'SNL' turns 50: We rank the 50 best sketches of all time

Nobody is going to agree on what the best "Saturday Night Live" sketch is.

There are just too many to choose from. Over the series' 50 years on the air, there have been thousands of short comedic bits, everything from the very first, in which John Belushi talks about wolverines, to recent TikTok parodies that creator Lorne Michaels couldn't have dreamed of when the show debuted in 1975.

Of course, over its half-century, some sketches have risen to the top ahead of ho-hum, mediocre and downright bad bits from NBC's Studio 8H. They might have memorable, recurring characters or be a complete one-off idea. They may be groundbreaking and unorthodox or they may follow the tried-and-true rules of comedy. They could be witty and intellectual or silly and stupid but on purpose. They can be for Christmas or Halloween and can include cavemen or celebrity impressions, snack foods, or game shows. They can be deliberately provocative and pointed, or just funny for funny's sake.

Though it is a monumental task, we sorted through 50 seasons of the sketch comedy institution to find the 50 best "SNL" sketches of all time, in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary special (Sunday, 8 EST/5 PST). You may agree or angrily disagree.

Vote in the poll at the bottom of the story.

50. 'Haunted Elevator'

Airdate: Oct. 22, 2016

Tom Hanks’ delightfully random Halloween character became an instant sensation upon his appearance in this goofy sketch, thanks to his weird voice, ridiculous suit and awkward dancing. Flanked by skeletons (Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan) who are “part of it” and with no good explanation for his existence, David Pumpkins had us giggling so much that he returned in 2022 when Hanks wasn’t even hosting.

49. 'Mom Jeans'

Airdate: May 10, 2003

Tina Fey’s trio of female-focused commercial parodies, which includes “Mom Jeans” and also “Annuale” and “Kotex Classic,” was a turning point in “SNL” as the writer broke through the dude-centric mentality that had dominated the show. What was so key to all three sketches was that the women were never the butt of the joke, but it was how society treats them and expects them to act. As the “Mom Jeans” voiceover says, “give her something that says, you’re not a woman anymore; you’re a mom.”

48. 'December to Remember Car Commercial'

Airdate: Dec. 12, 2020

Everyone has an “SNL” sketch that falls into a list of personal favorites that they never stop laughing and thinking about, and for me, that’s this Christmas-themed sketch from 2020 about a guy who buys his wife a car without asking (and she’s not pleased). The chaotic, misanthropic tone of the sketch exemplified the dark places “SNL” has gone in a post-COVID-19 world. The specificity of the car commercial parody married with a great performance from Beck Bennett brings the whole thing together into a slightly crazed amalgam. It may not be directly about the 2020 election or the pandemic, but it best captured the mood of that strange year.

47. 'Papyrus'

Airdate: Sept. 30, 2017

The best comedy is both acutely specific and also universal, and that is something writer Julio Torres understood deeply in this sketch about a man obsessed with the font choice for the movie Avatar, eight years after it debuted. Presented without an inch of irony, the prerecorded sketch led by host Ryan Gosling feels like it could be about any of us and our weird obsessions.

46. 'Dysfunctional Family Dinner'

Airdate: Jan. 17, 1998

During his era, so many Will Ferrell sketches relied on the actor’s ability to lose his cool in the most hilarious way possible, from “Evil Boss” to the famous “More Cowbell” sketch (more on that later). But what makes “Dysfunctional Family Dinner” special is that Ana Gasteyer and host Sarah Michelle Gellar give as good as they get, matching Ferrell’s energy and skill in a tight and explosive sketch that is all the better for its relatability.

45. 'First Citywide Change Bank'

Airdate: Oct. 8, 1988

Stupid comedy is a slippery slope. You need to craft jokes that are dumb and funny without making them so dumb they are totally without humor. But this 1988 sketch toes the line with grace and aplomb in what might be one of the stupidest and funniest sketches “SNL” ever produced. It’s a bank, and all it does is make change. That's it. It's delightful.

44. Weekend Update: Pete Davidson Talks Business

Airdate: Sept. 27, 2014

It’s fun to see a star in the making. A decade ago, when Pete Davidson was still young enough to be the “resident young person” on “SNL,” he rolled up to the Weekend Update desk and did a bit of his inane and provocative stand-up and made a name for himself. This is the way that many “SNL” cast members have singled themselves out, but few have reached the kind of fame Davidson has on the strength of Update appearances alone, and that’s before his personal life got involved. He may never have been the most valuable player in sketches, but this became the first of many memorable Update bits.

