If the 50th season of Saturday Night Live has, up until now, felt somewhat underwhelming, this past week has made up for it. It’s been one celebration after another, including a star-studded live concert that aired this past Friday, a repeat of the show’s very first episode during its regular Saturday-night time slot, and any number of self-produced and third-party retrospectives across the media landscape.
All of it was leading up to Sunday’s three-hour anniversary special. From previous specials, we knew about what to expect: the return of popular cast members, characters, sketches and guest stars; an audience of A-list celebrities; a diverse array of musical guests; and equal amounts of self-deprecation and self-mythologizing. Still, you knew there’d be plenty of fun surprises and probably a good bit of emotion on display.
