Kristen Wiig returns to “SNL”: Her 5 best sketches

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:07:00 +0000

Kristen Wiig is back on "Saturday Night Live!" Sure, it was just for one night; but what a night it was. From the classics we know and love ("The Californians" got good again!) to some previously uncharted territory (Tarantino-levels of blood played for laughs!), a look at the very best sketches from last night.

Happy Mother's Day

What do you get for the mother who subtly undermines your life choices and talks to you about watching porn with your dad? Flowers, apparently.

The Californians

This sketch, once a favorite, has fallen flat in Wiig's absence. But with Wiig back in the driver's seat (on the 101, to the PCH, to Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande) everything is OK again.

Lawrence Welk

An ode to summer from ol' Dooneese.

“SNL” has a blue Christmas

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The specter of Sandy Hook looms heavy this weekend, but "Saturday Night Live" proves time and again that they are at their best when they have to put on a show for a grieving nation. The somber cold open, with the New York Children's Chorus singing "Silent Night," paid quiet tribute to the 26 lives lost on Friday while providing a necessary buffer for the episode that followed. It acknowledged, tastefully, how uncomfortable it can be to laugh in the wake of incomprehensible violence. But after the song finished, the screen faded to black and it was back to business as usual.

Actually, better business than usual.

SNL brought the winning combo of having a beloved alum Martin Short host the year's penultimate "SNL" (or the last one ever, if the Mayans are to be believed), and a Beatle! And the writers and cast really brought it. Alum shows tend to have a gaggle of surprise guests anyway, but with every celebrity on Earth in New York for the 12-12-12 Sandy relief concert, this one packed heavier than usual star power.

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Kristen Wiig returns to “SNL”: Her 5 best sketches

“SNL” has a blue Christmas