Going into the 40-year anniversary special of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, we all knew that some of the best sketches from the series run would be brought back to life in some incredibly awesome ways. But, when the special came towards the end, everyone was surprised to see their favorite two metalheads, Wayne and Garth take the stage. Watch as Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their classic characters and pay tribute to the decades of SNL success.
The kooky recurring characters that spawned into feature length films and pop culture icons are one of the prime examples of SNL’s long-standing effects on comedy. The first time the now iconic opening theme song “Wayne’s World! Wayne’s World! Party time! Excellent!” was sung by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey it was 1988 and only the 13th episode of the sketch comedy show (which by the way is now on episode 780 for comparison). The sketch had evolved from Myer’s segment entitled “Wayne’s Power Minute” on the CBC series It’s Only Rock & Roll in 1987, and the actor recreated the character on SNL and Wayne would end up doing his public-access TV program live from his parents basement on over 20 episodes of SNL. The role was reprised during the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, reunited on a 2011 SNL cold open and spawned into two feature films in the early 90s.
Everyone knows Wayne and Garth, so it was only natural that they be the ones to list off the the reasons why SNL rules, in their “Top Ten Things About SNL” special. And while still rocking the sweet metalhead lingo, the two listed off their top 10, which included a slew of modern references, because obviously with Kanye in the crowd, it’s prime material this week to throw the artist under the bus for his ridiculous ‘joke’ at the Grammy’s. And thank you Garth who added: “I think Beck was one of the best, even better than Beyonce,” while listing off musical guests as one of the top ten things about the show. And of course, the list included the catchphrases, the satire, the opening credits, aftershow orgies and more. But it played special tribute to show creator, Lorne Michaels who Wayne and Garth took opportunity to mock with fake glasses of wine in hand.
The special was filled with terrific reprisals of our favorite sketches including “The Californians” (featuring a make out session between Bradley Cooper and Betty White), a star-studded “Celebrity Jeopardy” and even an epicly hysterical weekend update. But, above all else, the special proved how important SNL is to us fans, and that the characters created on the show will bring us laughs for years to come.
