History YMMV / SaturdayNightLive

** As iconic and hilarious as Creator/JohnBelushi's Samurai character is, there's no way a white man playing a Japanese man would fly nowadays without accusations of cultural appropriation. Similarly, "[[https://youtu.be/iBqwZsV1V0g The Arakawa Group]]", meant to be a Japanese takeoff on "The [=McLaughlin=] Group, featured '''''4''''' white men playing Japanese men and doing so in a manner that would have been considered incredibly offensive even at the time it was aired--such as introducing themselves with exaggerated bows and "Hye!"

** As iconic and hilarious as Creator/JohnBelushi's Samurai character is, there's no way a white man playing a Japanese man would fly nowadays without accusations of cultural appropriation.

* AcceptablePoliticalTargets: While the show has always had leaned towards the left, they still mocked both ends of the spectrum and politicians of all backgrounds were fair game, but especially after the 2016 election, they've aimed most of their political jokes towards conservatives. That being said, they still make fun of liberals every so often. After the 2020 election, this toned down a bit.
%%* What toned down a bit? Mocking both sides of the spectrum or just the liberals?

** Kyle Mooney’s take on Baby Yoda/Grogu from ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has been poorly received by viewers due to taking a beloved, innocent character and turning him into a hideous, crass, sex-crazed jerk. It also comes off as the show desperately trying to be hip by cashing in on the character’s popularity, especially since Mooney’s take constantly threatens [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Baby Groot]], who has not been relevant in years. Nonetheless, the show kept bringing him back to raucous applause by the studio audience.

** Creator/FredArmisen being the original actor to play Barack Obama, given he looked absolutely nothing like him. While hair and make-up helped on a little bit, the real life figure ''is'' light-skinned, and Armisen is of mixed race[[note]]born to a Venezuelan mother and a half-German, half-Korean father[[/note]] with fairly dark skin, the actor ultimately just doesn't pass as a black man. There was also the fact that his delivery sounded little like him, as if the only direction the actor was given is "this person pauses a lot." While Armisen is a beloved cast member, pretty much everyone was happy to see Creator/JayPharaoh take over as the president.

** As mentioned above, Creator/KateMcKinnon very much qualifies. A popular cast member, she went from initially being something of an EnsembleDarkHorse, as she found her role increasing as more of the bigger names in the cast started to leave, to become the show's MVP by that point in the eyes of many. She then went on to portray Hillary Clinton, widely regarded as the frontrunner for the 2016 elections, and won an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series not long afterwards. And then, by the next season, [=McKinnon's=] role started to greatly increase. She continued to portray Clinton until her shocking election loss, but then took over for a wide variety of Donald Trump's cabinet members, most of them men, as well as often finding herself at the center of sketches, to the point where she basically eclipsed her entire supporting actress to become something of a leading lady, with some people even seeing her as having filled the same mold Wiig was accused to have years before. This major exposure would continue for the following years, which some viewers thought was stretching [=McKinnon=] far too thin, with her work not being as fresh and exciting as it once was, likely due to such a large workload. This eventually culminated in, when the show debuted a Robert Mueller impression played by [=McKinnon=], it being poorly received, which was not so much blamed on [=McKinnon=] herself but rather it being a symptom of the large workload granted by the show to [=McKinnon=] spreading her too thin, resulting in the role being recast with Creator/RobertDeNiro to a much more positive reception. When [=McKinnon=]'s absence at the beginning of Season 47[[note]]Due to her shooting the film adaptation of ''Series/TigerKing''[[/note]] forced the show to utilize the other female cast members like Creator/HeidiGardner and [[Creator/MelissaVillasenor Melissa Villaseñor]], many viewers admitted the change was refreshing and didn't miss [=McKinnon=] being a SpotlightStealingSquad. And similar 5o Kristen Wiig, with [=McKinnon=] leaving the show, this means that the other cast members (particularly the female ones) could now be given a chance to shine.

** Creator/StevenSeagal is widely regarded as the worst SNL host after his April 20, 1991 appearance for his insufferably uptight demeanor, a sentiment by both audiences and cast and crewmembers, including Creator/BobOdenkirk, Creator/NormMacdonald, Creator/DavidSpade, and Creator/LorneMichaels himself, who joked about Seagal in the September 26, 1992 show hosted by Creator/NicolasCage:

