Top 10 Saturday Night Live skits from 2019: From Adam Sandler's return after 24 years to Emma Stone's dedicated actress
With just a few days left in the year, it's time to look at some of the best sketches that 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL) put up this year across seasons 44 and 45 and end the year on a high note. With big names such as Idris Elba, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Adam Sandler who returned to the NBC comedy sketch show after 24 years, here are some of our favorite sketches from SNL in 2019:
Adam Sandler's tribute to Chris Farley
When Adam Sandler returned to SNL 24 years after he was fired from the show, fans were excited to see what sketches he would come up with. His Opera Man sketch about being fired cracked fans up, but it was his musical tribute to his former fellow cast member, Chris Farley, that left an impression on their minds. Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997, two years after the end of his SNL stint.
In the song, Sandler shared some personal moments as well as references some of Farley's most remembered roles such as motivational speaker Matt Foley, "Gap Girls" and "Lunch Lady Land".
David Harbour's 'Joker' parody
David Harbour's appearance as host on SNL for the first time was filled with some delightful sketches -- none more so that the digital short trailer, 'Grouch', as a parody of one of the biggest hits of 2019, 'Joker'.
The parody trailer focuses on one of 'Sesame Street's' most popular characters, Oscar the Grouch (Harbour), with appearances from other characters such as Big Bird, the Count, Elmo, Bert, and Ernie.
The sketch is wonderfully twisted and you may never look at 'Sesame Street' the same way again.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's 'Love Island' parody
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has had a phenomenal year with 'Fleabag' -- for which she won multiple Emmy awards this year. She also hosted SNL for the first time. Though the episode was average, it was the 'Love Island' parody sketch that truly won the night.
The sketch made fun of the trashy UK-original reality show which also has a US-spinoff, especially pointing at its "characters" as well as the unsexy British accents.
Emma Thompson's 'Etiquette Lessons'
Royalty never dies and its truer in 2019 with the release of the third season of 'The Crown' and the birth of Duchess Meghan Markle's and Prince Harry's baby. And with that premise, one of the best sketches this year is Leslie Jones taking etiquette lessons from Emma Thompson's character before she meets the royal family.
It's one of Jones's silliest sketches that work so well and will have you bawling with laughter.
Idris Elba's 'The Impossible Hulk'
One wouldn't think that Idris Elba would need to Hulk out, but to deal with the store cashier, he needs to bring his inner white woman out, resulting in an incredible sketch called 'The Impossible Hulk'.
Cecily Strong is brilliant as the "emboldened white lady" -- as she is otherwise also. You wouldn't want to put up against this white lady any day.
'Us' parodying Discover Card Commercial
The sketch, featuring Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim, during Sandra Oh's episode, is a parody of 'Us' as it makes fun of Discover Card's relatable customer service. As Nwodim's character calls up the customer service to talk about some unauthorized charges, she speaks to a woman who looks very much like her.
Can a comedy sketch be funny and horrifying at the same time? Turns out it can.
Don Cheadle's 'Lollipop' Bar Fight
As Don Cheadle's character might tell you, it is pretty hard to have a bar fight with Mika's 'Lollipop' playing in the background. Featuring Cheadle and Beck Bennett, the sketch features their characters preparing to have a fight, only to be thwarted when they find themselves moving to the grooves of the popular song.
By the end of the sketch, you might be bopping along too, and good luck getting the song out of your head for the rest of the day!
Emma Stone's 'The Actress'
Emma Stone is an Academy Award-winning actress, but her turn as "the Actress" in the SNL sketch surely deserves some wins of its own. The Actress is very serious and though her role may be a tiny one in gay adult film, she is committed to the fullest.
James McAvoy's 'Scottish Air Traffic Controller'
Not many may remember that James McAvoy is Scottish because of his wonderful command of other accents. But this SNL sketch gets McAvoy to double down on his Scottishness as he plays an air traffic controller guiding Kylie Jenner's team to land their aircraft.
John Mulaney's 'What's That Name?'
John Mulaney might have been hosting this episode of SNL but the star of the episode was Bill Hader, who returned to the show for his part as the game show host of 'What's that Name'. In the sketch, Hader's characters first show the contestants photos of sometimes-obscure celebrities asking them to identify these photos. However, later, he brings on people from the contestants' lives, asking them for their names.