List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches

Last updated

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live sketches, organized by the season and date in which the sketch first appeared. For an alphabetical list, see Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches (listed alphabetically).

Contents

1975–1976

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
Weekend Update October 11, 1975 Chevy Chase
Jane Curtin
Dan Aykroyd 		A satirical news segment starring that is the longest-running recurring sketch in the show's history. Like the show itself, it has seen many changes over the years and has a revolving door of anchors, including Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Charles Rocket, Gail Matthius, Brian Doyle-Murray, Mary Gross, Christine Ebersole, Brad Hall, Christopher Guest, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, Colin Quinn, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Seth Meyers, Cecily Strong, Colin Jost, and Michael Che.
The Killer BeesOctober 11, 1975First characters to recur on SNL. According to a Lorne Michaels interview for the book Live from New York, "The only note we got from the network on the first show was 'Cut the bees.' And so I made sure I put them in the next show." The bees were played by all the repertory players at the time, who wore yellow and black horizontal stripes, wings, and springy antennas. Much of the humor from these scenes came out of puns or metaphors that had to do with well-known activities and body parts of bees. The bees were a staple of the first season, appearing 11 times. However, the cast and crew quickly became tired of them, and the bees only appeared three more times during the original cast's five-year tenure.
The Land of Gorch October 11, 1975 Jim Henson
Alice Tweedie
Jerry Nelson
Fran Brill
Richard Hunt
Frank Oz 		Puppet sketch starring Jim Henson's Muppets, King Ploobis (performed by Jim Henson), Queen Peuta (performed by Alice Tweedie), Scred (performed by Jerry Nelson), Vazh (performed by Fran Brill), Wisss (performed by Richard Hunt), and the Mighty Favog (performed by Frank Oz). Lorne Michaels described the characters as the type of Muppets that can stay up late.
Land Shark November 8, 1975 Chevy Chase Chevy Chase plays a shark attempting to lure his way into a victim's home.
SherryNovember 15, 1975 Laraine Newman Laraine Newman plays Sherry, a stereotypical naive valley girl. Newman reprised the role in the 40th anniversary special as part of The Californians sketch in 2015, in which she played Karina's mother who, like Sherry, also spoke valley girl-esque.
Minute Mystery with Mike MendozaNovember 15, 1975 Dan Aykroyd Dan Aykroyd is a crime scene photographer who gives the audience a list of clues and 60 seconds to solve a mystery.
Looks at BooksNovember 15, 1975 Jane Curtin A talk show sketch hosted by Jane Curtin interviewing profound authors.
Emily Litella December 13, 1975 Gilda Radner Emily Litella was an elderly woman with a hearing problem who frequently ranted about topics about which she had misread or misheard, such as "Violins on Television," "Canker Research," "Endangered Feces," or "Presidential Erections" (to satisfy the censors at the time, Litella was made to explicitly state that she was referring to erecting statues of presidents). Her catchphrase was "Never mind!", said after she was informed of her mistake.
Saturday Night Live Samurai December 13, 1975 John Belushi John Belushi plays a samurai warrior, who speaks only (mock) Japanese, and wields a katana. He is seen in various occupations ranging from a hotel desk clerk to a tailor.
Mel's Char PalaceDecember 20, 1975 Dan Aykroyd A steakhouse commercial parody featuring Dan Aykroyd. At Mel's, customers are given a chainsaw and are invited to hunt, stun, cut and cook their own cow.
Steve BushakisJanuary 24, 1976 John Belushi A John Belushi character who hails from Chicago, named after Belushi's childhood friend.
H & L BrockJanuary 31, 1976 John Belushi As Lowell Brock, John Belushi gives reasons why he should do your taxes., "He'll take the time . . because he has the time . . because he's doing time."
Mr. Bill February 28, 1976Mr. Bill is the clay figurine star of a parody of children's shows. Mr. Bill got its start when Walter Williams sent SNL a Super 8 reel featuring the character in response to the show's request for home movies during the first season. Mr. Bill's first appearance was on the February 28, 1976 episode. Williams became a full-time writer for the show in 1978, writing more than 20 sketches based on Mr. Bill. Each Mr. Bill episode started innocently, but quickly turned dangerous for Mr. Bill. Along with his dog, Spot, he suffered various indignities inflicted by "Mr. Hands," a man seen only as a pair of hands (played by Vance DeGeneres). [1] The character's popularity spawned the 1986 live-action movie Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures .
TomorrowApril 17, 1976 Dan Aykroyd A parody of The Tomorrow Show , starring Dan Aykroyd as Tom Snyder.
Baba WawaApril 24, 1976 Gilda Radner Gilda Radner impersonates journalist Barbara Walters.
Colleen FernmanApril 24, 1976 Gilda Radner Appearing in seven sketches over five seasons, Colleen is usually non-talkative, and appears to be spaced out or in a vegetative state, and it is established in a February 24, 1979, sketch about psychiatrists that she is autistic.
Bobbi FarberJuly 31, 1976 Gilda Radner Middle-class Jewish-American with a nasal voice, who appeared in eight sketches in various settings over five seasons.

