Saturday Night Live’s biggest stars are everywhere these days: from the hallowed halls of Studio 8H, all the way to the beachy shores of Malibu, California. And in honor of the historic 50th anniversary of the longstanding comedy sketch series, everyone is getting in on the action of celebrating and honoring its many iconic moments. Including Volkswagen, which reunitedBill Hader, Kristen Wiig,andFred Armisenas “The Californians” in a commercial for their latest car.
The air-headed, valley girl-inflection-toting bottled blondes from the popular soap opera parody sketch star in the ad for the new Volkswagen ID Buzz, an electric take on their own California icon, the old VW bus, whichdebuted on Thursday. And, frankly, it’s giving nostalgia vibes in an extremely earth-conscious way, which is like, totally Californian of them. We can see why Karina (Wiig) and her lover Devin (Hader) are too impressed by her husband Stuart’s (Armisen) new ride for anyone to address the fact that he almost caught them kissing. Again.
So like, watch it below! But not while you’re driving on the 405! Yuck! cue dramatic soap opera music
“The Californians” Aren’t The Only ‘Saturday Night Live’ Icons Being Revived For SNL50
They even put out a behind-the-scenes video, because you know this set must have been a constant chucklehut of silly improvising and goofing around:
The longstanding comedy institution that it is, having premiered back in 1975, is currently celebrating its history in a series of specials, documentaries, and even a homecoming concert over the course of the year, culminating inSNL50: The Anniversary Celebrationairing live on Sunday, February 16, at 8PM ET. The Lorne Michaels-created series has been not only a cultural pioneer, but has been the home of a veritable murderer’s row of iconic comedy talents in their own right. Names like Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Steve Martin, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Will Ferrell, Rachel Dratch, Kate McKinnon, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Jon Lovitz, Chris Rock, Martin Short, David Spade, Bill Crystal, Conan O’Brien, Jane Curtain, Molly Shannon, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan, Ana Gasteyer, Tim Meadows, Will Forte, Al Franken, Cecily Strong, Chris Parnell, Vanessa Beyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Norm McDonald, Horatio Sanz — all got their big break thanks to working onSNL.
The Very First Episode of ‘SNL’ Is Returning to TV for the Show’s 50th Anniversary
The chaotic first episode of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ hosted by George Carlin, will air on NBC the night before the three-hour 50th anniversary event.
And given that impressive and nowhere near exhaustive list, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen several stars and their iconic characters popping up over the past few weeks. Our personal favorite was seeing Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell performing as the music teacher duo The Culps. If you ever wanted to know what “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar sounded like performed by them, you’re in luck:
It’s been a true joy to witness the generous roll-out the series and its stars have received over the past year. It’s not hyperbole to say thatSNLand its many cast members shaped American comedy into what it is and what it will become. And we can’t wait to see what’s to come. Good, bad, or mediocre,Saturday Night Liveis a cultural touchstone to which we will always tune in.
Saturday Night Live
