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Saturday Night Live

The 2010s will never be known as Saturday Night Live‘s best “era,” but it certainly wasn’t a low point in the show’s 45-year history.

At no point in the decade was the show near near cancellation, as it was in the ’80s when Jean Doumanian and Dick Ebersol ran the show while Lorne Michaels was busy with other pursuits. It survived cast shakeups much better than the 1990s which saw the show nearly hit a breaking point due to over population. And the 2000s? Sorry, but no matter how on fire the head writing lineup of Tina Fey, Dennis McNicholas, Andrew Steele and Seth Meyers could be at times between 2000-2006, complete episodes from pockets of that era are nearly unwatchable. From flavor of the week reality star hosts, to sketches based entirely on gossip headlines, this chapter of SNL was often a chore to sit through.

So what was the story line of 2010-2019 SNL? Consistency. At 75-years-old, Michaels has seen nearly every high and low a television show can face, and not much can rattle him at this point. Sure, the internet keeps things interesting – like demanding Betty White host back in 2010 or suggesting NBC take another look at the show’s vetting process, but for the most part, Lorne has been able to keep the show under his own control.

SNL‘s only real problem in the 2010s was diversity. This issue had been ready to boil over for years, and it finally did in late 2013 during the Kerry Washington hosted episode. The additions of Leslie Jones, Sasheer Zamata, Ego Nwodim and Bowen Yang have helped, but several outlets still point out more can be done in the 2020s.

So was SNL funny this decade? At times, very much so. But lists are subjective, and there are even funnier bits out there if you’re willing to look, but these are the sketches I feel most of the country will remember. Enjoy!

'Donald Trump vs. Hilary Clinton Town Hall Debate'

Original Air Date: 10/15/16

Type: Cold Opening
Episode: Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars –

SNL struggled the entire decade with political humor, and it started well before Donald Trump took office.

After eight years of hit-or-miss George W. Bush content (is anyone still talking about Will Forte’s Bush impression?), the show never quite landed on what to do when Barack Obama arrived in 2008. So it kind of just looked the other way.

Across two terms, the Obama impersonation moved between Fred Armisen and Jay Pharoah, and neither of them (nor the show’s writers) elected to be overly critical of the administration. For years, the show regularly went weeks between Obama sketches, and any softball political jokes on Weekend Update were usually out of the way before the first guest. As a result, and for maybe the first time in the show’s history, this era felt completely void of any meaningful political commentary.

Enter Trump. Darrell Hammond and Taran Killam both vied for the job during the 2015-2016 primary season, but once Trump secured the 2016 Republican nomination, Lorne handed the impression to SNL darling Alec Baldwin.

Baldwin’s first season as Trump was serviceable, with his most iconic performance being the October ’16 parody of the 2nd Trump/Clinton debate. With the actual Trump’s scoffing and leering, this was the most remembered of the real debates between the two candidates, so of course it was ripe for the SNL treatment. Less can be said for Baldwin’s Trump over the next several years, though.

With the entire political and media world seemingly fixated on Trump at all times, SNL was in over its head. No longer could it lightly cover politics when convenient. Politics now demanded several segments per episode – and roughly half of Weekend Update! And when the actual Trump is often his own worst enemy, how does a show continually write fresh jokes around an administration that already borders on being a circus? The answer? It can’t.

With SNL‘s Trump coverage now the least funny stuff on the show, Lorne and company need to hit the reboot button — especially if Trump wins a second term. As it stands, SNL feels light years away from the influential political power house it was as recently as 2008.

'Black Jeopardy'

Original Air Date: 3/29/14

Type: Sketch
Episode: Louis C.K./Sam Smith

At only six appearances between 2014 and the present, “Black Jeopardy” has managed to become one of SNL‘s “must see” sketches whenever it arrives. Looking back, the Tom Hanks installment a few weeks before the 2016 Presidential election might be the most well-known, and it is already hard to forget the recent Eddie Murphy version anchored by the return of Velvet Jones, but the first one from 2014 is still a revelation.

Written by Bryan Tucker and Michael Che, “Black Jeopardy” came during a time when SNL was being criticized for a lack of diversity, and nothing proved how much the show was missing jokes about “Fid’na”, “Girl, Bye”, “It Ain’t Like That” and “Who’s Try’na” than this amazing game show. Read the full oral history on “the sketch that always plays hot” at Vulture.

'Press Conference' / 'Democratic Presidential Debate' (TIE)

Original Air Dates: 2/4/17 and 10/17/15

Title: “Press Conference” (Melissa McCarty debuts Sean Spicer impression)
Type: Sketch
Episode: Kristen Stewart/Alessia Cara –

While making us laugh at Donald Trump has proven difficult for SNL, exaggerating the characteristics of his cabinet members is a completely different story. When Melissa McCarthy introduced her Sean Spicer impression in February 2017, it was the funniest SNL‘s political humor had been since the Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush sketches.

McCarthy portrayed Spicer on four separate occasions between February and May 2017, before the actual Spicer inevitably moved on from the White House. Aidy Bryant was also fantastic as Spicer’s replacement, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but there will never be a Press Secretary quite like McCarthy’s take.