1976–1977

1977–1978

1978–1979

1979–1980

1980–1981

1981–1982

1982–1983

1983–1984

1984–1985

1985–1986

1986–1987

1987–1988

1988–1989

1989–1990

1990–1991

1991–1992

1992–1993

1993–1994

1994–1995

1995–1996

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
Get Off The Shed!September 30, 1995 Will Ferrell
David Koechner
Nancy Walls 		Ferrell plays a dad hosting a barbecue who, although friendly most of the time, threatens his kids whenever they start climbing on his shed.
Leg UpSeptember 30, 1995 Molly Shannon
Cheri Oteri 		Molly Shannon impersonates Ann Miller and Cheri Oteri impersonates Debbie Reynolds, hosting a faux show about dancers.
NightlineSeptember 30, 1995 Darrell Hammond A parody of the late-night news program Nightline , with Darrell Hammond impersonating its host Ted Koppel.
Spade in AmericaSeptember 30, 1995 David Spade David Spade's Season 21 segment where he gives his thoughts, guest interviews, and Hollywood Minute jokes. Makes up fifteen of his nineteen sketch appearances in 1995–96.
Mickey The DykeSeptember 30, 1995 Cheri Oteri
Rita DelVecchioOctober 21, 1995 Cheri Oteri Rita DelVecchio (Cheri Oteri) is a grouchy, sharp tongued, Italian-American, Brooklyn housewife. Rita hates it when the neighborhood kids' toys wind up landing in her front yard, so she claims the item for herself, saying that it's hers now, "I keep it!" and tells the kids to go away. Other times, Rita tries to one-up any of her neighbors when it comes to things like who has the best decorated front lawn on Christmas, or who has the better car, etc.
Mary Katherine Gallagher October 28, 1995 Molly Shannon Mary Katherine is a sardonic caricature of an unpopular, teenage Catholic school girl. She is prone to comically severe mood swings, alternately hyperactive and ponderous. She suffered from stage fright, but was also hyper-competitive (she once engaged in a sing-off with Whitney Houston) and egomaniacal, believing she was a "superstar". The sketch spawned in the 1999 film Superstar .
The Spartan CheerleadersNovember 11, 1995 Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri Although they did not make the East Lake High School Spartan cheerleading squad, Craig (Will Ferrell) and Arianna (Cheri Oteri) decide to cheer anyway, showing up at events where they were not wanted.
Stan HooperNovember 11, 1995 Norm Macdonald
The British FopsNovember 11, 1995 Mark McKinney and David KoechnerThe British Fops, or Lucien Callow (Mark McKinney) and Fagan (David Koechner) appeared in several episodes during SNL's 1995–1996 season. The characters first appeared on "Weekend Update" as the presidents of the Norm Macdonald fanclub, but later appeared in several other sketches, namely monologues. The Fops appeared in late restoration period clothing, and used a silly take on the period's language, mannerisms, and culture.
Joe BlowNovember 18, 1995 Colin Quinn A blue collar worker by trade, Blow came onto Weekend Update as a New York public service to deliver local news from Brooklyn, New York. Most of his "news" included family problems and neighborhood gossip. Joe Blow regularly concluded his commentary by asking anchor Norm Macdonald if he would join him for "a beer", which Macdonald (who clearly did not want to socialize with him) avoided by making up an excuse, or putting it off until a later date.
Gary MacdonaldDecember 2, 1995 David Koechner Gary Macdonald was the fictitious younger brother of anchor Norm Macdonald. He was supposed to be the funnier of the two Macdonald brothers, but was overcome by fear and froze on camera and end nearly everything he said with "no". Because of this, his commentary consisted of choppy, nervously delivered lines such as, "Hey, Janet Reno. Hey, how does that song go, '(Dude) Looks Like A Lady,' no."
The Joe Pesci ShowDecember 2, 1995 Jim Breuer This sketch starred Jim Breuer as Pesci, the host of his own late-night talk show. The heard-but-not-seen announcer was meant to be Pesci's "brother". The sketch usually began with Italian accordion music and Breuer cheerfully saying "Hey. I am Joe Pesci. I got my own show, my cameraman, and all my friends."