43. 'Sean Spicer Press Conference'

Airdate: Feb. 4, 2017

Sometimes the best function of “SNL” is to capture a moment in time. This sketch might not be funny to anyone who was not paying attention to the news in 2017 during President Donald Trump’s first term. But the way special guest Melissa McCarthy embodied then-press secretary Sean Spicer’s wildly combative tone with the press could be buried in a time capsule for future historians.

42. 'Liza Minelli Turns Off a Lamp'

Airdate: March 10, 2012

Kristen Wiig is remembered for her signature characters (Gilly, Target Lady) best, but she will never achieve higher comedic heights than this particular sketch, in which she plays a version of performer Liza Minelli who is dancing and jazz-handing too much to manage to turn off a lamp. This is a confluence of greatness for Wiig, utilizing her personality, physical comedy and zaniness to make something very funny and mesmerizing.

41. 'Chippendales Audition'

Airdate: Oct. 27 1990

This infamous sketch, about two men auditioning to be male exotic dancers at Chippendales, isn’t funny because host Patrick Swayze is tall, fit and conventionally attractive and Chris Farley has a bigger body. This sketch is funny because of Farley’s tireless dedication to the dance and the bit. He would make a better Chippendales dancer if we’re all being honest.

40. 'Superhero Party'

Airdate: March 17, 1979

Long before the idea that superheroes are disgusting jerks became a part of the pop culture conversation in shows like “The Boys” and “Invincible,” “SNL” imagined them as insufferable yuppies at a dinner party. The sketch is full of knowing in-jokes and broad gags alike ? Belushi’s Hulk smelling up the bathroom for one ? and uses the large and talented cast to its advantage.

39. 'Jingleheimer Junction'

Airdate: Sept. 26, 1998

Both an excellent parody of "Schoolhouse Rock" and a clever gag about a four-letter word, "Jingleheimer" succeeds in its sweet sincerity about something very profane. The joke about the dirty word starts funny and then only escalates from there as Tim Meadows' enraged host attacks Ferrell's letter "F" with increasing fury.

38. 'Schmitt’s Gay'

Airdate: Sept. 28, 1991

Somewhat revolutionary for the time, the gag in "Schmitt's Gay" is not based on offensive stereotypes. It's the polar opposite: it's funny because Farley and Adam Sandler are delighted to walk in on a gay pool party. Simultaneously poking at hyper-sexualized ads that objectify women, the commercial parody for this very gay beer objectifies men in tight swimsuits instead to show the ridiculousness of it all.

37. 'The McLaughlin Group'

Airdate: Dec. 1, 1990

A send-up of a popular political talk show format at the time, "McLaughlin" holds up 35 years later because it is one of the very fun sketches in which the "SNL" cast just gets to shout at each other for laughs. Dana Carvey's host character goes from aggressive to completely crazed by the time he's talking about alien takeovers like they're the latest stock market updates. The way the comedian says the word "banana" when telling his panelists what they had for breakfast, of course, is just so delicious to watch.

36. 'What's That Name?: Norman the Doorman'

Airdate: Dec. 11, 2010

From Bill Hader's smarmy host, never afraid to call the contestants "lousy," to Kristin Wiig as an office cleaner who shouts at Vanessa Bayer, this sketch is full of terrific character moments from everyone involved. Like many of the series' great sketches, the punchline makes fun of the people in power who can't be considerate enough to learn their doorman's name, and it is a savage takedown. The sketch has returned twice more, including this season for an election edition, and has been a schadenfreude delight each time.

35. 'White Like Me'

Airdate: Dec. 15, 1984

This mockumentary-style sketch saw Eddie Murphy, the uncontested star of this era of the show, go "undercover" as a white man (complete with laughable makeup) to see what the other half of America is like. White Murphy gets to take stuff from stores for free, have parties on busses and get whatever loan he wants. The sketch is so smart because it harps on inequities from the other side, exaggerating white privilege to the point of humor, without ever failing to make its critical point.

34. '(Do It On My) Twin Bed'

Airdate: Dec. 21, 2013

Featuring this era's excellent female cast, "Twin Bed" helped prove that "SNL" could still play in music video parody space even after the departure of The Lonely Island and Andy Samberg (more on them below). The concept is just R-rated enough to feel a bit risqué and risky for the broadcast network show, and the mix of nostalgia (complete with seventh grade photos of the cast and Fallon!) and club-thumping beats proved both catchy and hilarious.

