Saturday Night Live returns for season 39 on Sept. 28.
Last season was the final season for cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis. Armisen had been on the show since 2002, while Sudeikis and Hader had been on since 2005.
It also introduced Cecily Strong, Tim Robinson, Kate McKinnon, and Aidy Bryant. The four are set to return in season 39. The cast of SNL was a total of 14 during the season’s run. The season opened on Sept. 15, 2012 with host Seth MacFarlane and ended with Ben Affleck hosting on May 18, 2013.
Armisen had been on the show since 2002 While Sudeikis and Hader had been on since 2005.
While the season had 21 episodes, there were also two episodes of Weekend Update Thursday. In those episodes, Seth Meyers hosts what is happening in the election doing his ‘weekend update’ skit. NBC also aired the SNL Christmas special.
In season 38, Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck hosted for their fifth time and previous cast member Kristen Wiig returned to host.
Below are the top ten skits from last season. Hopefully this season will have just as many highlights.
10. Veganville; Host: Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake is an awesome host for the show. I’m going to go ahead and put that out there. He doesn’t seem to read the cue cards and seems to be totally game for anything that they throw at him. (And who doesn’t love his digital shorts with Andy Samburg?)
In Veganville, Timberlake dresses up like the mascot for a vegan restaurant. He dances and sings to songs to promote his restaurant. Every time Timberlake appears on the show, he always does some type of mascot. The Veganville sketch even included a ‘Harlem Shake’ moment.
9.Gangnam Style; Host: Seth Mac Farlane
When this sketch was performed, ‘Gangnam Style’ was at the top of its game. Psy had just come on the scene and it seemed that it was playing on the radio everywhere. SNL jumped on this in a very interesting way. Psy even made a surprise performance.
8. Justin Timberlake’s Five Timers Monologue; Host: Justin Timberlake
Since it was JT’s fifth time, his monologue, he had friends to help him out. Since Timberlake’s monologue was so long, the cast even cut the cold open to fit it all in. In the skit, Timberlake goes into a bar with the other members who have hosted more than five times. Timberlake talks to Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.
7. ’YOLO’ Digital Short; Host: Adam Levine
Since Andy Samburg has left SNL, there have been very few digital shorts that were worth mentioning. However, this music video was the highlight of Levine’s episode. The Lonely Island returned to add to the song. It really redefined YOLO and brought lots of laughs.
6. The Californians
Drama from the 405 to the 101. While another TheCelebrityCafe.com writer put this on last season’s worst skits list, he was wrong. I believe it is one of the best. It was hilarious to see the cast break character and have fun with it. The skit seemed to perfectly parody The Hills and other soap operas that have been on the air recently. As for discussing driving and silly accents, it isn’t too far off the mark for some of the citizens in Southern California.
5. Ellen; Host: Anne Hathaway
On a parody of the TV show, Hathaway rehashes her Katie Holmes impersonation. While the clip below is the first 30 seconds of the skit, it wraps up what the skit is really about. It mocks Ellen’s interview style and Holmes’ interestingly shy personality.
4. Former Porn Star Commercials
This skit showed two porn stars trying to make a name for themselves. In each of the skits, Vanessa Bayer and Strong try to make an infomercial to sell champagne. Their porn star friend (played by Timberlake) tries to assist them. This skit was one that reoccurred throughout the season but when Timberlake hosted the skit was at its best.
3. Girl You Wish You Never Started a Conversation With at a Party
Everybody knows a girl that talks too much at a party and if you don’t, you’re probably that girl. In the skit, Strong rambles about different subjects. No one understands what exactly she is talking about. She also uses her phone and yells at a friend during the interview. It is hilarious.
2. Stefon
Come on, who doesn’t love Stefon? Hader always broke character. And, throughout all of Stefon’s explanations of New York’s “hottest club.” In season 38, Stefon and Seth got married- only after Seth interrupted Stefon and Anderson Cooper’s wedding. In the clip below, Stefon is explaining one aspect of one of New York’s hottest clubs.
1. Employee Termination Call-Outs; Host: Anne Hathaway
When a McDonalds manager announces someone is going to be let go, two employees cross the line assuming they're out of a job. Bobby Monaham and Strong play Niff and Dana, telling everyone exactly how they feel. They go through all of the workers and tell them the brutal honest truth. It is everything you wish you could say but don’t. When they have finished running though all of the names, they discover that they are not the ones that got fired. Oops. This skit made the top because it is simply the funniest one all season. They even repeated the same idea with Barnes & Noble. It is pure perfection.
Which were your favorite skits and which were the worst? SNL returns on Sept. 28th with host Tina Fey.