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Parrot Sketch Included: TT's Top 20 Comedy Sketches
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
#20
HAUNTED ELEVATOR
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
47 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Voter: Issun (#10)
SNL has a history of ups and downs, the downs usually coming as it transitions casts. The 80s, 90s and 00s all started with stellar casts before petering out near the end of the decade. However, after the Tina Fey era, it never really came back to its former glory, and has mostly been mediocre. The only exception was a brief period in the mid 2010s, when they hit with quite a few sketches, the most well known being Haunted Elevator featuring David S. Pumpkins. Like a lot of sketches on this list it traffics in absurdism, but it doesn't go super-hard on it. The premise is pretty great (who is this guy and what's going on?), but the execution isn't always on point, but Tom Hanks makes this sketch work. Mr. Everydude brings out his ultra-weird side and turns what could have been a snoozer into an absolute classic.HAUNTED ELEVATOR
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
47 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Voter: Issun (#10)
Any questions?
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Yeah this Bit lands so well the East German judge would give it a 10.
Did anyone watch that animated special they did?
#19
GUN GENIE
(PICNICFACE)
50 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: JBear (#2)
Picnicface is a comedy troupe from the cold white north, and they actually scored themselves a 13 episode series on The Comedy Channel about 11 years ago. This was their highest voted sketch, and it's clear they're one of those groups that start writing and then just let the sketch go wherever it decides to. It's extremely dark comedy that goes down a rabbit hole and doesn't stop until it hits the bottom.GUN GENIE
(PICNICFACE)
50 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: JBear (#2)
Just eat the fucking chocolate bar and be cool!
#18
CHARLIE MURPHY'S TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORIES: PRINCE
(CHAPELLE'S SHOW)
52 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Kirin (#7)
First off, I'd like to thank everyone for not voting for Rick James. It's a great sketch, but it's got a lot of baggage attached to it, and white dudebros appropriating it is a large part of why Chapelle quit and why he nursed his bitterness that led him down the road to where he is today. White people really do ruin everything.CHARLIE MURPHY'S TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORIES: PRINCE
(CHAPELLE'S SHOW)
52 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Kirin (#7)
Anyways, there really weren't a lot of votes for Chapelle, and I'm assuming some of that is due to Chapelle's unapologetic transphobia of late. 2003 Dave Chapelle did not deserve what 2021 Dave Chapelle did to him, because in the early aughts, he cemented his status as one of the greatest comedians of all time, and this sketch is a perfect example of why he and his show are held in such high regard. Charlie Murphy's story is over the top enough on its own (though I have no doubt that it really happened), but Chapelle makes it even more ridiculous and channels Prince extremely well. There's a reason it consistently tops lists of Chapelle's work, and it's a memoriam to when he was the funniest man on the planet.
Why don't you purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka?
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jpfriction
(He, Him)
Prince was a late cut for me, felt too conflicted about the vote but this sketch is an all timer.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I feel like there are two major sketch comedy forms that come to mind to me when I think of the format; the rhythmic version predicated on repetition with variation so that we are getting the same beat at heightened ridiculousness as we continue. That's Haunted Elevator. That never hit as hard for me as others but it's absurdity and the focus on weird details and idiosyncratic choices speak to the odder aspect that SNL can have when the sketches aren't just more conventional beasts for a wider audience. Obviously, it's weirdness hit big, perhaps too much for it's own good if it had a special when it really works best in being an enigma. But while it didn't make my list, I respected it. It's the kind of SNL sketch I loved as a kid.
Gun Genie is the other format, which I associate with what was called "alt comedy" types in the 90s, where a weird situation gives way to weirder and weirder stuff and rather than repeating the beats, it's adding weirder little elements to it's mythology. It doesn't feel beholden to make all the jokes gravitate to it's main thesis and can spend time watching a genie just eat a chocolate bar and fuck around with another guy's wine holder. That shit doesn't need to be there but it somehow elevates it. If the rhythmic version is a song, the other "journey" format is like a tiny concept album.
I think David S. Pumpkins is a great way to start this list, as a crowd-pleasing mega-popular sketch that is nonetheless very funny. It single-handedly reminded me, and, I think, a lot of people, that SNL still exists and is still plugging along week after week.
That said, I'm ecstatic that I managed to get as obscure a sketch as Gun Genie on this list-- here's hoping that's a sign of more to come, since a fair portion of my list is very deep cuts.
That said, I'm ecstatic that I managed to get as obscure a sketch as Gun Genie on this list-- here's hoping that's a sign of more to come, since a fair portion of my list is very deep cuts.
I considered David Pumpkins for my list. Its a good sketch. I am not familiar with Picnicface; I'm not sure its for me.
The thread title reminds me that I never even considered any Monty Python sketches. It is possible I am sitting in a room with a complete DVD collection of Monty Python's Flying Circus this very minute.
The thread title reminds me that I never even considered any Monty Python sketches. It is possible I am sitting in a room with a complete DVD collection of Monty Python's Flying Circus this very minute.
