: Target Lady
Kristen Wiig has been one of the most prolific performers in SNL. She brought many popular characters to the show that many viewers go back to them with relief. Though arguably her most popular character is the Target Lady. Target Lady is an overly old-fashioned yet enthusiastic middle-aged cashier, who interacts with the customers and finds excitement over their items.
The character is a true neutral among Wiig’s SNL characters, since her behavior may alienate or astonish several customers. And her loud exuberance makes her annoyingly popular for 9 times.
Underrated: The Falconer
In 2002, Will Forte starred in a recurring sketch that featured a bird puppet to take part on his adventures. Then, for reasons not anyone can fathom, these sketches were not as popular as others. Now, fans and viewers must know this sketch, “The Falconer”.
Reference aside, the sketch centers on the exploits of the hermit, the Falconer, with his falcon Donald as they encounter other people in the woods. Each adventure gets crazier and crazier (like time travel crazier). And Donald would always try civilized activities with other humans.
Overrated: Debbie Downer
Debbie Downer is a popular moniker in the vocabulary that became a popular SNL sketch. Rachel Dratch plays the surly character who goes to social gatherings with friends. Every time the mood gets lighter, Debbie jumps the discussion by sharing bad news and negative aspects (like terrorism and feline AIDS).
Every instance Debbie shares, she makes a knowing face to the camera, and a “wah-wah” trombone sound effect is played. Debbie appeared many times in SNL. Yet, her most popular appearance is with host Lindsay Lohan where every character breaks.
Underrated: Two A-Holes
Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig play an unnamed couple who are self-absorbed and unkind to anyone they encounter. They would be shown chewing gum, talking vainly to each other and disregarding the situation they are in. The male a--hole fast-talks his way out, while female a-hole stares at her phone and fixes her hair.
The a-hole couple tended to be a source of annoyance for the people they come across since they always jump the topic to allow their vanity. And Sudeikis and Wiig perform as jerks really well.
Overrated: The Barry Gibb Talk Show
Jimmy Fallon trotted out his 100th celebrity impression by bringing in his best friend Justin Timberlake to The Barry Gibb Talk Show. The sketch centers on Barry Gibb (Fallon) and his brother Robin (Timberlake) inviting known personalities and political figures, only to be subjected to Barry’s short temper and short-sightedness on the issues they share.
On the six instances that it was brought to the show, Fallon and Timberlake naturally clicked together, blending Barry’s liveliness and Robin’s passiveness with their falsetto voices. It was hysterically nonsensical but viewers ate it up.
Underrated: Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals
While not much of a live performer, Andy Samberg got to bring characters to life on several sketches. On this viral non-Digital Short sketch, he showed his unconvincing yet hilarious Mark Wahlberg impression and talked to animals. The best gags are boasting his film and TV accomplishments and saying his signature line, “Say hi to your mother for me”.
The sketch is a response to the infamous scene in the “horror” movie The Happening, wherein Wahlberg talked to a plastic plant. It is truly hilarious that even Wahlberg confronted Samberg about it and talked to others in the same manner.
Overrated: More Cowbell
Finally, here is the SNL sketch to end all SNL sketches. For those unfamiliar, this skit centers on a Behind the Music look on the Blue Oyster Cult as they record their biggest hit single, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. Their producer, the Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken), requests the band for “more cowbell” from Gene Frenkel (Will Ferrell). This results in a disagreement between band members.
The sketch is littered with laughs throughout, with Ferrell’s over-the-top moves to the instances of breaking character. And for that, it has been touted as one of the best sketches. It deserves its irresistible overhype.