the best snl sketch from each episode of season 49

yayyy nerd time :)

i’m bad at writing ledes, so should i just get into it? this is the best snl sketch (IN MY OPINION) from each episode of season 49. not counting update, but might include some honorable mentions to it.

pete davidson/ice spice: fox nfl sunday

the most important thing in comedy is timing, and this episode is no exception in that. it came out RIGHT at the peak of the whole “i’m watching the nfl for taylor swift” craze, and it wraps with a nice travis kelce cameo. and while it’s about swifties, it doesn’t necessarily punch down. it’s clear from the references in the script and in pete’s costume that the writers did their research, so the whole thing just comes from a place of love.

bad bunny/bad bunny: the age of discovery

to my knowledge, i don’t think there’s been an all-spanish sketch on snl. so this one already stands out. it’s commendable spending a whole week doing comedy sketches in a second language, but letting him naturally be funny in his native tongue lets his comedy skills shine.

nate bargatze/foo fighters: airplane

honestly? the bargatze episode is pretty damn solid. fun sketches all around. it’s pretty easy to award this one to the most-watched sketch, “washington’s dream”, which definitely deserves it because it’s so smart and funny (love you streeter seidell <3), but i feel like “airplane” is the somewhat overlooked younger sibling of “washington’s dream.” plus, i am ridiculously obsessed with how mikey delivers “the autopilot, dumbass.”

timothee chalamet/boygenius: little orphan cassidy

WHAT A BREAKOUT SKETCH FOR CHLOE TROAST. her voice is angelic (even when she’s trying to put on that “haha funny bad singing” voice at the beginning), and the whole thing is pretty damn good. i personally think that mikey’s character could’ve been cut, but hey, to each their own.

jason momoa/tate mcrae: please don’t destroy- ramen order

first please don’t destroy mention!! (🥳)

it’s always a good time when you hear “a film by please don’t destroy” in the intros. i’m absolutely in love with these sketches, and the dramatic irony (oooh, someone paid attention in english class!) makes this sketch shine. plus, the details always heighten a please don’t destroy video, and martin flashing john’s blockbuster card to the camera is no exception.

emma stone/noah kahan: make your own kind of music

this is just one of those weirdly niche sketches that is written for a very specific audience of like, two people. regardless, it still works in making the whole audience laugh, even if some parts get a bit over-the-top.

adam driver/olivia rodrigo: airplane baby

i’m a d1 “baby on plane” hater, but this sketch gave me a nice insight into what babies on planes are thinking. i still despise them though.

adam driver CONSTANTLY just commits as hard as he can when he hosts on snl, regardless of the sketch (the oil baron from his second (?) time hosting immediately comes to mind), and this is no exception. the whole baby bit, even though it feels VERY spencer-from-icarly-esque, works partly because of how straight he plays it.

also, it’s always fun hearing adam driver deadpan yell “POOKIE”.

but alas, like many snl sketches, this one’s ending just feels a little forced. :(

honorable mention: olivia rodrigo’s “all american bitch” performance

i’m not the biggest olivia rodrigo fan (what are they even called?), but that might change with her “all american bitch” performance. her vocals are so clean, and the staging with the cake and lighting is just beautiful.

“blah blah blah it’s not technically a sketch” SHUT UPPPP. SHUT UP.

kate mckinnon/billie eilish: yankee swap

classic bait and switch. this whole sketch hinges on the timing of “just gonna swap this out for that boogie-woogie santa” and who better to do it than the master of comedic timing, kenan?

honorable mention: christmas joke swap 2023

it’s about damn time jost won a joke swap. kind of a shame che beat him in the finale.

jacob elordi/renee rapp: crown your short king

i think every sketch this night was some variation of “jacob elordi is tall” or “jacob elordi is hot.” which, like, yeah, but also…give us some more, you know? of those sketches, though, i think i like this one the best. but like, bar is kinda in hell.

dakota johnson/justin timberlake: please don’t destroy- roast

maybe the best please don’t destroy of the whole season? it’s so self aware and i don’t think they’ve ever mentioned the whole “nepo baby” thing until now, so i screamed just as loud as that one person in the audience did when they brought it up.

