NBC's Saturday Night Live has delivered so many memorable sketches throughout its 45-year history that it would take a week to list them all down. From the quotable “More Cowbell” to the random “David S. Pumpkins,” SNL sketches are major staples in comedy pop culture that inspired their own legacies.
However, this list would look on those overlooked sketches that deserve a second look. Only once-aired sketches will count on this list. Also, no sketches from the SNL Digital Shorts, TV Funhouse, and Weekend Update segments will be included. So, here are some ten underrated Saturday Night Live skits, including the Homeland spoof.
'80s Music Video
On his first hosting gig, Donald Glover starred as '80s-themed R&B singer named Raz P. Berry, who sings out his dilemma about catching his “girlfriend Jade” cheating on him. He catches “Jade” in a bar, but she clarifies that she is the wife of “Dr. Reginald Saunders.”
This sketch is easily a spoof of the Oran “Juice” Jones song “The Rain” and its cheesy music video. And Glover plays it well with Berry’s suave number, even if he has to recount his outlandish attempts on revenge (like knocking them down, Rambo-style).
SWAT Recon
Actor Chris Pine’s first hosting gig in season 42 was a surprise in that every sketch is sheer delight. However, the most inventive of them has to be the sketch featuring Kenan Thompson and Beck Bennett as FBI operatives on a stakeout after a suspected criminal.
However, they are distracted by the apartment next door, featuring Pine and Mikey Day doing brotherly childlike activities (like eating cotton candy and dancing). SNL has its share of bizarre sketches. And this lands on the feel-good category of being ludicrously hilarious. The cast sells it.
Olive Garden
Multi-time host Scarlett Johansson was featured as a model for an Olive Garden commercial, alongside Day, Thompson and Leslie Jones. Beck Bennett’s director initially gives them simple instructions adequate for a commercial, but his demands grow more absurd and even get explicit.
This one-off sketch clearly pokes fun at the plastic wholesomeness of mainstream ads. And Bennett anchors most of the absurdist humor of this sketch, with his specific remarks to capture the actors’ emotions and his ebonics comments to Jones. No one will see Olive Garden the same way after this.
The Legend of Mokiki And The Sloppy Swish
While the Sloppy Swish is a brief fad, few people acknowledged its origins as a bizarre SNL sketch. Taran Killam was featured as a zombified man named Mokiki who can only do the sloppy swish. As Thompson in a fedora narrated, Mokiki was formerly a college guy who was experimented on by his roommate. Sooner, he infected a woman (host Anne Hathaway) to be like him.
Though the sloppy swish is not the funniest dance to be featured in SNL, Mokiki is one of Taran Killam’s funniest contributions to the show.
Transit Workers’ Garbled Speech
SNL has a wide array of New York-themed sketches. Here is one that features the MTA at its most random. Host Harvey Keitel was featured as a transit worker who makes the frequent announcements in muffled dialogue, much to the annoyance of subway commuters. It turns out that he, his coworkers, and his union boss also talk normally in garbled speech.
The result is a laugh-out-loud riot of the transit workers’ gibberish exchanges and the unintelligible announcements (which is not far from reality). Just under two minutes, it is a delight.
Coach Bert
Inspired by the then-ongoing Penn State controversies, “Coach Bert” highlighted host Steve Buscemi as a basketball coach suspected of being a pedophile because of his creepy looks. Jason Sudeikis’ head coach holds a press conference that eventually clears Coach Bert of the accusations, despite the press’ insistence of finding credible evidence and the red flag investigations by his colleagues.
While the sketch acknowledges the pressing matter of this issue, it also satirizes its media exposure. And Buscemi’s reactions are golden. In addition, Bill Hader’s creepy NAMBLA representative is a standout.
Meet Your Second Wife
Speaking of controversial issues, there comes “Meet Your Second Wife” featuring hosts Tina Fey (as Tina Fey) and Amy Poehler on a game show that features three clueless men who will be on their second wives. They are later revealed to be young kids, much to everyone’s discomfort.
This is one of the latest SNL sketches that pushed the envelope when it comes to taboo topics and disparaging commentary. But Fey and Poehler are the only people capable of pulling this off as a response to age disparity by men. Clever.
Darrell’s House
Zach Galifianakis is one of the most unique hosts of SNL for his off-the-wall humor and cringe comedy. The bidet sketch with Kristen Wiig qualifies. But his two-part “Darrell’s House” skit took the cake for being inventive.
Galifianakis plays an unhinged public-access TV host who faces technical difficulties, grinding flubs, and missing his guest Jon Hamm throughout the shoot. He often gives editing notes for his off-screen producer Marcus. The first part shows the shooting process, while the later second part shows the haphazard final edit. It is gloriously funny.
Welcome to Hell
The most topical of the sketches, “Welcome to Hell” is a music video featuring host Saoirse Ronan, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant in overly sugary getups, discussing the difficulties of women in a still oppressive climate. This song was released at the peak of the #MeToo movement. Thus, it hit the hallmarks of both a feminist anthem and a sugary pop song.
Leslie Jones and Melissa Villasenor also pop in the frame to highlight the issues dealt by women of color. So, the women have the right to speak about sexual harassment.
Homeland
SNL is no stranger to parodies. Yet, Homeland sits as one of the show’s most aloofly accurate spoofs. This time, it pokes fun of the Showtime hit series Homeland, wherein Anne Hathaway takes on Claire Dane’s role as CIA officer Carrie Mathison. In this sketch, Carrie’s mentor Saul (Bill Hader) tries to convince Carrie’s boss David (Thompson) to do an interrogation.
However, Carrie’s bipolar mannerisms get in the way. Hathaway absolutely delivers with capturing Carrie’s mannerisms. And Taran Killam’s Brody is also spot-on. Adding to that is his daughter Dana popping in randomly. Overall hysterical.