Season 38 of Saturday Night Live came to a close this past Saturday with host Ben Affleck and musical guest Kanye West. As soon as Affleck said his “thank you’s” and bid everyone goodnight, we could not help but immediately feel nostalgic.
There were lots of great moments that happened during this season (and our nostalgia was peaking on Saturday because we were forced to watch all of the cast members hugging Bill Hader and Fred Armisen goodbye). Though season 38 was definitely a lackluster season, it could have been much worse. So, instead of focusing on this season’s worst moments (of which there were many), we decided that there was no better way to bid farewell to SNL season 38 than by celebrating all of the highlights.
But before we begin our awards ceremony, let’s first have a moment of silence for all of the SNL cast members who are not returning for season 39: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and (possibly) Jason Sudeikis. These men will surely be missed by all.
And now, onto the awards!
Best Host
Justin Timberlake
Was there really any doubt that Timberlake would win this category? He has proved himself over and over again as one of Saturday Night Live‘s greats and his appearance this season did not disappoint. Fingers crossed that JT puts out another album or stars in another movie some time soon so we can see him host again in season 39.
Honorable mentions: Seth McFarlane, Bruno Mars, Louis C.K.
Best Monologue
Joseph Gordon Levitt
Who would have ever guessed in a million years that a Joseph Gordon Levitt Saturday Night Live monologue would include stripping and erotic dancing? The monologue didn’t serve any other purpose besides getting JGL to take his shirt off and bust some moves, and we’re completely ok with that. Even if you didn’t absolutely love it (and watch it on repeat for days), you have to admit that it was definitely memorable.
Honorable mentions: Vince Vaughn, Bruno Mars
Best Original Sketch
“Pandora Intern”
From his barely coherent Billie Joe Armstrong to his perfect Louie Armstrong voice, Bruno Mars had us in stitches with all of his spot-on impersonations. If there was any doubt before that Bruno Mars could succeed in pulling double duty on Saturday Night Live, it disappeared moments after this sketch began.
Honorable mentions: “Acupuncture,” “Outside the Lines”
Best Recurring Sketch
“Definitely Not Pornstars Anymore”
Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong’s ex-pornstar characters are two of our favorites of the season (and maybe even of the past few years). Their deadpan deliveries and ridiculous lines, like “One time I got banged through a glass ceiling. I changed everything for women. Turns out I’m a feminist,” kept us laughing from start to finish. We really hope to see them again next year.
Best Political Sketch
“Undecided Voter”
Even though it was more of a commercial, “Undecided Voter” was the best political sketch that we saw all season. With all of the attention that was focused on the undecided voter during this past election season, it was great to see SNL‘s satiric spin on the matter. We especially enjoyed the completely unrelated, off-the-wall questions like “Where is my power cord?”
Best Unexpected Cameo
Two words: Peter. Drunklage.
Even those of us who do not religiously (or even occasionally) watch Game of Thrones could not help but love this unexpected surprise during a visit from Drunk Uncle on “Weekend Update.” Dinklage was absolutely perfect alongside Moynihan and may have even out-drunked him. Well done, Dinklage. Well done.
Best New Recurring Character
Cecily Strong’s “Girl You Wish You Hadn’t a Started Conversation with at a Party”
Second only to Hader’s Stefon and tied with Moynihan’s Drunk Uncle, Strong’s character dominates every “Weekend Update” appearance. She has some of the greatest one-liners, and we especially love when she verbally attacks Seth Meyers. We’re not sorry at all about how much we enjoy this character.
Best Digital Short
“Sad Mouse”
Even though it’s not the most hilarious thing we’ve ever seen, we love “Sad Mouse” because it’s beautifully shot and so endearing. This digital short showed another side of Saturday Night Live that we haven’t seen before. We laughed, we (may have) cried, and we thoroughly enjoyed this sketch.
Honorable mentions: “Lincoln,” “The Stand Off,” “YOLO”
Best Fake Commercial
“NuvaBling”
“NuvaBling provides a low dose of hormones and a mega dose of faboosh.” This product pitch couldn’t have been any more hilarious. It was short and to the point. And it showed the ladies of SNL using birth control as a fashion accessory. The “NuvaBling” was definitely the best fake product commercial of the year.
Honorable mention: “Starbucks Verismo”
MVFP (Most Valuable Featured Player)
Cecily Strong
You can’t deny that this year’s breakout featured player has been Cecily Strong. She has been in the majority of the best sketches of the year, and she has two of the best recurring characters on the show. AND SHE’S ONLY A FEATURED PLAYER. We’d be very surprised if her status wasn’t upgraded by next season. Let’s hope Saturday Night Live season 39 brings a lot more Cecily Strong.
MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Bill Hader
There is not a single bad thing to say about any of Bill Hader’s performances this season (or even any previous season). He brought every single one of his characters to life with skill and energy, never failing to bring a smile to our faces. Even in those sketches that made us question why any writer would ever think the premise was a good idea, Hader carried the rest of the cast and still made us laugh. We will truly miss seeing Bill Hader on our televisions every Saturday night but cannot wait to see what he does in the future.
Best Moment of the Season
Stefon’s Farewell
Just like Justin Timberlake being awarded “Best Host” of the season, was there really any question that “Stefon’s Farewell” would not show up on our awards list as the best moment of the season? From all of the club attractions that Stefon has ever mentioned being shown at his wedding, to Seth Meyers knocking out Anderson Cooper, to all of the “Weekend Update” guests celebrating the newlyweds’ happiness, we loved every single moment of this sketch. This was the perfect goodbye to the beloved Stefon and we are so happy that it wasn’t done any other way.