33. 'Colonel Angus Comes Home'

Airdate: Feb. 22, 2003

Yes, this entire sketch is built around what "Colonel Angus" sounds like while being said in a Southern accent (it's not family-friendly). But while the sketch may make 12-year-old boys giggle, the wordplay can be devilishly funny when written with such temerity and attentiveness, as it was by Tina Fey.

32. 'The Nerds: Nerd Prom'

Airdate: May 20, 1978

Gilda Radner and Bill Murray's "Nerds," Lisa Loopner and Todd DiLaMuca, were a mainstay in the first five years of "SNL." The pair were a perfect and very nasally match, making all the best nerd jokes decades before "The Big Bang Theory" would make a whole series around the concept. This sketch, in which Lisa and Todd go to prom, is just everything great about the Nerds, from their equally dorky parents to the ridiculous prom get-ups. There was never a higher waistline than on Murray's white tuxedo pants, and we were never more pleased to see it.

31. 'Election Night'

Airdate: Nov. 12, 2016

In November of 2016, a large part of the country was shell-shocked by the presidential election results, in which Donald Trump beat the heavily favored Hillary Clinton. Clinton's supporters were unsure of where to turn and how to react. It turns out that Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock were the right voices for that moment, and "SNL" gave them a platform to point at the hypocrisy and absurdity of the moment. This sketch was cathartic and aggressively pointed, as the only two Black people in the room were the only ones to understand how the election could go.

30. 'Land Shark'

Airdate: Nov. 8, 1975

When you see sketches like “Land Shark,” which is from only the fourth episode of “SNL” ever, you see how it became such an instant sensation. The sketch is really, if we’re honest, quite dumb, but also so tantalizingly funny, as Chevy Chase’s Land Shark very politely tricks women into opening their doors so he can eat them. These kids were throwing anything against a wall and seeing if it stuck. This one stuck for sure.

29. 'Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base'

Airdate: Jan. 16, 2016

When the “SNL” writers can get the celebrity hosts to poke fun at themselves, they almost always create comedy gold. Perhaps the best instance of this is when Adam Driver, fresh off the massive success of his role as the villain in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” did an entire sketch about what a doofus that villain actually is. His Kylo Ren goes on the reality show “Undercover Boss” and pretends to be a regular “folk” at Starkiller Base, and Driver’s devotion to the bit is as, ahem, forceful as Kylo’s devotion to the Dark Side.

28. 'Bass-O-Matic'

Airdate: April 17, 1976

He puts a bass in the blender, and it’s terrific bass. Dan Aykroyd had a particular paternal-but-also-manic energy in the original “SNL” cast, and he puts both qualities to excellent use as a hyperactive infomercial salesman selling a “Bass-O-Matic.” But remember, it's just a fish in a blender.

27. 'Farewell Mr. Bunting'

Airdate: May 21, 2016

What starts as a “Dead Poets Society” parody takes a hard (very hard) left turn into a gruesome bloody spectacle. There is only one joke here, but it is so infinitely funny that even if you’ve seen the head-dropping twist before, you will still be reduced to a fit of giggles anytime you watch this sketch.

26. 'Brenda the Waitress'

Airdate: April 21, 1990

The intensity that Jan Hooks brings to her sweet and salty diner waitress character is legendary, and her chemistry with host Alec Baldwin elevates this story from a comedy bit to an acting showcase. Hooks was never better, with impeccable timing, tics and even panting in this surprisingly sexy sketch.

25. 'Totinos with Kristen Stewart'

Airdate: Feb. 4, 2017

Setting up your expectations and then blowing them away is a classic “SNL” (and comedy in general) move, and this romantic sketch featuring Kristen Stewart and Vanessa Bayer does that multifold. Audiences were already primed by preceding Totinos sketches to expect Bayer’s unsettling, nameless wife character who exists only to feed frozen snacks to her “hungry guys” during the big game. But Stewart breaks the mold again as seductive Sabine, making things all the more sultry and sapphic. When Bayer and Stewart are locked in a nude embrace while dragging frozen pizza rolls across each other's bodies, it’s hard not to lose it.

24. 'Debbie Downer: Disney World'

Airdate: May 1, 2004

Sometimes when “SNL” cast members “break,” aka giggle onstage at their own jokes, it can ruin a sketch for the viewers. But not so in this memorable and very first appearance of Rachel Dratch’s Debbie Downer character, a sketch so funny it leaves the entire ensemble in stitches. As grim Debbie ruins the day for everyone at Disney World, including young host Lindsay Lohan, a classic moment and character are made all at once.