G-DogDecember 2, 1995 Tim Meadows A 1990s sitcom about a bald-headed, foul mouthed gangsta rapper played by Tim Meadows who usually appeared wearing only a Speedo or leather pants. He first appeared in a sketch with Teri Hatcher about a sitcom called "The Princess and the Homeboy".
Lenny the LionDecember 9, 1995Colin QuinnVisiting from the Bronx Zoo, Lenny the Lion (Colin Quinn in a lion suit) came onto Weekend Update to talk about his life problems. His accent and set of problems (including a violent father, a chaotic family situation and an addiction to tranquilizer darts) are meant to suggest an ethnic working-class man in the Bronx. Lenny always ended his rant with the line "fur is murder".
The Rocky RoadsDecember 9, 1995Will Ferrell
Tim Meadows
David Alan Grier
Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons January 13, 1996.David KoechnerT-Bones made his first major TV appearance as an executioner, hospital orderly and barber during the 1995–1996 season of Saturday Night Live , when Koechner was a cast member on the long-running comedy program. He made numerous appearances there and served as the focal point of the sketches, making sly jokes and showcasing his redneck mentality as he annoyed others around him. T-Bones became recognizable by his signature appearance of a slicked comb over, long mutton chop sideburns, tight brown T-shirt, and underbite. In the midst of making clever comments, T-Bones often reveals his utter foolishness and speaks with a hint of southern accent.
Bill Brasky January 20, 1996Will Ferrell, David Koechner, Mark McKinney and Tim MeadowsThe format of the sketches resembles the improv game "Two Describe a Third." Three or four businessmen, known as the "Bill Brasky Buddies", are crowded into the bar during a business conference, drunk on Scotch. They smoke cigars and loudly reminisce about their mutual acquaintance Bill Brasky, known for mythical, superhuman feats. The Brasky Buddies all have red cheeks, red noses, and big white teeth.
Kevin FranklinFebruary 10, 1996Tim Meadows
Suel ForresterMarch 16, 1996 Chris Kattan In each appearance by Suel Forrester he has a different occupation in which good, articulate clarity of speech is very important (a teacher, a trial attorney, an air traffic controller), yet he speaks almost entirely in unintelligible gibberish.
The Roxbury GuysMarch 23, 1996 Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell Satire of nightclubs and clubbing culture. It followed the exploits of brothers Doug and Steve Butabi (portrayed by Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell respectively), habitual clubbers dressed in rayon suits, as they attempt to pick up women on their outings. Their trademark was bobbing their heads in unison to the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway, which always played throughout the duration of each sketch. The brothers were extremely unfortunate with the women at the clubs, often gyrating against them in an attempt to get them to dance, but always causing a negative reaction. They were frequently joined by a third person, often the host, who dressed and acted in a similar fashion (notably Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, Sylvester Stallone, Martin Short, and Alec Baldwin); this character was usually credited as "Barhop". Skits starring Pamela Anderson and Cameron Diaz were also featured. The sketch spawned the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury .
Bobby CoultsmanMarch 23, 1996 Phil Hartman Sketch about an overbearing, self-obsessed acting class teacher.
Goat BoyMay 11, 1996Jim BreuerGoat Boy was a half-human half-goat hybrid SNL character who hosted the fake MTV show, "Hey, Remember the 80s?" He was played by Jim Breuer. At the outset, Goat Boy was a typical veejay-talk show host who introduced 80s video clips and guests from the era. During the sketches, he started braying and kicking and was subdued by scientists standing by with electric prods.
RolfMay 11, 1996Colin Quinn