** As mentioned above, Creator/KateMcKinnon very much qualifies. A popular cast member, she went from initially being something of an EnsembleDarkHorse, as she found her role increasing as more of the bigger names in the cast started to leave, to become the show's MVP by that point in the eyes of many. She then went on to portray Hillary Clinton, widely regarded as the frontrunner for the 2016 elections, and won an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series not long afterwards. And then, by the next season, [=McKinnon's=] role started to greatly increase. She continued to portray Clinton until her shocking election loss, but then took over for a wide variety of Donald Trump's cabinet members, most of them men, as well as often finding herself at the center of sketches, to the point where she basically eclipsed her entire supporting actress to become something of a leading lady, with some people even seeing her as having filled the same mold Wiig was accused to have years before. This major exposure would continue for the following years, which some viewers thought was stretching [=McKinnon=] far too thin, with her work not being as fresh and exciting as it once was, likely due to such a large workload. This eventually culminated in, when the show debuted a Robert Mueller impression played by [=McKinnon=], it being poorly received, which was not so much blamed on [=McKinnon=] herself but rather it being a symptom of the large workload granted by the show to [=McKinnon=] spreading her too thin, resulting in the role being recast with Creator/RobertDeNiro to a much more positive reception. When [=McKinnon=]'s absence at the beginning of Season 47[[note]]Due to her shooting the film adaptation of ''Series/TigerKing''[[/note]] forced the show to utilize the other female cast members like Creator/HeidiGardner and [[Creator/MelissaVillasenor Melissa Villaseñor]], many viewers admitted the change was refreshing and didn't miss [=McKinnon=] being a SpotlightStealingSquad.

* TheScrappy: Kyle Mooney’s take on Baby Yoda/Grogu from ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has been poorly received by viewers due to taking a beloved, innocent character and turning him into a hideous, crass, sex-crazed jerk. It also comes off as the show desperately trying to be hip by cashing in on the character’s popularity, especially since Mooney’s take constantly threatens [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Baby Groot]], who has not been relevant in years. Nonetheless, the show kept bringing him back to raucous applause by the studio audience.

** Starting in the 2016 election season, the show's faced criticism for using StuntCasting with former castmembers and celebrity guests in satirizing major political figures instead of some of the show's regular castmembers, most notably with frequent host Creator/AlecBaldwin playing UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Although this was a practice that stretches as far back as the 1990s, e.g. a 1993 sketch had Creator/PhilHartman as UsefulNotes/BillClinton appearing with former castmembers Creator/JanHooks as UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Creator/DanAykroyd as UsefulNotes/BobDole, despite neither of the latter two appearing as a host. The practice didn't garner as much criticism back then due to the fact the show mostly stuck to using previous cast members who did quality impressions rather than impressions of varying quality from any celebrity they could get to appear. Plus, they didn't appear on such a frequent basis that they could be considered a FakeGuestStar, like Baldwin as Trump.

** Creator/EddieMurphy's 2019 return as Gumby crosses the line several times, [[SelfDeprecation saying about Eddie himself "He was just a regular coon boy till I saw him."]].

** Season 11 (1985-6): The first season after Lorne's return, the entire cast was replaced again, this time with a new cast that included such famous or soon-to-be-famous names as Creator/RobertDowneyJr, Creator/AnthonyMichaelHall, Creator/RandyQuaid, Creator/JoanCusack, and Creator/DamonWayans. However, such an eclectic group didn't work well together, and the show once again faced critical bashing and danger of cancellation. Creator/JonLovitz, Creator/DennisMiller, Nora Dunn, and A. Whitney Brown were the only cast members kept for next season, where a group of new cast members led by Creator/DanaCarvey and Creator/PhilHartman saved the show.

** As mentioned above, Creator/KateMcKinnon very much qualifies. A popular cast member, she went from initially being something of an EnsembleDarkhorse, as she found her role increasing as more of the bigger names in the cast started to leave, to become the show's MVP by that point in the eyes of many. She then went on to portray Hillary Clinton, widely regarded as the frontrunner for the 2016 elections, and won an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series not long afterwards. And then, by the next season, [=McKinnon's=] role started to greatly increase. She continued to portray Clinton until her shocking election loss, but then took over for a wide variety of Donald Trump's cabinet members, most of them men, as well as often finding herself at the center of sketches, to the point where she basically eclipsed her entire supporting actress to become something of a leading lady, with some people even seeing her as having filled the same mold Wiig was accused to have years before. This major exposure would continue for the following years, which some viewers thought was stretching [=McKinnon=] far too thin, with her work not being as fresh and exciting as it once was, likely due to such a large workload. This eventually culminated in, when the show debuted a Robert Mueller impression played by [=McKinnon=], it being poorly received, which was not so much blamed on [=McKinnon=] herself but rather it being a symptom of the large workload granted by the show to [=McKinnon=] spreading her too thin, resulting in the role being recast with Creator/RobertDeNiro to a much more positive reception. When [=McKinnon=]'s absence at the beginning of Season 47[[note]]Due to her shooting the film adaptation of ''Series/TigerKing''[[/note]] forced the show to utilize the other female cast members like Creator/HeidiGardner and [[Creator/MelissaVillasenor Melissa Villaseñor]], many viewers admitted the change was refreshing and didn't miss [=McKinnon=] being a SpotlightStealingSquad.