23. 'World's Most Evil Invention Contest'

Airdate: May 20, 2017

Shock, commitment and tension are some of the ingredients of the best “SNL” sketches, and this galling sketch achieves them all, but particularly the first two. The contrast between the actual meaning of the word “evil” with the cartoonish, mustache-twirling villainy we ascribe to it in popular culture is where the brilliance of this outrageous sketch, about a “mechanical sex predator,” lies. The absolute dedication that host Dwayne Johnson has to the horrific things his character says is what takes it from a funny concept to an all-time sketch.

22. 'Coffee Talk with Liz Rosenberg and Barbra Steisand'

Airdate: Feb. 22, 1992

Celebrity cameos on “SNL” in its current era are overused and tired, but there used to be a time when a cameo was something special. Mike Myers’ recurring “Coffee Talk” sketches showed off his great character work as Jewish yenta Linda Richman, but this very special edition featured not only Madonna as Linda’s best friend Liz Rosenberg, but also an appearance from the ladies’ idol Barbra Streisand as herself. Streisand’s pop-in was so rare for the mega-star, and her complete disregard for the sketch itself (she hugs Madonna like she’s Madonna, not fictional talk show host Liz Rosenberg), makes it all a magical, only-on-”SNL” moment.

21. 'James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub'

Airdate: Nov. 5, 1983

Murphy’s impression of James Brown singing about getting wet and sweaty in a hot tub was so pitch-perfect it has become inextricably linked with our collective understanding of Brown himself. Sometimes “SNL” concepts were elementary, but they sang (literally or figuratively) because of the strength of the performers. This is definitely one of those times. You can’t take your eyes off Murphy during this sketch, and not just because of the skimpy swimsuit and wig.

20. 'Wayne's World: Aerosmith'

Airdate: Feb. 17, 1990

Myers and Carvey’s sweet, dopey, rock-loving cable-access teens spawned two movies and a slew of sketches set in Wayne’s shag-rugged basement. But the best might be the time that Aerosmith, fresh out of rehab and ready for a new image, dropped by to discuss both sobriety and Eastern European politics. It was everything that “Wayne’s World” sketches aspired to be. It rocked.

19. 'Lazy Sunday'

Airdate: Dec. 17, 2005

The sketch that changed everything, and that’s not an exaggeration. The effect of Samberg and The Lonely Island’s digital short revolution on subsequent “SNL” seasons was monumental, pushing the show towards viral video-friendly sketches perfectly produced for a hungry YouTube audience (“Lazy Sunday” debuted the same month as the video-sharing site, becoming the show’s first viral video). The humor here comes from the contrast of form and function, the hard rap music to the innocuous lyrics, and Samberg and co. would return to that device many times, for many millions more YouTube views.

18. 'Close Encounter'

Airdate: Dec. 5, 2015

This sketch is all about escalation. Kate McKinnon’s man-spreading, smoking character starts out with an, ahem, trashier version of alien abduction than the beautiful, cosmic experience of her fellow abductees, and her description of the incident only gets more deranged. McKinnon is a full-body comedian, and by the time she is miming aliens playing with her “knockers” everyone, from host Ryan Gosling to co-stars Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong and Bobby Moynihan, is barely containing their laughter (or not containing it at all). Not McKinnon though; the consummate professional keeps her cool as she might do if the aliens ever took her for real.

17. Weekend Update: The Hanukkah Song

Airdate: Dec. 3, 1994

It’s hard to explain the cultural dominance of Adam Sandler in the 1990s if you weren’t there, but the way this short Weekend Update song would outlast Sandler’s time on ‘SNL’ and become both a yearly pop culture staple and part of the comedian’s mythos cannot be denied. Observational, witty and built on Sandler’s dude-persona, the song remains one of the greatest Weekend Update bits ever, and the pinnacle of the comedian’s “SNL” career.

16. 'Two Wild and Crazy Guys: Computer Dates'

Airdate: May 22, 1978

Steve Martin was never on the “SNL” cast officially, but he might as well have been for the number of classic sketches and characters he had during his many hosting gigs in the 1970s. His most famous recurring bit is The Festrunk Brothers with Dan Aykroyd. They’re the sketchy guys in the club you maybe shouldn’t go home with, but their earnestness for American “foxes,” tight slacks and swinging helps you laugh the creepy away.

