Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL 50: Our Top 5 Live Performances: Chappell Roan, Jelly Roll & More

With NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 set to return on January 18th, we look at our five favorite SNL live performances so far.

With only a week to go until NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 50 returns on January 18th with host Dave Chappelle and musical guest GloRilla (and Timothée Chalamet set as host and musical guest on Jan. 25th), we're following up on our ranking of the first ten shows of the milestone season with a look at our five favorite live performances so far. Just so everyone's on the same page – the rundown you're about to see is based on the artist, their performance, and what it brought to the show. For example, audience reaction/participation always makes a big impact. That doesn't necessarily mean that an artist is someone we regularly listen to or that the song is a favorite of ours – in this case, it all comes down to how well a performance continued the late-night live sketch comedy and music series' long-running history of musical greatness. In addition, there's nothing to be read into some performances not making the cut – Season 50 has been strong musically, so this one wasn't easy. With that in mind…

(5) S50E09 (December 14, 2024/Chris Rock): Gracie Abrams with "I Love You, I'm Sorry"

(4) S05E01 (September 28, 2024/Jean Smart) Jelly Roll with "Winning Streak"

(3) S05E06 (November 9, 2024/Bill Burr) Mk.gee with "Alesis"

(2) S05E08 (December 7, 2024/Paul Mescal) Shaboozey with "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" For some reason, the SNL version wasn't released, so here's a look at Shaboozey's performance from NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:

(1)S05E05 (November 2, 2024 /John Mulaney) Chappell Roan with "Pink Pony Club"

SNL 50 Previews: "SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night" & More!

Before we get to the big celebration on February 16th and NBC's documentary event, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music on January 27th, Peacock and Academy and Emmy Award winner Morgan Neville will be offering us an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at what makes NBC's Saturday Night Live the enduring and influential institution that it's been for 50 seasons. Featuring more than 60 contributors, including alumni, and covering decades of history, the four-episode SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night reveals new insights into the show's history, pulling back the curtain on everything from the writers' room to the famed audition process. With all four episodes set to hit Peacock on January 16th, here's a look at what you need to know:

Peacock's SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is a four-part docuseries honoring the legacy of SNL, with over 60 contributors, including SNL alumni, and covering decades of SNL history. Spotlighting some of the show's most iconic elements, each episode delves into the rich history of SNL and pulls back the curtain on the audition process, the writers' room, the fan favorite "More Cowbell" sketch, and the pivotal season 11.

Episode 101, "Five Minutes" – A showcase of the audition process, with never-before-seen audition footage and firsthand accounts from some of the show's most iconic names as they reflect on their preparation and journey to the SNL stage.

Contributors: Ayala Cohen, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Beck Bennett, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Bowen Yang, Cheri Oteri, David Spade, Ego Nwodim, Fred Armisen, Heidi Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharaoh, Jeff Blake, Joe Piscopo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kenan Thompson, Kyle Mooney, Lindsay Shookus, Marci Klein, Mike Shoemaker, Molly Shannon, Nasim Pedrad, Pete Davidson, Stephen Colbert, and Tracy Morgan.

Episode 102, "Written By: A Week Inside The SNL Writers Room" – A behind-the-scenes look at the writing process from script to screen, capturing the creativity and chaos of a week inside the writers' room.

Contributors: Alan Zweibel, Alex English, Al Franken, Andrew Dismukes, Asha Ward, Ben Marshall, Bob Odenkirk, Bryan Tucker, Ceara O'Sullivan, Celeste Yim, Emily Spivey, Harper Steele, Jim Downey, Jimmy Fowlie, John Higgins, John Mulaney, Larry David, Louie Zakarian, Marilyn Miller, Martin Herlihy, Paula Pell, Robert Smigel, Sarah Silverman, Seth Meyers, Simon Rich, Steve Higgins, Streeter Seidell, Tina Fey, and Will Stephen.

Episode 103, "More Cowbell" – A deep dive into the making of SNL's iconic "More Cowbell" sketch, exploring how a simple idea became a cultural phenomenon and offering a tribute to the lasting impact of sketch comedy.

Contributors: Akira Yoshimura, Albert Bouchard, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Bruce Dickinson, Buck Dharma, Cara Hannah, Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Dana Carvey, Dave Grohl, Dave Itzkoff, Darrell Hammond, Eamon Cunningham, Eric Bloom, Fred Armisen, Jimmy Fallon, Jodi Mancuso, John Karpi, Josh Homme, Keith Raywood, Larry Demler, Louie Zakarian, Murray Krugman, Rachel Dratch, Tom Broecker, Will Ferrell, and David Lucas.

Episode 104, "Season 11: The Weird Year" – An exploration into SNL's 11th season, examining the pivotal year that reset the show's direction and cemented its enduring DNA with Lorne Michaels at the helm.

Contributors: A. Whitney Brown, Al Franken, Andy Breckman, Anthony Michael Hall, Billy Crystal, Carol Leifer, Damon Wayans, George Meyer, George Wendt, Griffin Dunne, James Andrew Miller, Jim Downey, John Lithgow, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Laila Nabulsi, Mark McKinney, Nora Dunn, Penn & Teller, Robert Smigel, Terry Sweeney, and Tom Hanks.

Additional archival interviews include Bernie Brillstein, Lorne Michaels, Robert Downey Jr., and Tom Davis.

Executive-produced by Neville, Caitrin Rogers, and Showrunner Juaquin Cambron, Peacock's SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is produced by Jonathan Formica (Ep 101, "Five Minutes" & Ep 104, "Season 11: The Weird Year") and Allison Klein (Ep 102, "Written By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room" & Ep 103, "More Cowbell"). The episodes were directed by Robert Alexander (Ep 101, "Five Minutes"), Marshall Curry (Ep 102, "Written By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room"), Neil Berkeley (Ep 103, "More Cowbell"), and Jason Zeldes (Ep 104, "Season 11: The Weird Year").

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