Saturday Night Almost Live: all the sketches from the Paul Rudd episode
Tom Hanks and Tina Fey welcome Paul Rudd to the Five-Timers Club! pic.twitter.com/tidzhofdtx
- Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 19, 2021
• Paul Rudd was supposed to host Saturday Night Live for the fifth time today with musical guest Charli XCX, but the show was cancelled due to the skyrocketing number of COVID cases in New York City. First the show announced that there would be no studio audience and a limited number of cast members and crew, then Charli XCX tweeted that the show had cancelled her performances. By the time the show aired most of the cast was sent home and the show taped a monologue and introductions with a skeleton crew and only five performers present.
• In the opening we see that saxophone player and bandleader Lenny Pickett and pianist Tuffus Zimbabwe stayed behind to play out the show's guests. Tom Hanks and Tina Fey were on hand to introduce Paul Rudd while long running cast member Kenan Thompson stayed to present Rudd with his "five-timers" jacket. Steve Martin and Martin Short sent in a video from the Only Murders in the Building set to welcome Rudd to the club.
• The show went on to air pre-taped sketches shot throughout the week, and to pad out the runtime they played some classic SNL sketches.
𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃 pic.twitter.com/hoHi1UGfGg
- Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 19, 2021
• A typical Aidy Bryant/Kate McKinnon two hander with Paul Rudd playing a commercial director.
An Evening with Pete Davidson pic.twitter.com/g0UwZomUIx
- Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 19, 2021
• A melancholy black and white piece that works as a take on Raging Bull. Pete Davidson stars as an older, washed up version of himself reconnecting with a former SNL writer (played by Paul Rudd).
Tina Fey and Michael Che bring you a special Weekend Update pic.twitter.com/UhcRnIkht6
- Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 19, 2021
• Tina Fey fills in for an absent Colin Jost and co-hosts Update with Michael Che. They perform an abridged version of the segment on homebase with no backdrop to an audience made up of Kenan Thompson, Tom Hanks and Paul Rudd.
❤️ The Christmas Socks ❤️ pic.twitter.com/L4JIFhcKra
- Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 19, 2021
• In a sketch that definitely would've gotten cut this week, Kyle Mooney and Paul Rudd spoof schmaltzy Christmas standard "The Christmas Shoes" with Aidy Bryant and Charli XCX.
Click to view• The show re-aired the classic Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg sketch from season 32 (December 2006)
• This one is from season 41 (December 2015). Host Ryan Gosling and cast members Kenan Thompson and Vanessa Bayer play elves lusting after Bobby Moynihan's Santa Claus.
• Following up on Steve Martin's cameo in the monologue, the show played this clip from Martin's season 12 hosting stint (December 1986)
• Martin Short and Paul McCartney play a musical duo auditioning for a local pageant in this clip from season 38 (December 2012)
• Eddie Murphy came back to SNL after 35 years to host the season 45 Christmas show in 2019. In this sketch Murphy plays an elf being interviewed after a tragic accident in Santa's workshop.
• Tina Fey introduced an impression parade from Jimmy Fallon's season 39 episode (December 2013). Fallon and SNL cast members impersonate various musicians and sing Christmas songs.
• The show ended with this TV Funhouse classic. The stop motion animated short features Darlene Love on vocals. It first premiered in season 31 (December 2005) during the Jack Black Christmas episode.
• Two of the old sketches that ran this episode are currently unavailable online. The first is "Global Warming Christmas Special" from the season 16 Tom Hanks episode (December 1990) and stars Mike Myers, Victoria Jackson, Jan Hooks, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Chris Farley. The second was "Adult One Direction Fan" from Paul Rudd's season 39 episode (December 2013). It stars Rudd and features cameos from Midnight Memories-era One Direction.
to say that was a weird episode is an understatement. comments are open to complain, worry or share your favorite snl christmas sketch
ontd post/ opening/ grandchildren/ evening with pete/ update/ christmas socks/dick in a box/santa and the elves/steve martin's christmas/holiday pageant/north pole news report/now that's what i call christmas/tv funhouse