15. 'Blues Brothers: Soul Man'

Airdate: Nov. 18, 1978

Belushi and Aykroyd’s iconic sunglasses-wearing duo didn’t initially make the cut for “SNL” when they first pitched the idea to Michaels, but when a show was three minutes short they were given the green light to, as the creator put it, make fools of themselves. Their resulting performance of “Soul Man,” which wasn't really a sketch or even meant to be funny, was mesmerizing and magnetic and led to much bigger things than Michaels could have imagined.

14. 'Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks'

Airdate: Oct. 22, 2016

Hanks is one of the best hosts “SNL” has ever had, and amid the heated 2016 election, his appearance was like a balm to the country (in fact, this is the second sketch from that episode to make this list). Written by Michael Che and Bryan Tucker, this instantly classic “Black Jeopardy” bit is exquisite comic genius. Hanks’ MAGA-hat-wearing Doug gets questions right on the African American-centered game show that most white people get wrong, much to the delight of his fellow contestants and the hosts. It shows we’re all more alike than different ? until it gets to the final “Jeopardy!” category: “Lives That Matter.” Full of small details that make the sketch sing, like Doug recoiling from Kenan Thompson’s host trying to shake his hand, the sketch is brutal, surprising, true and deeply funny.

13. 'Buckwheat Dead and America Mourns'

Airdate: March 12, 1983

One of the things that defined Murphy’s time on “SNL” was his boldness and willingness to take risks. First, he popularized Buckwheat, a beloved and popular character. But when Murphy got tired of his own Buckwheat schtick he killed off the character in this extended, hilarious sketch that took aim at the way the media covered the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

12. 'D--- in a Box'

Airdate: Dec. 16, 2006

“Lazy Sunday” started the digital short/viral video revolution for “SNL,” but it was this Justin Timberlake-anchored music video that cemented it. Everything about the concept works, from the early 1990s R&B aesthetic (those beards!) to the serious/silly lyrics to the earworm of a melody. A dozen or more music video parodies would follow this, but none would reach its height.

11. Weekend Update: Roseanne Roseannadanna on Smoking

Airdate: Nov. 18, 1978

Radner's “SNL” career was versatile and glorious, and her very best material came at the Weekend Update desk as the wonderfully-bewigged Roseanne Roseannadanna. The voice, the facial expressions, the lipstick, all came together to create a character you’ll never forget. Her best outing was this five-minute rant about smoking that ends up being about sweaty people in a sauna (it makes sense, don’t worry). “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

10. 'Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer'

Airdate: Nov. 23, 1991

Phil Hartman, one of the best cast members “SNL” ever had, never got a better showcase than this ridiculous but biting sketch from the early 1990s. There’s no gimmick here: It’s just about a caveman who was unfrozen and then became a lawyer (and then a candidate for Senate). But it’s all in the way Hartman crafts this man, his inflection and hand gestures on “your world frightens and confuses me” before he calls for lowering the capital gains tax. It’s bizarre, it’s deeply political and it’s very funny.

9. 'NPR's Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls'

Airdate: Dec. 12, 1998

The double entendres in this sketch about NPR hosts tasting holiday-themed food “balls” always get the biggest laughs, but it’s Gastayer and Molly Shannon as earnest NPR personalities who make the sketch soar. Their absolute cold hard commitment to their radio host personas is astounding and so perfectly pitched to a certain type of voice and person. If not for their presence, the sketch would just be all middle school boy jokes with Christmas wrapping.

8. 'Celebrity Jeopardy!: French Stewart, Burt Reynolds, & Sean Connery'

Airdate: Oct. 23, 1999

“Celebrity Jeopardy!” was one of the most successful recurring bits of the Ferrell and Fallon era of “SNL” for good reason. Nearly every sketch is hilarious, even when the audience is expecting all the same jokes and antics because the performers are so lived-in to these impressions. Whether it’s Ferrell’s barely-contained Alex Trebek (a rare bit of subtlety for the comedian), Darrell Hammond’s blustering Sean Connery, or Norm MacDonald’s smirking Burt Reynolds (we mean, Turd Ferguson), the marriage of poking fun at celebrities and the game show format was a match made in “SNL” heaven. Created by Steve Higgins and MacDonald, it’s only fitting that the very best installment came when the latter came back as a host in 1999, sparking a particularly unhinged seven minutes of television, from MacDonald’s giant hat to Hammond’s triumphant, “Suck it, Trebek!”