** Starting in the 2016 election season, the show's faced criticism for using StuntCasting with former castmembers and celebrity guests in satirizing major political figures instead of some of the show's regular castmembers, most notably with frequent host Creator/AlecBaldwin playing UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Although this was a practice that stretches as far back as the 1990s, e.g. a 1993 sketch had Creator/PhilHartman as UsefulNotes/BillClinton appearing with former castmembers Creator/JanHooks as UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Creator/DanAykroyd as UsefulNotes/BobDole. despite neither of the latter two appearing as a host.

** Creator/EddieMurphy's 2019 return as Gumby crosses the line several times, saying about Eddie himself "He was just a regular coon boy till I saw him."

** The Japanese game show sketch where Chris Farley plays an American tourist who accidentally ends up on a game show where the players face [[{{Yubitsume}} Yakuza-style punishments]] when they answer incorrectly.

* SignatureLine: Being on air for more than four decades has resulted in many iconic and beloved lines, but Creator/ChristopherWalken's many cries for "more cowbell" arguably stands out above all else, particularly the one below.

** The "Buckwheat Dead" sketch was originally meant to satirize the way the American media handled Music/JohnLennon's murder and the assassination attempt on UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. Today it seems to be even more relevant than it was in the early '80s, as the problems/phenomena the sketch presented (inadvertently glorifying killers by extensively focusing on them and turning them into celebrities; desensitizing audiences to violence by showing it repeatedly; inappropriate product placement) are still with us, even more so. Additionally, it showcasing how everyone who knew killer John David Stutts was aware of his plans to murder Buckwheat but did nothing about it became far-sighted in wake of [[UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} The Columbine High School massacre]], which sparked debate about whether it could have been prevented if those who knew the assailants would have seen the warning signs and intervened. Multiple states have since enacted "ref flag laws" to this effect.

** Upon its creation, the show was considered filler for dead airspace that was only created to replace old reruns of ''Series/TheTonightShow With Johnny Carson'' and only appealed to stoners and insomniacs, specially given a cast known as "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" for a reason. Almost 50 years later, one can't even consider television without this show, to the point of inspiring many imitators that didn't last anywhere as long, ranging from ''Fridays'' to ''Series/InLivingColor'' and ''Series/MadTV''.

** There's also Cecily as Cathyanne, the ''hilariously'' unattractive chain-smoking white trash woman with one glass eye (only revealed after her good eye was blinded in an eclipse).
** Before Cecily joined up, the Shawna sketches headlined by Kristen Wiig would often have Abby Elliot cast as the less attractive female in contrast. Then again, this is [[FanDisservice Shawna]] we're talking about...

*** Creator/PeteDavidson has been pointed to by many as the show's biggest breaker since Fallon, with the same accusations of doing so intentionally being hurled his way. And unlike Fallon who was at least a strong impressionist, Davidson is often seen as having little if any in the way of range, [[WTHCastingAgency thus leading to questions of why he's even in the show]].

** People from the panhandle area of Florida often joke that the "Floribama Shore" sketch featuring Creator/SaoirseRonan is "not a skit, but a documentary." In response to a skit parodying ''Series/LoveIsland'' starring Creator/PhoebeWallerBridge, UK viewers also confirm that ''Love Island'' is really just like that.

** Upon its creation, the show was considered filler for dead airspace that was only created to replace old reruns of ''Series/TheTonightShow With Johnny Carson'' and only appealed to stoners and insomniacs, specially given a cast known as "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" for a reason. More than 40 years later, one can't even consider television without this show, to the point of inspiring many imitators that didn't last anywhere as long, ranging from ''Fridays'' to ''Series/InLivingColor'' and ''Series/MadTV''.

** Also for season 46, some feel that Creator/MayaRudolph has become one. After making several appearances the previous year as then presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Rudolph continued the role after Joe Biden named Harris as his running mate. Suddenly, not only did Rudolph's Harris start appearing in almost all the cold opens, even when she was only slightly connected and therefore didn't have much to do, but Rudolph also started appearing in multiple other sketches throughout the episodes.[[note]]In the episode that featured a parody of the second and last 2020 presidential debate as the cold open, Rudolph appeared as moderator Kristen Welker.[[/note]] While Rudolph is a very popular comedic actress and former cast member, some fans have criticized her sheer number of appearances this season as yet another example of SNL neglecting it's current cast in favor of big names.

** The skit mocking the ''WebVideo/TheTryGuys'' controversy with Ned Fulmer has been lambasted for it's errors, as well as downplaying the issue of sexual misconduct in the workplace. The remaining Try Guys, Keith, Zach, and Eugene, are portrayed as simply being mad at Ned because he had a consensual kiss and didn't tell them about it. The reason Ned was fired was because he not only cheated on his wife and had a long-term affair, but had it with one of their employees, which would put the company in legal trouble. The skit also portrays them as using the situation to get attention despite the Try Guys waiting for weeks before making an official statement, the situation starting to blow up ''before'' they confirmed Ned's actions.

** The Creator/AmySchumer / Steve Lacy episode has an sd that promotes COVID as a ''good'' thing because it gives you a paid vacation.