“Saturday Night Live” returns for Season 45 this weekend, without Leslie Jones, but with two new (it was going to be three) new additions in Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman. Woody Harrelson and Billie Eilish will be the host and musical guest, respectively. To get you ready, here are the best sketches from last year, ranked in no particular order.
Emergency Alert
We found out the only way to get people to throw away their iPhones is to receive increasingly-unhinged alerts coming from President Trump. Watch it here.
Opera Man Returns
It was never a question of if Adam Sandler would revive an old character when he made his long-awaited hosting debut, but which one. Watch it here.
R. Kelly Interview
Kenan Thompson’s R. Kelly was upset that Gayle King (Leslie Jones) asked him real questions regarding the Lifetime docuseries. Which wasn’t really that different from the real thing. Watch the video here.
The Actress
Emma Stone plays an actress who really commits. Even if it’s for the “third person” in an adult film. Watch it here.
Steve Martin Shows Up as Roger Stone
“SNL” brought out a bunch of high-profile actors this season to lampoon political figures (more on that below), but the most surprising was Steve Martin’s turn as Roger Stone. Watch it here.
Future Self
Sandra Oh elevates what would otherwise be a one-note sketch about a teenager seeing his future self with a very questionable choice in women. Watch it here.
It’s a Wonderful Trump
One of Alec Baldwin’s better appearances as Donald Trump was an “It’s a Wonderful Life” parody, which showed how much better everyone would be if Trump weren’t president. Watch it here.
The Impossible Hulk
Move over Mark Ruffalo. Idris Elba’s Bruce Banner turns into an “emboldened white lady” when he gets angry. Frankly, it’s much scarier. Watch it here.
Bodega Bathroom
John Mulaney followed up last season’s fantastic “Diner Lobster” with another taboo: A New Yorker asking to use a bodega bathroom. Watch it here.
What’s That Name
The joke about not remembering the name of your buddy’s girlfriend is great. But Bill Hader’s chaos-loving game show host is better. Watch it here.
Kavanaugh Hearing (With Matt Damon)
The 44th season of “SNL” kicked off with a surprise appearance by Matt Damon as Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a parody of the SCOTUS nominee’s rants at his marathon Senate hearing. Watch it here.
Weezer
“SNL” is at it’s best when it takes simple, oddball ideas and takes them to the extreme. Leslie Jones and Matt Damon arguing over Weezer certainly fit that bill. Watch it here.
The War in Words
Mikey Day and Claire Foy play a military couple during World War I writing letters to each other. The fact that she even called it “World War I” was not a good sign. Watch it here.
House Hunters
Who wouldn’t want to live in an abandoned split level filled with Australian vampires? Watch it here.
Career Day
Adam Driver’s (extremely) old oil baron Abraham H. Parnassus gets progressively more outrageous at his son’s (Pete Davidson) career day. Watch it here.
Family Feud: Game of Thrones vs Avengers
We already miss Leslie Jones. Is it too late to get her in “Guardians of the Galaxy 3?” Watch it here.
Chris Farley Song
Adam Sandler ended his hosting stint in a decidedly un-“SNL” fashion, with a very emotional tribute to Chris Farley, his friend and former “SNL” co-star who died in 1997. Watch it here (and try not to cry).
Weekend Update: Jeanine Pirro on Her Fox News Suspension
Cecily Strong deserves some love for her constantly-great impression of Pirro and her literal spit-takes. Watch it here.
