Ars Technica’s February 2025 feature gathers individual staffers’ favorite Saturday Night Live sketches. It is a personal selection, not a ranked list of the show’s objectively best sketches—and one contributor says the series has never resonated with them.
What the Ars feature is—and isn’t
Published for Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary season, the feature asks Ars editorial staff members to name sketches they love and explain why. Its value is in the range of tastes and reasons on display, rather than a final score or consensus about which sketches are best.
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The selections span different eras and comic approaches: recurring bits, commercial parodies, character sketches, and political or cultural satire. Contributors point to things such as a premise that keeps escalating, a memorable character, an absurd situation, a cultural reference, or a particular performance. Since sketch comedy depends on taste and context, those explanations are more useful as a guide to what might appeal to an individual viewer than as a universal verdict.
Sketches the staffers chose
The article includes picks such as “Celebrity Hot Tub Party,” “Papyrus,” “Washington’s Dream,” Old Glory Insurance, First Citywide Change Bank, and Happy Fun Ball. Other selections include Phil Hartman sketches, “Motherlover,” “More Cowbell,” “The Californians,” “Black Jeopardy,” “Josh Acid,” “Hidden Camera Commercials,” and “Wake Up and Smile.”
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThis is a sample of the feature’s selections, not an independent ranking or a claim that every staffer chose from the same era or style. Readers can use the titles and the contributors’ stated reasons to find a starting point that suits their own tastes.
Why the picks differ
The choices reflect different ways a sketch can land. A recurring bit can build comic momentum through repetition and escalation; a commercial parody can make a familiar format absurd; a character piece can depend on performance; and satire may work best when its cultural or political reference is recognizable to the viewer.
Rank #2
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The feature also leaves room for a dissenting response: one contributor says SNL has never resonated with them. That admission underscores the article’s personal framing. A favorite list can offer ideas to explore without suggesting that every viewer should find the same sketches funny.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to watch the sketches
When the feature was published on February 14, 2025, its author said sketches typically appeared on YouTube within a day or two of broadcast and that many of the show’s sketches were available online, though not all. That is a description from the time of publication, not confirmation that any specific sketch is currently available there or on another service. Check the current listing for the sketch you want to watch.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRead the complete Ars Technica feature for the staffers’ individual choices and explanations.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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