SNL50 - Top 30 TV Parody Sketches

 

SNL knows television and has fun mocking it endlessly. Lots of great impressions and playing with the elements of the shows.

EXTRA: A THANKSGIVING MIRACLE
EPISODE: S41E06 (11.21.2015)
HOST: Matthew McConaughey
MUSICAL GUEST: Adele
SNL doesn’t really do parodies of specific music videos but I wanted to put this somewhere, so why not here. Nothing like the healing power of Adele.
LINK: Click here

30. A FEW MINUTES WITH ANDY ROONEY
EPISODE: S07E01 (10.03.1981)
HOST: No Host
MUSICAL GUEST: Rod Stewart
Joe Piscopo does a decent Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes who starts ranting about his co-workers. “Have you ever noticed?”
LINK: Click here

29. THE LATE SHOW
EPISODE: S22E10 (01.11.1997)
HOST: Kevin Spacey
MUSICAL GUEST: Beck
Norm McDonald does a great David Letterman impression with a pitch perfect laugh, sound effects, and interactions with Paul.  “You got any gum?
LINK: Click here

28. CHOPPED
EPISODE: S44E20 (05.11.2019)
HOST: Emma Thompson
MUSICAL GUEST: Jonas Brothers
Some great observations. I like the loose sugar and the kitten on a bun. “She served me divorce papers.”
LINK: Click here

27. THIS OLD HOUSE
EPISODE: S14E03 (10.22.1988)
HOST: John Larroquette
MUSICAL GUEST: Randy Newman, Mark Knopfler
John Larroquette does a nice Bob Vila trying to fix a house that is haunted with bleeding walls, shrieking, a wall full of trapped souls and a hellmouth.
LINK: Click here

26. WR
EPISODE: S20E14 (02.25.1995)
HOST: George Clooney
MUSICAL GUEST: The Cranberries
The cast does a great job recreating ER’s opening title sequence. Lots of waiting.
LINK: Click here

25. HOUSE HUNTERS
EPISODE: S44E05 (11.10.2018)
HOST: Live Schreiber
MUSICAL GUEST: Lil Wayne
Lots of odd house features like the gas stove on the bed and ceiling toilets. Man caves are a must.
LINK: Click here

24. TOP DOG CHEF
EPISODE: S38E11 (01.19.2013)
HOST: Jennifer Lawrence
MUSICAL GUEST: The Lumineers
I like the costumes for this one. Love the responses to the doorbells. Interesting dog dishes.
LINK: Click here

23. OZ
EPISODE: S25E01 (10.02.1999)
HOST: Jerry Seinfeld
MUSICAL GUEST: David Bowie
A clever continuation of the Seinfeld finale, with Jerry going to the scary prison Oz. It is just fun watching Jerry in this environment with Oz’s cast.
LINK: Click here

22. PAW PATROL
EPISODE: S47E14 (03.05.2022)
HOST: Oscar Isaac
MUSICAL GUEST: Charli XCX
Oscar Isaac is great as a councilman trying to take over as mayor of Adventure Bay. Lots of valid points against the hiring of the Paw Patrol. They can’t handle OD’s or a woman going into labour.
LINK: Click here

21. THE SOPRANOS DIARIES
EPISODE: S38E12 (01.26.2013)
HOST: Adam Levine
MUSICAL GUEST: Kendrick Lamar
The cast has a fun time becoming the younger versions of the Sopranos cast. I like the reviews that point out the glaring inconsistencies.
LINK: Click here

20. BERN YOUR ENTHUSIASM
EPISODE: S41E12 (02.06.2016)
HOST: Larry David
MUSICAL GUEST: The 1975
A brilliant melding of Curb Your Enthusiasm typical storylines and Larry David’s awesome Bernie Sanders impression. Jay Pharaoh’s Leon is great as is Cecily Strong’s Susie.
LINK: Click here

19. DON DRAPER’S GUIDE TO
PICKING UP WOMEN
EPISODE: S34E06 (10.25.2008)
HOST: Jon Hamm
MUSICAL GUEST: Coldplay
So you just have to be Don Draper. Simple enough.
LINK: Click here

18. THE OFFICE: MIDDLE EARTH
EPISODE: S40E09 (12.13.2014)
HOST: Martin Freeman
MUSICAL GUEST: Charli XCX
A bizarre mix of Lord of the Rings and The Office. Lord of the Reams. Gollum as Dwight is a good call. Or should I say Gareth as this is the British version.
LINK: Click here

17. SCANDAL
EPISODE: S39E15 (03.08.2014)
HOST: Lena Dunham
MUSICAL GUEST: The National
A great job of the outrageous tasks taken on in Scandal. So many follow up questions.
LINK: Click here

