NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Legions of comedic talent have paraded through NBC's Studio 8H, whether as cast members, writers or hosts
As the sketch show marks with a its cast members and alumni look back on their favorite sketches and the
Fred Armisen, cast member 2002-2013, one-time host
FAVORITE SKETCH: 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a 鈥榃izard of Oz鈥� one that we did that actually John Mulaney wrote, where there鈥檚 like this new footage of 鈥榃izard of Oz,鈥� of a character that got cut out of a movie, and it鈥檚 a weather vane,鈥� said Armisen, who played Weathervane alongside Anne Hathaway's Dorothy. 鈥淪omething about it, I just I really love that sketch.鈥�
Chloe Fineman, cast member 2019-present
FAVORITE SKETCH: 鈥淓verything is amazing,鈥� the current cast member said, but she seemed to hope the anniversary special would see a reprise of 鈥淭he Californians.鈥�
鈥淎ll of it are sort of 鈥榩inch me鈥� moments and I feel like it鈥檒l be even bigger than the 40th,鈥� she said of the upcoming special.
Will Forte, cast member 2002-2010, one-time host
FAVORITE SKETCHES: fixated on adding that signature sound to Blue 脰yster Cult鈥檚 鈥淒on鈥檛 Fear the Reaper.鈥� Forte named a few, but 鈥淯nfrozen Caveman Lawyer鈥� was another favorite. Then, of course, there's Adam Sandler's classic 鈥淭he Chanukah Song.鈥�
鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 seen 鈥楾he Chanukah Song鈥� in a long time. ... It just happened to be on the other day,鈥� said Forte, who was freshly reminded: 鈥淚t's so good.鈥�
Seth Meyers, cast member 2001-2014, former head writer, one-time host
FAVORITE SKETCH: 鈥淢ore Cowbell,鈥� perhaps a universal favorite.
鈥淚 think 鈥楥owbell鈥� would work if English was your like 10th language. ... I think that鈥檚 a safe pick,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Will Ferrell at the height of his powers. ... It鈥檚 an all-time host Christopher Walken doing a thing that only Christopher Walken could do.鈥� (Of the last 12 months, Meyers is also partial to Nate Bargatze's 鈥淲ashington's Dream鈥� sketches.)
WHY 鈥淪NL鈥� ENDURES: To Meyers, who now 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� is like sports. It's live. No one knows what's going to happen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so beautifully uneven. I鈥檝e always said the worst show has something great and the best show has something terrible,鈥� Meyers said. 鈥淎nd there鈥檚 no there鈥檚 no host that can guarantee consistency. ... If you laid all the Alec Baldwin-hosted episodes out there, there鈥檚 a huge gap between the best one and the worst one. And there鈥檚 no real reason to explain that, other than just everybody sort of had a bad week.鈥�
Bobby Moynihan, cast member 2008-2017
FAVORITE SKETCHES: 鈥淗aunted Elevator,鈥� with Tom Hanks as the 鈥淐alculator Christmas Gift,鈥� where Fred Armisen and John Malkovich have their odd holiday wish list fulfilled; 鈥淭ennis Talk with Time-Traveling Scott Joplin,鈥� which is somehow exactly what it sounds like.
鈥淒avid Pumpkins always comes to mind as just, like, the weirdest thing we ever got on. And I love the idea of future generations trying to figure it out, as well,鈥� said Moynihan, who added that he was drawn to 鈥渁mazing, weird sketches.鈥�
John Mulaney, writer 2008-2013, six-time host
FAVORITE SKETCHES: 鈥淭oilet Death Ejector,鈥� an infomercial flogging an 鈥渆legant鈥� solution to avert the indignity of dying on the commode, and 鈥淢onkey Trial,鈥� featuring, yes, a monkey but not one on trial 鈥� one presiding over it.
鈥淭hose are two quality Simon Rich premises executed,鈥� said Mulaney, who wrote the former with and Marika Sawyer and the latter with Rich. Both sketches date to Mulaney's hosting stints.
Laraine Newman, cast member 1975-1980
FAVORITE SKETCH: 鈥淧lato's Cave鈥� from where Steve Martin plays a beatnik, and 鈥淭he Swan,鈥� a parody of a 2000s reality show.
鈥淚 remember seeing there was a horrible reality show called 鈥楾he Swan鈥� where they did this massive plastic surgery on people. And I think they did a parody of that with Amy Poehler and a bunch of other people. And it was the first time I鈥檇 seen her and I was like, 鈥楳y God, this girl is so good,鈥欌�� Newman said. 鈥淏ut as far as our show, I think that this one sketch called 鈥楶lato鈥檚 Cave鈥� or the beatnik sketch, is, I think, a really good representation of our show. And it鈥檚 the whole cast.鈥�
WHY 鈥淪NL鈥� ENDURES: There's a long list of people responsible, she says, but atop that list? Show creator Lorne Michaels.
鈥淭he fact that the show has remained relevant is because of the approach that Lorne has, which is that he always has new people, whether they be writers or performers with new perspectives and original ideas and characters,鈥� Newman said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚, I think, what moves the show along in terms of tone and relevance.鈥�
Jason Sudeikis, writer 2003-2005, cast member 2005-2013, one-time host
FAVORITE SKETCH: 鈥淲hat's Up With That?鈥� a recurring series with Kenan Thompson as a game show host.
鈥淧art of the reason I put it in there is because I feel very proud of the group, the generation I came up on and through the show ... both on camera and behind the scenes,鈥� Sudeikis said, noting the 鈥渞eal wild鈥� cameos like Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.
Kenan Thompson, cast member 2003-present
WHY 鈥淪NL鈥� ENDURES: It has good people, and they know where the line is.
鈥淲e work with brilliant people. I think we all have a pretty solid sensibility, where we kind of know where the offense is and we work really hard trying not to tread in places that are uncomfortable or whatever without warrant,鈥� the said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, I can鈥檛 please everybody and we鈥檙e still trying to like, like lighten the mood, if you will. So, you know, we鈥檙e doing that as long as we鈥檙e not like overly stepping 鈥� like if you step on a toe, you say, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry. Excuse me.鈥� Then that should be OK. ... We should be able to just move on and continue to explore or continue conversations that may or may not be uncomfortable. That鈥檚 kind of our job.鈥�
Bowen Yang, writer 2018-2019, cast member 2019-present
WHY 鈥淪NL鈥� ENDURES: At its heart, it's a variety show.
鈥淚 think with a show like 鈥楽NL,鈥� we have the latitude to be a little variety show and give you different sensibilities and different parts of that, different perspectives. I love it,鈥� the current cast member said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very pluralistic place for comedy because it鈥檚 one of the last places where you can sort of have a grab bag of different kinds of stuff.鈥�
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Pearson contributed reporting from Los Angeles. For more coverage of the 50th anniversary of 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� visit .
John Carucci, Brooke Lefferts, Gina Abdy And Ryan Pearson, The Associated Press
