This past weekend’s season finale of Saturday Night Live marked the end of an era for the sketch comedy show. We said goodbye to longtime cast members Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle Mooney, but not before getting a proper sendoff for some of their most iconic characters and a heartfelt thank you from Davidson to SNL showrunner, Lorne Michaels.
While I’m still mourning the loss of some of my favorite players, there were many sketches in Saturday Night Live Season 47 that made me laugh out loud, and it’s time to rank the best sketches among them. To keep this list to ten, we’re sticking with one sketch per episode and leaving out Weekend Update guests. Here we go!
Honorable Mentions
Before we reveal the complete list, here are some of the honorable mentions, starting with Sarah Sherman’s portrayal of Lizzo’s grandpa, who also happens to be the Six Flags guy.
Other top sketches that barely missed the cut include Rami Malek and Pete Davidson’s Squid Game song and the Thanksgiving Target commercial.
10. “Monkey Trial”
Saturday Night Live welcomed John Mulaney back with open arms when the former SNL writer hosted for the fifth time this past season. After his monologue, we jump right into the first sketch: “Monkey Trial.”
If you can’t tell by the name, the sketch is a courtroom scene where the plaintiff is suing the defendant for being attacked by their pet monkey — except the judge is a monkey as well. The only way to win this trial is to please the judge, by offering cake, communicating with him in monkey-approved sign language, and letting him know he’s the alpha.
John Mulaney has written and starred in a number of show-stopping sketches during his time working on and hosting at SNL, but this sketch cracks the top ten thanks to committed and hilarious performances by Mulaney and Cecily Strong.
9. “Old Enough! Long Term Boyfriends”
In one of the final episodes of the season, Selena Gomez hosted and took part in this ridiculous sketch inspired by Old Enough!, the Japanese TV series where toddlers attempt to run errands on their own. But there’s a twist: this time, long-term boyfriends have to run the errands.
Armed with a caution flag, water bottle, and “I’m On An Errand for my Girlfriend” name tag, Mikey Day’s character ventures out to Sephora and the grocery store, and even meets another long-term boyfriend (Kenan Thompson) running errands on the way.
He doesn’t actually buy any of the things his girlfriend asked for, but at least he tried! This sketch makes the top ten because it hits so close to home.
8. Please Don’t Destroy - “We Got Her A Cat”
During Zoe Kravitz’ hosting gig after the premiere of The Batman, the Please Don’t Destroy guys (Martin, John, and Ben) decide to gift Cat Woman with a woman cat. It’s their thing, okay? They also got Ant-Man a man ant.
It’s a really great gift, but they just can’t keep track of that damn cat! Kravitz and the guys tear up their office to find the cat, instead finding a stupid dog and Paul Dano. This sketch makes the top ten, earning bonus points for making absolutely no sense and including a talented cat actress.
7. “Parent-Teacher Conference”
Viewers got a taste of 2010’s SNL when Ted Lasso star and SNL alum Jason Sudeikis returned to host for the first time in 2021. The premise of this sketch is a parent-teacher conference with way too much sexual tension between the teacher and the mother of the student.
Kyle Mooney costars in this one as the flustered husband who can really only watch as his wife becomes more and more enamored with their son’s teacher.
Ego Nwodim and Jason Sudeikis’ chemistry is great in this sketch, which is why “Parent-Teacher Conference” just beats out "Mellen” (male Ellen) for the best sketch of the episode.
6. “New Military Weapon”
One of the many talented hosts of season 47 of SNL was Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, who starred in this sketch about the newest technological advances in military weaponry: Dog Head Man. The “weapon” is a man with the head of a dog, and he can sniff out predators better than any human soldier. Don’t worry about where they got the supplies.
Okay, so it’s not the first time we’ve seen the dog-with-human-hands bit. But I can’t resist this one, in particular, because the golden retriever playing Dog Head Man has some ideas of his own about how the sketch should go (like prioritizing finishing the bologna sandwich that was dropped on the floor).