Title: “Democratic Presidential Debate” (Larry David debuts Bernie Sanders impression)
Type: Cold Opening
Episode: Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

In terms of which politicians were seemingly gift wrapped for SNL, the list ends in a two-way tie: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Larry David as Bernie Sanders.

Unfortunately for Fey, Palin’s time was one short-lived election cycle. While that didn’t stop Fey from trotting out Palin as recently as 2018, the advantage seems to lie with Larry David. With Bernie still in the spotlight four years after the impression debuted, David has at least another year to riff on Bernie’s increasingly evolving platform as he takes aim at Trump in 2020. Can’t wait to laugh the whole way.

'Totino's Super Bowl Activity Pack for Women!'

Original Air Date: 1/31/15

Type: Commercial Parody
Episode: J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo

Initially feeling like a one-off Super Bowl commercial parody, Vanessa Bayer slowly pushed her annual Totino’s installments into the deep end of dark humor.

The first one largely plays it safe, yet still managed to set up an entire universe for Bayer to evolve without us even knowing it. The second one started off familiar enough, before ending in a black-eyed X-Files fever nightmare. Host Kristen Stewart, however, helped take it to the extreme in 2017 when the premise was once again reimagined – this time as a steamy foreign film. Anything for my hungry guys!

'Diner Lobster'

Original Air Date: 4/14/18

Type: Sketch
Episode: John Mulaney/Jack White –

What can be written about 2018’s “Diner Lobster” that hasn’t already been written? Originally drafted in 2010 by John Mulaney and Colin Jost, this sketch laid buried until Mulaney returned to host eight years later. The rest is history.

A sequel of sorts, “Bodega Bathroom,” was attempted in 2019. This sketch was just as elaborate, but still missed that special something from “Diner Lobster.” Proof that magic doesn’t always work a second time.

'What Up With That?'

Original Air Date: 12/15/12

Type: Sketch
Episode: Martin Short/Paul McCartney

The first What Up With That? aired early in the 2009-2010 season with host Gerard Butler, and it was an immediate shot of energy into Kenan Thompson’s then six-year-old SNL career.

Diondre Cole became a classic SNL character seemingly overnight, and Thompson revisited the sketch liberally during the next three seasons, before giving it a graceful send off in 2012. And just like the final installment of Will Forte’s “The Falconer” in 2006, Thompson brought out as much SNL and celebrity power as possible for the send-off. Not only was host Martin Short involved, but Carrie Brownstein and Samuel L. Jackson were there to pay their last respects as well. This was, of course, in addition to the nine cast members who also appeared in the sketch.

Kenan is good about keeping things retired, but when he does eventually move on from SNL, it would be fitting if he dusted this one off again.

Watch the final (?) installment of "What Up With That?" on NBC.com

'The Californians'

Original Air Date: 4/4/12

Type: Sketch
Episode: John Brolin/Gotye –

Was there a sketch more divisive this past decade than The Californians? Some say it was a hilarious look at LA, my boss at work hates it, and others on Reddit simply can’t make up their minds.

No matter where you fall, and because the sketch was beaten to death (six appearances in 11 months after its initial debut), anyone with even a passing knowledge of SNL can quote it. So much has been written about The Californians, but the best is probably this 2016 piece from Bustle. Read up Stewart!

'Close Encounter'

Original Air Date: 12/5/15

Type: Sketch
Episode: Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

Every decade seems to have a sketch remembered not only for its humor, but the universal character breaking as well. The 1990s had the introduction of Matt Foley. The 2000s gave us Debbie Downer. Etc.

This time around, we have Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong sharing alien abduction stories. Gosling and Strong had seemingly straight forward experiences, but once McKinnon’s Colleen Rafferty starts breaking down her experiences with the “the top brass,” nobody can hide the laughter.

McKinnon has brought bake Rafferty five additional times with hosts ranging from Brie Larson to Liev Schreiber, but just like the Rachel Dratch’s subsequent Debbie Downers, nothing tops the original.

'Haunted Elevator (featuring David S. Pumpkins)'

Original Air Date: 10/22/16

Type: Sketch
Episode: Tom Hanks/Lady Gaga

It has been four years and I still can’t explain the popularity of David S. Pumpkins. The sketch itself is a retread of the previous season’s Kevin Roberts, but taken to a new extreme due to the Halloween setting and an over the top performance by Tom Hanks. He even received his own primetime animated special in 2017, because, um, the Pumpkins lore needed expanding? And to think, Hanks nearly insisted the role be passed to Chris Hemsworth! Any questions?

'Stefon'

Original Air Date: 4/24/10

Type: Weekend Update Segment
Episode: Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT

Technically, Stefon made his debut in a 2008 one-off sketch as a character pitching a movie. He was then shelved until April 2010 where he was reimagined as Weekend Update’s City Correspondent. The move was an instant success.

Created by Bill Hader and John Mulaney, no character broke as much – or through to the mainstream – like Stefon. Hader has portrayed Stefon 21 times to date, and there is little doubt we’ve seen him for the last time. And don’t forget, it was revealed in 2011 that David Bowie is Stefon’s Father. Not bad for a guy who lives in a trash can outside of Radio Shack.

Jason Nummer still wonders what a second SNL season with Brooks Wheelan would have been like. You can follow him on Twitter at @jrnummer.

Watch the Weekend Update debut of Stefon on NBC.com