This past year has proven to be one of the most intriguing in Jason Reitman helm a biopic of the comedy sketch show's first-ever episode, but it also celebrated its 50th anniversary with an over-three-hour-long special to commemorate the occasion. Featuring a mix of reprised sketches, new ones, and looks back at the show's past, it proved to be a mostly charming and funny celebration of the show's legacy.

Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special unites multiple generations of the sketch comedy show's cast for new and continuations of iconic sketches, ranging from Rachel Dratch's Debbie Downer to the Laraine Newman and Pete Davidson-starring "The Stagehand". Studio 8H was also full of some of the biggest names in Hollywood, many of whom got in on the fun, including Ryan Reynolds, Peyton Manning, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Also featured in the episode were video montages looking back on some of the show's more popular, and infamous, sketches.

SNL 50's Fourth-Wall Breaking Commentary Felt Bizarrely Tasteless

From The Opening Monologue To A Certain Montage, The Show Felt Out Of The Loop

For a good majority of its run, Saturday Night Live has certainly been unafraid to become taboo with its material, particularly when tackling real-world ideas, like its various Alec Baldwin-led Donald Trump sketches. That said, as tastes and respects change, some past jokes certainly haven't stood the test of time, whether it be an opening monologue or a full-on sketch. The writing seemed on the wall that, despite its better efforts, the 50th Anniversary Special would still fall prey to this just from Steve Martin's opening monologue, a surprisingly disappointing affair.

... it proved very unusual for it to give the spotlight to everything from Adrien Brody's infamously unhinged rant to the racist tropes the likes of Rob Schneider, Chevy Chase and even Hanks himself put on display.

Many of his attempts at humor failed to elicit more than a chuckle from me, whether it was remarks about being sarcastic when complimenting babies or bizarre backhanded jabs at the writers of the show. The more noticeably off-putting of Martin's monologue, though, is his reunion with his Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short. Things start off charming but quickly devolve when the former shouts for ICE upon being asked by Short why they're not co-hosting the show. In another era, this would be a joke that works, but the current political landscape makes it an awkward bit.

Even beyond the monologue, SNL 50 made some attempts to directly address some of its more controversial past jokes with the In Memoriam segment dedicated to "cancelled" sketches, with Tom Hanks presenting the video montage of characters and jokes that aged poorly due to racist, sexist and homophobic stereotypes, among other things. Given the special is designed to celebrate the show's creative heights, it proved very unusual for it to give the spotlight to everything from Adrien Brody's infamously unhinged rant to the racist tropes the likes of Rob Schneider, Chevy Chase and even Hanks himself put on display.

The Show's Sketches Were Thankfully More Hit Than Miss

Returning Faces & Dedicated Performances Kept The Show Afloat

Amid shifting creative teams, cast and production values, Saturday Night Live has never been averse to having a few sketches every episode that don't quite match up to the rest of the show, and sadly, the 50th Anniversary Special was no different. Considering the show had a lot more time to fill than a normal episode, it makes sense some bits wouldn't live up to the others, though ittedly, I found myself surprised by some of the ones that didn't work for me.

There was one clear winner among the bunch, though, and that was the "Close Encounters" sketch not only featuring Kate McKinnon's return as the off-kilter Colleen Rafferty, but also marking Meryl Streep's Saturday Night Live debut as Colleen Sr.

The one that comes to mind, in particular, was that of the "Wedding" sketch featuring the return of Marcello Hernandez's Domingo, as well as everyone from Martin Short and Molly Shannon as an overly amorous married couple to Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny as Domingo's similarly seductive brothers Renaldo and Santiago. On paper, all the elements were in place for a great sketch, and the fact that Sabrina Carpenter purposely sung poorly for her character in the segment worked great. Unfortunately, the bit not only ran too long but also began to lose its own plot.

However, the special's sketches were far more hits than misses. The return of Black Jeopardy! was a delight as Eddie Murphy and Tracy Morgan played off one another, specifically as the former played the latter, while the Weekend Update segment proved to be one of my all-time favorites, particularly for Bobby Moynihan's return as Drunk Uncle, going all in on his unhinged nature.

There was one clear winner among the bunch, though, and that was the "Close Encounters" sketch, which not only featured Kate McKinnon's return as the off-kilter Colleen Rafferty, but also marked Meryl Streep's Saturday Night Live debut as Colleen Sr. It also paired a game Aidy Bryant, Hamm, Pascal and Woody Harrelson. McKinnon remained hilarious as ever as the unfiltered and uniquely eloquent alien abductee, while the three-time Oscar winner was wonderfully chaotic as her mother, giving me hope Streep will consider future appearances on the show.

Even Technical Errors Couldn't Ruin My Joy

The Special Found A Good Mix Between Nostalgia & Originality

Given the show was largely a live production, technical issues were bound to happen, but it was quite surprising just how many technical errors there were throughout the SNL special. Much like Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl, Lil Wayne's microphone levels felt like they were drastically low, making it hard to really resonate with any of the lyrics in the medley of some of his most iconic tracks. Similarly, I found myself taken out of the "Bronx Beat with Betty & Jodi" sketch due to the constant scratching of Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph's microphones.

On a positive note, one of the other big surprises to come from SNL 50 was just how emotional it made me throughout its run. Between clips of legends like Chris Farley and John Belushi in action to Sandler's "50 Years" song and Weekend Update featuring heartfelt tributes to Norm Macdonald, I can't deny the waterworks were flowing multiple times throughout the special as it not only celebrated its history but recognized how impactful so many of its performers have been on fans.

This was also one of the best things the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special had going for it — it was a mix of nostalgia and fresh material. Considering just how much archived footage there is of the sketch show, it almost wouldn't have been a surprise if NBC and Lorne Michaels elected to make the entire special a clip show with brief bits interspersed. And yet, it was a true testament to everyone's dedication that they didn't coast on their past success and, instead, delivered a beautiful send-up blending the two together.

The Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special is now streaming on Peacock.