Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
This season onSNL,it was harder than usual to pinpoint the best sketches.
No, it just felt likea lotof sketches were really average.
The premises would be strong and the execution would be there, but overall, there was a flatness.
Many sketches didnt feel like they found laughs beyond the initial concept.
So, when making this list, I tried to find sketches that, well,did.
Here are the best sketches fromSaturday Night Liveseason 43.
They all have their own special way of walking the line of ironic and committed.
Its the shows best political sketch of the year.
New Wife
There was more breaking than normal this season.
Essentially, in every episode, at least one person broke.
Its just such a big, silly swing of a sketch.
One more thing: Cecily Strong.
She is a G.D. revelation in this sketch, which she also co-wrote with James Anderson and Julio Torres.
She is in eight of the top ten sketches, three of which she co-wrote.
This isnt a coincidence.
Barbie Instagram
Not the most dynamic sketch on the list.
No one moves, and nothing really happens to the characters.
That said, the script is so tight, and the performances are so good.
Structurally, essentially once the premise starts, its all laugh lines.
And then it gets heightened that much more with each performer executing such hilarious, perfect choices.
It feels like a perfect middle point of its two writers, James Anderson and Julio Torres.
Friendos
Outside the political cold opens and Weekend Update, there werent a lot of impressions this season.
Which is a bit weird when you think of the history of the show.
Take Friendos, which in another world couldve been Migos Goes to Therapy.
Speaking of funny, this sketch is funny.
Related Stories
6.
It never got past the table read.
Natalies Rap 2
Revisiting sketches and characters, asSNLis known for doing, is sometimes frustrating to watch.
you might feel the writers wanting to improve on the previous installment and then see them inevitably fall short.
The Lonely Island, however, has a decent track record of being able to revisit and improve.
(When theSNLstaff ranked their favorite Digital Short, they chose a sequel.)
Which is to say Natalies Rap 2 is so much better than the original.
And then the prequels part: Brava!
Diner Lobster
Sometimes John Mulaney cant get over things.
The fact that there are diners that serve lobster was one such observation.
What a big, stupid sketch this is.
Just every little detail is so big and stupid.
The daughter is named Clawsette, for Gods sake.
Oh, you want the show to save the republic?
But heres a lobster with a beard singingLes Mis.
Thompson should be nominated for an Emmy for this sketch and other things he did this year.
Add Papyrus to the Julio Torres best-of.
Family Dinner
Escalation is sort of sketch-writing 101.
There were many strong hosts this season, but few felt like they elevated material like Sterling K. Brown.
Sitcom Reboot is a pretty clear example of this.
There arent any rules about these things, just orthodoxies.
The problem, however, is then you have half of a sketch (the first half!)
that is completely laugh-less.
80s Music Video, written by Cecily Strong with James Anderson and Kent Sublette, doesnt have that problem.
As a result, there are just so many different things to enjoy about the sketch.
Not to mention, when you learn itsbased on a real video, there is an added level.
Its ambitious, but the ambition only accentuates the jokes.
Its the best sketch of the season.
And all three performers deserve to be nominated for an Emmy.
Not just for this sketch the Emmys doesnt do that you know, just generally.
