SummaryThe live three-hour special features appearances by Fred Armisen, Bad Bunny, Quinta Brunson, Sabrina Carpenter, Dave Chappelle, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Miley Cyrus, Pete Davidson, Robert De Niro, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Tom Hanks, Woody Harrelson, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian, Peyton Man... Read More
SNL50: The Anniversary Special
Season 1 Premiere:
Feb 16, 2025
Metascore
Generally Favorable
67
User score
Generally Favorable
6.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
60% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
40% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Feb 18, 2025
85
Really, it’s hard to imagine how “SNL50” could have gone any better as it delivered a welcome mix of comedy and music over almost 3½ hours, wrapped in a warm blanket of nostalgia (without getting sappy).
Aug 28, 2025
80
Considering the show had a lot more time to fill than a normal episode, it makes sense some bits wouldn't live up to the others, though admittedly, I found myself surprised by some of the ones that didn't work for me. .... However, the special's sketches were far more hits than misses.
Feb 18, 2025
80
This was a nearly three- and half-hour production, but it rarely lost its sense of rhythm and fun.
Feb 18, 2025
70
Modest improvements on the decade-old formula made SNL50 feel more like a variety show than an awards ceremony. The choice to favor new sketches over montages and other clips, this time, was smart.
Feb 18, 2025
60
Ultimately SNL50 was a good microcosm of Saturday Night Live as a whole. The special was in love with itself but selective about its history, and still aware enough to frequently mock its own conventions and weird institutional baggage. It also was a special dominated by one man who was rarely mentioned on camera and only seen for a brief moment at the very end.
Feb 18, 2025
50
It was a tonnage of effort and personality smushed onto the Studio 8H stage, and it all added up to something that was, well, fine? You could call it serviceable, checking nostalgia boxes while trying desperately to remain relevant to the youth of today, with more screen time for Sabrina Carpenter than Bill Murray.
Feb 18, 2025
40
Those with the staying power to make it through all three hours will meanwhile have had their reward with a memorable turn by Paul McCartney, who bashed out the bittersweet Beatles hit Carry That Weight on piano. You can’t beat a bit of Macca, and his arrival offered a welcome respite from the deluge of non-gags that had rained down like confetti at a Coldplay concert.
User score
Generally Favorable
67% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
13% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
20% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Feb 23, 2025
7
"SNL50: The Anniversary Special" wasn't as good as it could've been but it still did what they could the celebrate.
Feb 17, 2025
6
Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was mostly just looking forward to laughing - yet I didn't, or least not nearly enough .... (With the exception of Kate McKinnon's hilarious skit about alien abduction, complete with a surprise guest!) Overall, I wanted more of a sense of who each host and main player was, giving each a spotlight where we could appreciate and remember each one. Instead we got a flimsily-produced hodgepodge where you hoped to catch a moment (or a glimpse) of a recognizable face before it blended in with all the other ones. The 50th Anniversary of a beloved show deserved better.