16. LINCOLN
EPISODE: S38E06 (11.03.2012)
HOST: Louis CK
MUSICAL GUEST: Fun.
Louis does a parody of his own show but as Abraham Lincoln doing stand –up, talking about theatre tickets and trying to make black friends.
LINK: Click here

15. UNDERCOVER BOSS:
STAR KILLER BASE
EPISODE: S41E10 (01.16.2016)
HOST: Adam Driver
MUSICAL GUEST: Chris Stapleton
Kylo Ren goes undercover as a radar tech trying to find out more info from his stormtroopers and other employees. He has a hard time keeping it secret.
LINK: Click here

14. SCOOBY DOO! AND THE MYSTERY
OF THE SHADOW PHANTOM
EPISODE: S49E20 (05.18.2024)
HOST: Jake Gyllenhaal
MUSICAL GUEST: Sabrina Carpenter
A classic take on the cartoon until they rip another face off causing all sorts of trouble.
LINK: Click here

13. OPRAH
EPISODE: S29E11 (02.07.2004)
HOST: Megan Mullaly
MUSICAL GUEST: Clay Aiken
Oprah’s audience gets too into her birthday gift giveaway. So much crying and screaming.
LINK: Click here

12. STRANGER THINGS
EPISODE: S42E02 (10.08.2016)
HOST: Lin-Manuel Miranda
MUSICAL GUEST: Twenty One Pilots
Stranger Things reveals the biggest answer of where Lucas’ parents are. I like their reaction to the monster.
LINK: Click here

11. I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE
EPISODE: S33E05 (02.23.2008)
HOST: Tina Fey
MUSICAL GUEST: Carrie Underwood
Bill Hader’s Daniel Day-Lewis impression kills me. You would need to see There Will Be Blood to get it. “No! I’ve abandoned my child!” Just realized now that this is actually a movie parody and not a TV one. I feel a bit embarrassed now.
LINK: Click here

10. PUNK’D BARELY LEGAL
EPISODE: S29E02 (10.11.2003)
HOST: Justin Timberlake
MUSICAL GUEST: Justin Timberlake
After being embarrassed by Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake gets revenge by spoofing his show. I’m awesome!”
LINK: Click here

9. URKEL
EPISODE: S47E10 (01.15.2022)
HOST: Ariana DeBose
MUSICAL GUEST: Bleachers
A dark, serious take on Family Matters. Did I do that?
LINK: Click here

8. HBO’S MARIO KART
EPISODE: S48E12 (02.04.2023)
HOST: Pedro Pascal
MUSICAL GUEST: Coldplay
The Last of Us meets Mario Kart. Funny stuff. I like Pedro Pascal’s Mario.
LINK: Click here

7. THE REAL WORLD
EPISODE: S21E15 (03.16.1996)
HOST: John Goodman
MUSICAL GUEST: Everclear
Norm MacDonald brings the laughs as Bob Dole, one of the roommates on The Real World. No one better touch his chair or his peanut butter.
LINK: Click here

6. GAME OF THRONES:
HBO FIRST LOOK
EPISODE: S37E19 (04.14.2012)
HOST: Josh Brolin
MUSICAL GUEST: Gotye
Andy Samberg plays 13-year-old Adam Friedberg who makes sure there are lots of boobs being shown on Game of Thrones. He does his job too well.
LINK: Click here

5. SQUID GAME
EPISODE: S47E03 (10.16.2021)
HOST: Rami Malek
MUSICAL GUEST: Young Thug
All the elements of the show in a fun country song. They make a great point about the currency.
LINK: Click here

4. AW NUTS! MOM’S A GHOST!
EPISODE: S38E20 (05.11.2013)
HOST: Kristen Wiig
MUSICAL GUEST: Vampire Weekend
Kristen Wiig is creepy and funny as a Korean water ghost in this silly Disney Channel family sitcom. See if you can spot the Sixth Sense Easter egg.
LINK: Click here

3. HOMELAND
EPISODE: S38E07 (11.10.2012)
HOST: Anne Hathaway
MUSICAL GUEST: Rihanna
Anne Hathaway does a great unstable Carrie impression as does Bill Hader with Saul. Like the add on of Brody’s daughter, Dana.
LINK: Click here

2. DAWSON’S CREEK
EPISODE: S26E13 (02.24.2001)
HOST: Katie Holmes
MUSICAL GUEST: Dave Matthews Band
Good poking fun at Dawson’s Creek then becomes a Mr. Peepers sketch. Katie really plays up her Joey character well and is a good sport with Chris Kattan, although I now hear she hated this sketch.
LINK: Not Available

1. THE FRENCH CHEF
EPISODE: S04E08 (12.09.1978)
HOST: Eric Idle
MUSICAL GUEST: Kate Bush
While there are a lot of newer TV parodies, nothing compares to Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child accidentally cutting her finger and bleeding everywhere.
LINK: Click here