As its title indicates, this three and a half hours special was created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. It stars pretty much anyone who is or has been part of the cast (and is still alive) throughout the decades.
Tropes:
- Crossover: "The Californians" sketch segues into a crossover with "Total Bastard Airlines".
- Extra-Long Episode: It lasts 3 and 1/2 hours instead of the usual 1 and 1/2.
- Obituary Montage: There's a montage, introduced by Bill Murray, featuring the cast and crew members who had passed on. To lighten things back up, the final tribute was for Jon Lovitz, with the camera cutting to a very alive and confused Lovitz sitting in the audience. Additionally, it ends with an update coming from Spain: "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead."
- The Teaser: The special begins with a cold open in which Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake perform a "History of Rap" musical number that references various SNL sketches.
