If you were to imagine the most-watched “Saturday Night Live” sketches of all time, certain characters would likely come to mind. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s Wayne and Garth would likely make that hypothetical list as would the Coneheads, The Blues Brothers and maybe even MacGruber. But when you actually look through the numbers of the “SNL” YouTube page, that’s not what you find.
Overall, the most watched “SNL” sketches tend to be far more modern. That’s not entirely surprising given that, in general, videos that were released after the start of the internet age tend to be more widely watched. But even though the oldest sketch on this roundup happened in Season 29, this compilation still serves as a celebration of some of the NBC show’s best performers.
Internet savvy viewers may note that a surprising name is missing from this compilation: The Lonely Island. To keep this ranking relatively fair, TheWrap only pulled videos from the official “SNL” YouTube page rather than branching out to include related pages like the Andy Samberg led trio. Just know that if videos from The Lonely Island channel were on this list, they’d occupy the first nine spots (“I Just Had Sex” to “I’m on a Boat,” baby). So without further ado, take a tour of the sketches the world can’t seem to stop watching.
1. “Porn Teacher”
Season 41
Views: 106 million
Even though Amy Schumer’s character is arguably the most fun, this 2015 sketch belongs to Aidy Bryant. After far too many double entendres, some terrible acting and fittingly grainy camera work, a porn star pretending to be a teacher (Schumer) is ready to teach her student (Kyle Mooney) a lesson. But all that sexiness disappears when Bryant enters the classroom as an actual high school student who is legitimately needs help studying. The title “Porn Teacher” may be why this sketch is the most watched, but it’s Bryant’s expertise at playing a clueless kid that makes it worth your time.
2. “Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks”
Season 42
Views: 83 million
Of course Tom Hanks is part of one of the most watched sketches of all time. When Hanks’ Doug takes the stage to play “Black Jeopardy,” the tension is palpable. But the longer the Southern, MAGA hat-wearing Doug plays, the better he does to the delight of his fellow contestants and host Darnell Hayes (Kenan Thompson). Somehow the sketch manages to turn bleak jokes like “they already decided who wins [the election] even before it happens” into a surprisingly wholesome reflection on how even the most politically opposed in America aren’t so different. At least that’s the case for a little while.
3. “Harry Potter: Hermione Growth”
Season 29
Views: 77 million
It’s the beginning of another school year at Hogwarts, and Harry (Rachel Dratch) and Ron (Seth Meyers) are excited to see their friend Hermione (Lindsay Lohan) again. But when she appears in a low cut school uniform that truly shows off all the ways she’s — er — developed, no one can keep their composure. “Hermione Growth” is really a one-joke sketch. But Lohan’s earnestness paired with dirty looks in this children’s series makes that one joke work.
4. “Spider-Man Kiss”
Season 39
Views: 73 million
You can argue over who the best Spider-Man is, but there’s no argument over the best Spider-couple. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone prove just that in this sketch from 2014. After finishing his movie’s latest scene, the director of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (Taran Killam) asks his two stars to kiss. The only problem? It’s unclear whether Garfield or Stone have ever seen a normal human kiss in their lives. Prepare for some gross mouth work and a surprise appearance from Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin.
5. “Star Wars: Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base”
Season 41
Views: 67 million
Some actors simply understand “Saturday Night Live,” and Adam Driver is one of them. In the first part of this recurring sketch, Driver’s “Star Wars” character Kylo Ren goes on the reality show “Undercover Boss” to see what his employees really think of him and how his Starkiller base operates. It doesn’t take long before his anger, intensity and obsessive questions about Kylo Ren give him away. This sketch shows of Driver’s remarkable ability to stay emotionally present and in character no matter how silly the situation.
6. “Close Encounters”
Season 41
Views: 63 million
Lorne Michaels may hate it when performers break during his sketches, but this is one of the all-time best examples of inappropriate laughter adding to a sketch. Three people — Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong and Ryan Gosling — are taken in by the U.S. government to describe their recent alien abduction. But it isn’t long before it becomes apparent that McKinnon’s abduction was a little different than theirs. Between KcKinnon feeling up Strong and flinging her cigarette around, it isn’t long before Gosling gets a case of the giggles. By the end of the sketch, nearly everyone on stage joins him.
7. “Celebrity Jeopardy! Kathie Lee, Tom Hanks, Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds”
Season 34
Views: 47 million
Will Ferrell’s “Celebrity Jeopardy” bit is so beloved it actually scored two spots on this list. This 2009 installment is simply a stellar example of the sketch; it’s not over-stuffed or overly ridiculous and every celebrity impression is solid. Kristen Wiig plays Kathie Lee Gifford, while Darrell Hammond and the late Norm Macdonald return to play Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds, respectively. But the real star of the show is Tom Hanks who plays a version of himself who’s so clueless, he doesn’t even understand Alex Trebek’s (Ferrell) “Castaway” joke.
8. “SNL40: Celebrity Jeopardy”
Season 40
Views: 47 million
The 40th anniversary “SNL” show contained one of the most overly stuffed sketches the series has ever produced. But the more manic this 2015 sketch became, the more it somehow worked, transforming into an homage to “Celebrity Jeopardy” as much as it was another installment of the long-running sketch. In addition to regulars like Ferrell, Hammond and Macdonald, the 40th version of the sketch featured Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber, Taran Killam as Christoph Waltz, Jim Carrey as Matthew McConaughey, Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett and Kenan Thompson as a regrettable Bill Cosby.
9. “New Disney Movie”
Season 40
Views: 43 million
Have you ever wanted to see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gunning down hunters while dressed like an adorable deer? Not really? Well, now you can. In the wake of “Maleficent” and “Cinderella,” “SNL” had an idea for a brand-new live action Disney movie: “Bambi” inspired by “Fast and Furious.” The ridiculous trailer had everything you could want from a too-serious adaptation, right down to Tyrese Gibson (Jay Pharoah) as Flower and Michelle Rodriguez (Strong) as “Girl Bambi.”
10. “Sean Spicer Press Conference”
Season 42
Views: 41 million
Sean Spicer may have only served as Donald Trump’s press secretary for seven months, but Melissa McCarthy made him immortal. Filled with dollies and progressively insane ways of attacking White House reporters, the sketch feels as hauntingly relevant now as it did when it originally aired eight years ago. But perhaps the greatest moment in this first sketch happens thanks to the studio audience. Shortly after McCarthy comes out, more and more waves of people can be heard launching, gasping and cheering as they realize who’s playing this Trump administration lackey.