7. 'Sarah Palin and Hillary Address the Nation'

Airdate: Sept. 13, 2008

The year was 2008 and the most baffling thing Americans had ever seen in a presidential election was the sudden appearance of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. Palin’s antics were so absurd (for the time), and her resemblance to “SNL” alum Tina Fey was so strong, Fey’s appearance as the candidate was almost willed into existence by fan fervor. But Fey didn’t just look like Palin; she embodied her glasses and soul, shaping the public opinion of the candidate (Palin didn’t say “I can see Russia from my house,” Fey did) and skewering the rampant sexism in media and politics by pairing her with Amy Poehler’s Hillary Clinton. History was made, on the sketch series and in American politics.

6. 'The Olympia Restaurant: Cheeseburger, Chips and Pepsi'

Airdate: Jan. 28, 1978

This Season 3 sketch, which parodied the real Chicago restaurant The Billy Goat Tavern, is all about set up and payoff. Every “cheeburger” that Belushi shouts as the waiter at this unique diner is an investment in the big laugh of the sketch when Aykroyd’s line cook mistakenly throws every burger patty they have on the grill. “Cheeburger” quickly became an “SNL” catchphrase, and the Olympia Restaurant quickly became beloved in our hearts, if not our stomachs.

5. 'Meet Your Second Wife'

Airdate: Dec. 19, 2015

This savage sketch takes a very simple idea ?  men with much younger wives were full-grown adults when they were children, which is really disgusting ? and goes very big with it. Following the classic comedy rule of three (start funny, get funnier, introduce a twist), the sketch featuring hosts Fey and Poehler is flawless in its writing and execution. Every participant sells it perfectly, from Fey playing herself slinging zingers to Moynihan’s exaggerated appalled face to Leslie Jones' murderous eyes, and each line pushes the knife deeper into the collective hearts of gross men everywhere. It’s the “SNL” equivalent of game, set, match.

4. 'More Cowbell'

Airdate: April 8, 2000

A sketch so legendary and beloved that it got its own documentary, “More Cowbell” is what many people think of first when they think of “SNL. It is iconic, from Ferrell’s tiny shirt and wild belly to host Christopher Walken’s heightened persona to the oh-so-tantalizing quote: “I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.” The humor in the sketch is all based on its perfectly assembled vibes; all the elements feel funny, so it is. It may be overplayed now, but when it first aired (and when it was released on DVD years later as part of “Best of Will Ferrell” collections) it was a novelty treat.

3. 'Mister Robinson's Neighborhood Nutrition'

Airdate: Feb. 21, 1981

During his four years on the show, Murphy wrote and starred in a dozen or more classic sketches that kept “SNL” afloat in the absence of creator Michaels. But nothing showed his charisma, star power and deeply funny take on the Black experience than his recurring riff on Fred Rogers, “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood.” Set in an inner city with a sharp commentary on racial injustice, Mister Robinson played with the perceptions of his white viewers and taught us many things. The “Nutrition” installment does all this perfectly, with some extra humor just because Murphy was that good at this time in his career.

2. 'Matt Foley: Van Down by the River'

Airdate: May 5, 1993

You will laugh at this sketch because Farley as motivational speaker Matt Foley will make you laugh if he has to move in with you to do so. Farley is a force, a machine, a hurricane in this sketch that’s ostensibly about parents hiring a motivational speaker to keep their kids off drugs, but really about the supremely talented comedian being able to go ham for five minutes. Every move, every breath Farley takes as Foley is calculated and critical, from the way he touches his belt to the pitch he uses when he shouts “VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER.” It’s ridiculous, it’s kind of stupid and it is so very, very funny. Matt Foley would go on to come back in many future sketches of course, but nothing will ever beat his debut.

1. 'Word Association'

Airdate: Dec. 13, 1975

“Word Association” is a daring, boundary-pushing sketch that would never make it to air in modern times, and not just for the use of a racial slur.  A simple interplay between Chevy Chase and host Richard Pryor goes from innocuous to outrageous in just a few seconds, as Chase’s white hiring manager character unleashes increasingly offensive racial insults at applicant Pryor until he reaches the worst slur imaginable. Pryor’s reaction to the slur is so quick it doesn’t allow the audience time to be shocked and appalled, only to laugh at his escalation in the war of words.

The sketch was written by Paul Mooney, a Black writer who Pryor insisted join the team for his “SNL” hosting stint. Mooney said in his memoir he simply drew upon his own experiences interviewing with NBC earlier that week, and the resulting sketch is a parable of the Black experience in response to racism. It forces those who like to believe racism doesn’t exist to confront it outright, and also laugh at their own ignorance. It’s a sketch that would form the foundations of decades of comedy from the likes of Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and more. It’s the “SNL” sketch that transcends the show itself.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'SNL' 50: The 50 best sketches for the 50th anniversary