The entire cast breaks, but I can’t even blame them, so this sketch lands at number six on the list. The dog even gets a little kiss on the head from Mikey Day at the end of the sketch.
5. “Homegoods”
While Paul Rudd’s fifth hosting gig was completely stripped down thanks to a Covid outbreak among the cast and crew, one of the pre-recorded sketches for the episode still managed to be one of the funniest of the season.
Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon star in this Homegoods commercial as two older ladies discussing what they want for Christmas, but what they really want can’t be bought at Homegoods: Grandchildren.
The pair are fixated on wanting grandchildren, ultimately even convincing the director of the commercial (Paul Rudd) that he wants grandchildren, too. It’s funny because it’s true, as all childless adults with baby-crazy parents will tell you.
4. Please Don’t Destroy - “Martin’s Friend”
This Please Don’t Destroy sketch starts with the guys just hanging out in their office, but there’s something a little off about Martin’s new friend Connor.
Connor might only be ten years old, but he’s really cool. He even saves John’s life and successfully pitches Update jokes to Colin Jost.
I love the goofy banter between the internet stars-turned-writers of Please Don’t Destroy, combined with the absurdity that always ensues in their video shorts. Now, let’s all go to the club and drink some Hennessy.
3. “The People’s Kourt”
Ah, my favorite episode of the season — hosted by Kim Kardashian. Despite the Jasmine and Aladdin sketch that may or may not have marked the first kiss between Kim and now-boyfriend Pete Davidson, my favorite sketch of the episode was “The People’s Kourt,” in which Kim does an impression of her sister Kourtney Kardashian, presiding over her family and friends’ litigations.
“The People’s Kourt” includes cameos from Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, with Mikey Day playing Kourtney’s boo Travis Barker. Judge Kourtney even gives us this line:
Will you drum "All the Small Things" on my ass when we get home?
Kim took full advantage of her hosting gig to shade her famous family (all in good fun), but no joke is more spot on than her portrayal of Kourtney and Travis’ over-the-top PDA, which is why this sketch makes the Top 3.
2. "Business Garden Inn & Suites & Hotel Room Inn"
The chemistry between double-duty host and musical guest Billie Eilish and cast member Kate McKinnon was palpable during their sketches, but the best example of this was during the “Business Garden Inn & Suites & Hotel Room Inn” sketch.
The Hotel offers only the most bare essentials, from Band-Aid colored blankets and a padlocked yogurt fridge, to a little hair dryer that goes “ooooo.”
While Eilish's Tik Tok Nurse and Jazzy Santa sketches are top contenders, “Business Garden Inn & Suites & Hotel Room Inn” captures just the right amount of dry humor to land as the second best sketch of the season. Bonus points for making Eilish break character. You wanted yogurt? Wake up at four, bitch.
1. “Man Park”
And now, my favorite sketch of Saturday Night Live Season 47: “Man Park.”
It’s really hard for men to find friends these days, which is why they created Man Park! It’s a dog park, but for men instead of dogs.
Rather than unload all their emotions and inner-most thoughts onto their girlfriends, men can now go to the Man Park to socialize with other men just like them through activities like drinking IPA and singing “Mr. Brightside.” For example, Kyle Mooney’s character is able to break out of his shell and make friends simply by approaching a group of dudes and asking, “Marvel?”
This sketch is so funny it edges out the Please Don’t Destroy sketch “Three Sad Virgins” (featuring Taylor Swift) from the same episode, earning the number one spot on our list.
Next time you hear someone say SNL hasn’t been funny since the eighties, tell them to head over to the Man Park and tell it to someone who cares. Sure, Saturday Night Live has evolved over the years, but the magic of live comedy is still present in the sketches today.
Sorry, was that too sappy? I just really love Saturday Night Live.
Episodes of Saturday Night Live Season 47 are included with your Hulu subscription. Or, watch them on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
