CREDIT: NBC/Screenshots

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember the very best that Saturday Night Live Season 51 had to offer. Here’s how I’m making it happen: I’m reminding myself of every new episode that aired between October 4, 2025 and May 16, 2026, and then I will enthusiastically detail the sketches, monologues, Weekend Update bits, and musical performances that I believe ought to be remembered among the most wonderful things about life in the 21st century.

The Bad Bunny/Doja Cat premiere kicked off with a Jeopardy! parody that was bizarrely straightforward by SNL standards, but if the answer is the question, don’t knock it! Meanwhile, Ms. Cat wasted no time in delivering the first great musical performance of the season.

Remember those experienced lawyers that Amy Poehler was a member of? I bet you can’t forget.

Jumping ahead to the Sabrina Carpenter double duty episode, that was the moment we fully knew that Ashley Padilla was as special as the wind, and it was no surprise. Later in that same ep., we got a hint of what the please don’t destroy boys working on their own would feel like, and it tasted green.

After Miles Teller introduced Brandi Carlile for the first time, I was like, “Oh wow, another hit from Brandi Carlile.”

And how could November 8 go any other way but the Nikki Glaser/sombr episode? That outing of course featured the “Beauty and MrBeast” sketch, which, if memory serves me correctly, prompted the biggest “guffaw at the premise reveal” of the season for me. Also, we can’t forget those slick dance moves sombr taught us during his rendition of “12 to 12.”

The Ariana Grande/Cher episode had quite the legendary lineup, but it will be most fondly remembered for its fond farewell.

Oh look at that, there were even some episodes that aired in January. One of them (the one hosted by Finn Wolfhard), had an unforgettably kinetic musical excursion in the form of A$AP Rocky’s “Punk Rocky.”

You guys, I really see the appeal of this Ryan Gosling fellow, especially because his fourth time hosting SNL wins my vote for the best episode of Season 51. And it aired just 2 days before my birthday! Harry Styles invading the monologue, the notes being passed around, the Goo Goo Man – the hits just kept on coming! Not to mention Gorillaz grooving out a classic.

Speaking of Harry Styles, he performed double duty after crashing Gosling’s show, but the real highlight of that episode was Jeremy Culhane as Tucker Carlson in a Great Moment in Weekend Update History.

And then the fates aligned when Jack White was on the bill to soundtrack his fellow Jack’s 5-Timers Club induction.

I wouldn’t mind if Colman Domingo returns to host at some point, based especially on how he emceed The Knowledge Hour.

Olivia Rodrigo did the Host & MG thing, too – a lot of Double Dutiers this season! That episode featured the one with the exes running into each other at a birthday party, and interestingly enough, that was probably my mom’s favorite sketch of the season.

I am pleased to report that the Will Ferrell/Paul McCartney season finale was filled with an abundance of highlights: the case-of-mistaken-identity Monologue, Will playing his latest bad doctor, the theater kid energy on full blast. And speaking of blast, Mr. On Blast just waltzed right into the Hall of Fame.

And before we go, here’s a quick take on Saturday Night Live UK, which aired its inaugural eight episodes from March-May 2026. It was a fine addition to the world of funny, and we Yanks can watch full episodes on Peacock. The Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith edition was my favorite of the bunch, with its highlights including a parody of the game show Mastermind and two different soccer-themed sketches that had my funny bone saying “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL.”