1996–1997

1997–1998

1998–1999

1999–2000

2000–2001

2001–2002

2002–2003

2003–2004

2004–2005

2005–2006

2006–2007

2007–2008

2008–2009

2009–2010

2010–2011

2011–2012

2012–2013

2013–2014

2014–2015

2015–2016

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
Young girl interrupting porn shootsOctober 10, 2015 Aidy Bryant The shooting of a porn movie is regularly interrupted by a young girl (Aidy Bryant), seemingly unaware of the fictional aspect of the scene she has stumbled into.
Citizens forumOctober 10, 2015 Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Bobby Moynihan, various othersAn array of eccentric people monopolize the podium during the citizens' forum of Bakersfield, California, to the dismay of two helpless councilors (Bobby Moynihan and Cecily Strong). Also features Aidy Bryant as disgruntled, middle-aged spinster Jan Krang, Kyle Mooney as Dutch rapper MC Strategy, and Kenan Thompson as costume store owner Gary Loomis.
Colleen RaffertyDecember 5, 2015 Kate McKinnon Three people are being interrogated about a paranormal encounter or phenomenon they experienced. But Colleen Rafferty's (Kate McKinnon) recollection of the events vastly differs from the other two (played by Cecily Strong and the host), and is filled with unsavory details.
Deenie, somebody's momDecember 19, 2015 Kate McKinnon Deenie (Kate McKinnon) inaccurately recaps her favorite soap-operas on Weekend Update while eating from a plastic container.
America's Funniest PetsJanuary 16, 2016 Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong The presenter of an animal-based video clip show invites the two presenters of a French similar series, Joelle LaRue and Noelle LeSoup (Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon). He asks them to cohost the show and provide silly voiceovers for the clips. But said voiceovers turn out to be more depressing than their American counterpart.
True Tales From The SeaMarch 12, 2016 Kate McKinnon Adventurers down on their luck are rescued by beautiful mermaids, including Shud (Kate McKinnon), a part-woman, part-blobfish mermaid who doesn't exactly enchant the men she's trying to seduce.
Shanice Goodwin: NinjaApril 9, 2016 Leslie Jones Despite her big stature and general clumsiness, Shanice Goodwin (Leslie Jones), cashier by day and ninja by night, is inexplicably a master of stealth.
Chad April 16, 2016 Pete Davidson Pete Davidson plays Chad, an apathetic, easily distracted youth with limited conversational skills whose catchphrase is "okay". He's the heartbreaker of several people decades older than him, but he couldn't care less about their grand declarations of love. In one instance, he is the obsession of a psychopathic serial killer, but Chad takes no notice of the killer's attempts to torment him.
Suburban mothersMay 7, 2016 Vanessa Bayer, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Sasheer Zamata, Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong A group of suburban mothers engage in cult-like behavior in trying to convert a newer, inexperienced mother into doing something that proved them of their motherhood.

2016–2017

2017–2018

2018–2019

2019–2020

2020–2021

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
Edith PuthieOctober 3, 2020 Ego Nwodim An inappropriately-named middle-aged woman (Ego Nwodim) from the "Name Change Office" and "Boomers Got the Vax" sketches.
Dr. Wayne WenowdisOctober 10, 2020 Kate McKinnon Weekend Update's resident medical expert (Kate McKinnon) who always replies with "We know dis". The pieces end with McKinnon breaking character to address her anxieties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
SmokeCheddaDaAssGetta and Nunya BiznessDecember 12, 2020 Timothee Chalamet, Ego Nwodim White rapper SmokeCheddaDaAssGetta (Timothee Chalamet) appears on Nunya Bizness' (Ego Nwodim) talk show to voice his opinions on hip hop.
The Dionne Warwick Talk ShowDecember 12, 2020 Ego Nwodim, Punkie Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, Melissa Villaseñor, Pete Davidson, Lauren Holt Dionne Warwick (Ego Nwodim) hosts a talk show while showing how out-of-touch she is with modern culture (e.g. pronouncing Billie Eilish as "Billie Eyelash").
Quote SignsFebruary 13, 2021 Aidy Bryant A middle-aged woman receives decorative signs with quotes from her friends and family with progressively more offensive quotes.
Oops, You Did It AgainFebruary 20, 2021 Chloe Fineman Britney Spears (Chloe Fineman) hosts a talk show in which she interviews guests that have been victims of cancel culture and gives them a chance to apologize for their prior incidents.
Pauline, a Weary Mother in Her Darkest HourMay 8, 2021 Ego Nwodim A worn-out woman (Ego Nwodim) appears on Weekend Update to lament her experiences as a mother.

2021–2022

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
AngeloOctober 16, 2021 Aristotle Athari "International singing sensation" Angelo (Aristotle Athari) performs at an exclusive venue, performing supposedly improvised songs from word prompts given by exasperated audience members.
TikTokDecember 11, 2021 Aidy Bryant An unseen teenager scrolls through a series of eccentric videos on TikTok to avoid chores.
Trend ForecastersJanuary 29, 2022 Aidy Bryant
Bowen Yang 		Two fashionable people (Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang) report data on which trends are what's in and what's out.

2022-2023

TitlePremiere dateMain actor(s)Description
Protective MomFebruary 4, 2023 Pedro Pascal
Marcello Hernandez 		Mrs. Flores (Pascal) disapproves of the women her son Luis (Hernandez) dates, and rants about them in Spanish.
Lisa from Temecula February 4, 2023 Ego Nwodim
Punkie Johnson
Bowen Yang 		Lisa from Temecula (Nwodim) disrupts her sister's (Johnson) social life.

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References

  1. ↑ "Oh Noooooo! It's Mr. Bill's 20th Anniversary (1995)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 2008-06-04.
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