Never heard of Picnicface before, but that sketch was amusing.
#17
MEET YOUR SECOND WIFE
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
54 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: ViolentVixen (#1)
The tendency of middle-aged men to remarry with a woman who is younger than them to a frightening degree is common, and not skewered enough. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were the perfect power duo to do so, though. They were always some of the best parts of their era of SNL, and the writing in this sketch is razor sharp. It's a brilliant bit that goes pretty hard. Keenan Thompson, who usually just exists in SNL sketches, is actually a highlight here.MEET YOUR SECOND WIFE
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
54 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: ViolentVixen (#1)
Oh, I know I shouldn't, but they're just so fun!
#16
FOCUS GROUP
(I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE)
56 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Issun, Rascally Badger (#8)
Many of you may not have seen I Think You Should Leave, but I'll bet you've seen the memes, with this sketch being one of the most memed. The show tends towards one person (usually Tim Robinson) making things uncomfortable, and then doubling and tripling down. This is the rare sketch where it's someone other than Robinson being the uncomfortable one, this time being Reuben Rabasa, who's been kicking around movies and TV for decades and catapulting to popularity with this sketch. It's also one of a number of sketches where the foil starts out being unpopular, but manages to turn it around by turning the group against the person that was originally making a good impression.FOCUS GROUP
(I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE)
56 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Issun, Rascally Badger (#8)
Oh my God! He admit it!
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I'd never heard of Picnicface before this but damn that's dark, I'm certainly curious about their other stuff although not sure how much I'll like it. I've had a lot of people tell me to Watch I Think You Should Leave so another vote for that.
This sketch is just so perfect to me. Timing, delivery, facial expressions, short barb lines, good followup lines and of course a theme that brings out societal prejudices.
karzac
(he/him)
Oh man, I didn't participate in this contest, but seeing Picnicface here brings me back. My best friend in high school and I got super into Picnicface around the outset of the Youtube era. Never seen this one, but I still remember my favourites from that period. I won't share them now in case they show up, but this is a mental reminder for once the list ends.
I'll go ahead and spill that my list was about 80% I Think You Should Leave sketches. Focus Group is just a perfect example of how the show operates.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
I’m realizing now that I didn’t even think about stuff I’ve only seen on youtube. Oops!
I was going to participate, but then I realized my list would basically be 25 ITYSL sketches, so I figured others would have it covered.
I was the other vote for this sketch. I had it at #17.
"I thought this was a home makeover show."
'In a way, it is.'
I did have some YouTube-only skits on my list but this post made me realize that there were a couple of channels/creators I like who I didn't include.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Very hard. It's great. I like how everyone is confused and horrified but also the guys are like "...Um, maybe, what if..."
Also, Aidy Bryant's last line kills it.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
She is so damned hilarious in everything. I have one other sketch I voted for where I think she steals the show, hoping it shows up.
Also the "let's show the sonogram!" part of this sketch is a perfect daytime TV parody while still in the game show tone? Just great.
#15
THE PRINCIPAL & THE SUPERINTENDENT
(THE SIMPSONS)
56 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Johnny Unusual (#4)
One might consider this one a little borderline, but it definitely fits all the beats of your comedic sketches. It helps that the premise could just as easily have worked outside of the show, but is enhanced by the quirks of the Simpsons characters that take part in it. The premise of the situation getting wackier and more untenable, and the excuses getting more and more outlandish, only to be skeptically accepted by the straight man to the end, is as old as time. But rarely is it executed so perfectly, and it is aided by the fact that we know the characters' proclivities already. It's no wonder that this has become one of the most memed Simpsons bits of all time.THE PRINCIPAL & THE SUPERINTENDENT
(THE SIMPSONS)
56 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Johnny Unusual (#4)
The Aurora Borealis. At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?
#14
MORE COWBELL
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
58 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Daikaiju (#6)
This sketch has suffered from a problem that so many great comedy bits do: It has been quoted so much over the last 2+ decades (to the point that BOC dreads playing this song live) that some of the magic has worn off. Going back to it after not having seen it for a long time, though, it's still great. Its premise is basic: That producers are weird and emphasize weird things, but Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell elevate it to the next level. Walken's deadpan and Ferrell's manic style work in tandem to create one of the most iconic sketches in the show's history. This sketch is also a reminder that Jimmy Fallon should never have been allowed to do comedy.MORE COWBELL
(SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
58 Points, 2 Votes, Highest Vote: Daikaiju (#6)
I've got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell!
SNL really seems to be able to capture and use this quite well. 4 of the 5 SNL sketches on my list are this type.
Hidden Machines?
As obscure as some of my picks are, sure.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
This one's rise to prominence and intense memification has it being overplayed (I have a few of those in my list) but when you are in the moment, its just a brilliant sketch of this guy who keeps giving Skinner more and more rope to hang himself but keeps not pulling on the noose until the web of lies is so absurd, you think there's something wrong with the straight man.
I don't remember if this made my final list, but yeah, this is another one where being overplayed did it a disservice when there are great performances and a weirdly specific premise.