ayo edebiri/jennifer lopez: drugs on campus

i’m a very big fan of the “erm actually ☝️🤓” energy ayo brings to this. and again, she will commit to the goddamn bit.

honorable mention: why’d you say it

guys again i LOVE self-aware humor. in the back of everyone’s mind, people were wondering how snl would handle ayo’s comments about j-lo a few years ago on some podcast, and her rant at the end of this sketch is a perfect way to handle it.

shane gillis/21 savage: hr meeting

honestly i was pretty apprehensive about this whole episode going into it, but it wasn’t a dumpster fire, so i guess that’s a good thing. i’m a fan of this sketch, though, probably because of how straight gillis plays it. or because the writing is funny. or both.

honorary mention: trump sneakers

i’ve always heard good things about gillis’s trump impression, and i saw that one tiktok clip from a show of his where he explains how to do it, but hearing it again just really impressed me. and comparing jaj’s and gillis’s trump side-by-side, you can kind of pick up on little details that set the two apart. this is just to say that i think impressions are neat and also hard and anyone who can do a good impression is a god.

sydney sweeney/kacey musgraves: airbnb design commercial

this episode just felt very forgettable for me, mainly because it falls into the jacob elordi problem of “every other sketch is about how sydney sweeney is very hot.” “airbnb design commercial” was cute, though. i think snl is good with pop culture timing when they just kinda nod to culture in their sketches, like with this quick mention of the wonka glasgow experience.

josh brolin/ariana grande: lisa from temecula (sports bar)

i absolutely love lisa from temecula, mainly because it just feels like a modern day debbie downer. no matter how many times this sketch is done, it feels like everyone immediately breaks except for ego, which is just a testament to her professionalism and commitment to the bit.

bowen losing it when ego said “negrodivergent” is easily the cherry on top of this sketch.

ramy youssef/travis scott: monologue

“mimimi but maggie the monologue isn’t technically a sketch—” shut up. shut up.

i hadn’t really heard of ramy before this episode (i only knew him from his role in poor things (2023)), but hey, this was a solid stand-up monologue. it had the perfect mix of humor and heart, and it definitely made me want to find more of his stuff.

kristen wiig/raye: jumanji

i feel like it’s becoming slightly obvious what style of snl sketches appeals to me (aka the “one guy commits very hard” style.) andrew dismukes screaming about the logistics of getting “jumanji-ed” with a total straight face is the highlight of the episode. plus, the dialogue flows more naturally than other snl sketches. minus like a half point for the weird ending but i feel like all snl sketches kinda are bound to have bad endings

honorable mention: monologue

i think i screamed so loud when i saw ryan gosling that i actually woke my mom up. whoops!

ryan gosling/chris stapleton: beavis and butthead

yeah, we knew this would be the gosling highlight. i feel like every good thing about this sketch has already been said, but i’ll chime in with this: snl tried this premise before with an anti-bullying bart simpson sketch a few years ago, and this time it actually works because the hair/makeup is just so much more realistic. so it actually makes sense that they could conceivably get mistaken for beavis and butthead.

honorable mention: get that boy back

i don’t know, man. i guess i just support women’s rights and their wrongs. (i’m 6’0 btw)

dua lipa/dua lipa: teeny tiny statement pin

hilarious commentary on celebrities. but also, very underrated part of snl sketches, can we talk about the sets and costumes?? holy shit.

maya rudolph/vampire weekend: monologue

a BEAUTIFUL homage to queer ballroom culture. mother was TRULY mothering.

honorable mention: cold open

i always love these mothers day cold opens where they bring in the actual cast members’ parents to do a one-liner. it’s very sweet and wholesome.

jake gyllenhaal/sabrina carpenter: monologue

my god, gyllenhaal has PIPES.

honorable mention: nypd press conference

yep, another “this is for a niche audience” sketch, but i’m happy to report that I AM IN THIS AUDIENCE!! huzzah. “nypd press conference” is a funny take on the very sad “steve buscemi got punched” news, and i liked going “hey i know that dude!” to every name they dropped.