The Guardian

Saturday Night Live: the 10 best sketches from the 51st season

Zach Vasquez — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:00:03 GMT

From a disastrous haircut to an unlikely One Battle After Another toy ad, this season has been stronger than usual

Saturday Night Live, which just closed out its 51stseason, has been on the upswing for the past few months. Following their disappointing 50th anniversary, a combination of major changes and small course corrections have resulted in a noticeably better show. The departure of Bowen Yang earlier in the season, along with the reduced presence of Chloe Fineman, both of whom had become the faces of the series during one of its most frustrating periods, has been a huge boon, as has the increased presence of the younger cast, at least one of whom is poised to become its next star.

The sketches, as always, were hit and miss, but unlike other recent seasons, it wasn’t difficult finding the standouts. Here are the 10 best sketches of season 51 of Saturday Night Live:

The Guardian

Saturday Night Live: the 10 best sketches from the 51st season

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