![snl snl](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/snl-6684354daeba0.png?crop=0.5xw:1xh;center,top&resize=640:*)
50 Best Saturday Night Live! Sketches of All Time
Papyrus! Cowbell! Head Wound Harry! They're all here—plus quite a few that you wouldn't expect.
What constitutes a great Saturday Night Live! sketch? The question is more complicated than it seems. Besides the obvious issue of subjectivity—I’m sorry, but I just don’t think "Opera Man" is funny—there are several SNL-specific issues we have to think through before we pick favorites. For instance, what’s the difference between great characters and great sketches, or are they synonymous? I love Tracy Morgan’s lip-glossed embodiment of the idiosyncratic zookeeper, Brian Fellows, as well as Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s Spartan cheerleaders. But did either of those characters produce one of SNL’s best sketches? I’m not so sure.
And what about "Weekend Update" desk segments? Do those count as sketches? Well, as an official member of Esquire’s divisive Pete Davidson fan club, it's my duty to include them. Also, I've decided to include digital shorts, commercials, and all things pre-taped because. If I didn’t, this list would end in 2003 and Esquire would call it "50 Times Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell were Hilarious on Live Television on Saturday Night." Finally, are cold opens sketches? Sure, why the hell not? Now that we’ve determined what a sketch is, let’s establish what makes one exceptional. To be clear, funniness is not the only factor that matters. Legacy counts, too. How well has the sketch held up over time? Do people still quote it? What about its impact? Did it change the culture of the show? The culture of America? The way we view a certain celebrity or politician? Here’s the other criteria I came up with:
Originality: The more out there a sketch is, the better. Translated: less reliance on game-show formats. The obvious exception is every "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch ever.
Breaking: Everybody loves it when cast members break out laughing during a sketch. But just because Jimmy Fallon can’t keep his shit together doesn’t mean it’s a quality sketch. This is a serious list, which means sketches that produced cheap laughs from mishaps, cast mistakes, or Christopher Walken’s insane way of reading cue cards, will be limited.
So let’s get on with the reason we are all gathered here today: Esquire’s definitive list of the 50 Best SNL sketches of all time. It's the “Matt Foley Motivational Speaker” of Best SNL Sketches listicles, if you will. And if you’ve got a problem with that reference, I look forward to not reading the opinion you shared with me in the comments section.
Watch Next
![Video player poster image preview for HDM All sections playlist - Esquire](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/897568cd-8234-4b62-8385-f3179645fbf6/thumb_1920x1080_00002_1687383805_97140.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=1200:*)
![Keri Russell, The Diplomat keri russell, the diplomat](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-diplomat-keri-russell-64464b349cec6.jpg?crop=0.507xw:0.760xh;0.377xw,0.0701xh&resize=360:*)
‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 Finally Has a Release Date
![the umbrella academy the umbrella academy](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-umbrella-academy-n-s4-e4-00-41-40-07r-66b4f25f53a0f.jpg?crop=0.421xw:1.00xh;0.234xw,0&resize=360:*)
Is ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Actually Ending?
![Paramount+ UK Launch - Arrivals paramount uk launch arrivals](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/michelle-pfeiffer-arrives-at-the-paramount-uk-launch-at-news-photo-1723127378.jpg?crop=0.471xw:0.707xh;0.364xw,0.0120xh&resize=360:*)
“Yellowstone” Sequel Series: Everything We Know
![mr throwback mr throwback episode 101 pictured l r adam pally as danny, stephen curry as himself photo by david moirpeacock mr throwback mr throwback episode 101 pictured l r adam pally as danny, stephen curry as himself photo by david moirpeacock](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/nup-204414-01839-66b3d8792ced9.jpg?crop=0.463xw:0.693xh;0.511xw,0.0264xh&resize=360:*)
Steph Curry’s ‘Mr. Throwback’ Is Actually Great