At the top of host Amy Poehler’s SNL monologue, she pointed out that the show had debuted exactly 50 years ago, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 1975. Since that milestone has already yielded four specials, including Questlove’s and Oz Rodriguez mostly superb Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music (a must-see for its thrilling opening, a visual DJ mix of performance clips), the show indulged nostalgia of more recent vintage. Poehler — hosting for her third time and appearing in almost every sketch — brought out her bestie Tina Fey and Weekend Update co-anchor Seth Meyers, who are most closely associated with the 2000-2006 seasons.
If there was a nod to SNL’s first decade, it was Role Model’s snake-hipped, butt-waggling performance of “Sally When the Wine Runs Out,” a country-laced pop confection laced with ‘70s AM radio vibes. Decked out in sparkly elephant bells and a body-hugging knit shirt, Role Model himself could have been performing it on The Sonny & Cher Show or, given the hayloft set, Hee-Haw. (Not a diss — the musical guests on Hee-Haw knew how to kick it.) Charli XCX’s dance cameo brought things back to the present, though her throwback Max’s Kansas City t-shirt kept the ‘70s vibe going. A clap back at Taylor Swift’s “Actually Romantic”? You’ll find that addressed elsewhere.
Overall, the show was not one for the time capsule, as the great Joe Franklin used to say. There were some big laughs — Colin Jost deep faked into the much-seen video of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein sharing a laugh was a beautiful thing — but plenty of sketches felt heavy-handed. There’s always next week, as Season 51 continues with Sabrina Carpenter doing double duty as host and musical guest.
Until then, here’s a ranking of the Oct. 11 sketches from worst to best.
