Saturday Night Live/Recurring Sketches

A list of recurring sketches and characters who had three or more appearances on Saturday Night Live.

A

Albert Brooks Film

Pretaped segment written and directed by comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks.

Al Sharpton

Pentecostal minister, activist and Democratic party primary presidential candidate Al Sharpton, as portrayed by Jerry Minor, Tracy Morgan and Kenan Thompson.

Amber

Amy Poehler as a one-legged reality show contestant.

American Idol

Recurring parody of the FOX show American Idol, featuring Amy Poehler as Paula Abdul; Chris Parnell and Jason Sudeikis as Simon Cowell; Dean Edwards and Kenan Thompson as Randy Jackson; and Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers as Ryan Seacrest.

Anderson Cooper 360

A recurring parody of the CNN show Anderson Cooper 360, featuring Seth Meyers as host Anderson Cooper.

Appalachian Emergency Room

The waiting room for the ER of a backwoods hospital, where nurse Nerod (Seth Meyers) admits patients with a variety of injuries and illnesses.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Austrian bodybuilder turned American movie star turned Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, as played by Jim Belushi and Darrell Hammond.

Art Dealers

Nuni and Nüni Schoener, played by Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, are a bizarre Eurotrash couple who seem to work as eccentric art dealers.

Aunt Linda

Amy Poehler's aunt (Kristen Wiig), who comments on movies but hates most of the ones critics like and loves many of the ones they loathe, often because she misses the point.

B

Barack Obama

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, as portrayed by Fred Armisen. Also includes Vice President Joe Biden (Sudeikis), general election opponents and key Cabinet members.

The Barry Gibb Talk Show

A political talk show hosted by Barry Gibb, the volatile member of the Bee Gees, as portrayed by Jimmy Fallon.

Bear City

A series of pretaped shorts about a city in Texas where bears have replaced humans in day to day life. Typically, they're shown doing mundane errands like buying cigarettes or catching a taxi.

The Bees

Not so much recurring characters as recurring costumes, and not so much a sketch as an inside joke. At some point or another in the first season, every member of the cast, a handful of hosts and quite a few members of the writing staff and the band dressed up in bee costumes.

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, as portrayed by Phil Hartman, Michael McKean and Darrell Hammond. Also includes First Lady Hillary Clinton (Jan Hooks, Janeane Garofalo, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler & Drew Barrymore), Vice President Al Gore (Kevin Nealon, Mark McKinney, Will Ferrell & Darrell Hammond), general election opponents and key Cabinet members.

The Blues Brothers

Brothers Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) Blues front a blues band.

Boston Teens

Teenaged Pat Sullivan (Jimmy Fallon), his girlfriend Denise McDenna (Rachel Dratch) and their hard-drinking friends.

Brian Fellow's Safari Planet

A man (Tracy Morgan) claiming to be an experienced zoologist is frequently exposed for the shame that he actually is during his talk show about animals.

Bronx Beat

Bronx housewives Betty (Amy Poehler) and Jodi (Maya Rudolph) host a daytime talk show, but they spend more time complaining about their families and flirting than they do talking to their guests.

C

Canteen Boy

Adam Sandler as a simple-minded boy with a canteen.

Carol!

A seemingly disgusting woman portrayed by Horatio Sanz who nonetheless attracts numerous men.

Celebrity Jeopardy

Will Ferrell portrays game show host Alex Trebek in a game of Jeopardy with dim-witted celebrities, often featuring Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery, Trebek's nemesis.

Club Traxx

A music video count down show broadcast on European music channel Eurovision and hosted by Beertje van Beers (Maya Rudolph) and Leonard (Fred Armisen).

The Culps

Marty Culp (Will Ferrell) and Bobbi Mohan-Culp (Ana Gasteyer), are two music teachers who attempt to connect with their students and anyone else who they hold as a captive audience using medleys of popular songs, often with the lyrics slightly changed.

D

Dan Rather

Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather, as portrayed by Joe Piscopo, Jeff Daniels and Darrell Hammond.

Debbie Downer

Rachel Dratch is a depressing woman named Debbie Downer who spouts facts about subjects like feline AIDS in social situations, killing the atmosphere and momentum of a party.

Deep House Dish

A house music talk show, starring Kenan Thompson as host DJ Dynasty Handbag and Rachel Dratch as his dimwitted, abused sidekick Tiara Zee.

Deep Thoughts

Short blackout sketches featuring one liners set to nature scenes and soft music, written and narrated by Jack Handy.

Delicious Dish

A National Public Radio cooking talk show hosted by Margaret Jo McCullin (Ana Gasteyer) and Terry Rialto (Molly Shannon).

The DeMarco Brothers

Kyle (Chris Parnell) and Sean (Chris Kattan), who will not falter in their dream to be dancers in a video, despite their obvious lack of talent.

Donald Trump

Billionaire business man Donald Trump, frequently lampooned on the show, first by Phil Hartman, then Darrell Hammond.

Donatella Versace

Affluent Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace, portrayed by Maya Rudolph, drinks, smokes and generally berates anyone she can while scantly clad male models dance behind her.

E

Elton John

English pop star Elton John, as portrayed by Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell and Horatio Sanz.

Emily Litella

Gilda Radner as a confused commentator who often argues against important current issues she has misheard.

F

The Falconer

Former businessman Ken Mortimer (Will Forte) one day left his old life behind to live as a hermit known as "The Falconer" with his pet falcon Donald.

G

George W. Bush

George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, as portrayed by Will Ferrell, Chris Parnell, Darrell Hammond, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis. Also includes Vice President Dick Cheney (Hammond), general election opponents and key Cabinet members.

Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, as portrayed by Chevy Chase.

Geraldo Rivera

News personality Geraldo Rivera, as portrayed by Joe Piscopo, Chris Kattan and Darrell Hammond.

H

H&L Brock

Commercials for a shady tax accounting firm, featuring John Belushi as H&L Brock spokesman Lowell Brock.

Hardball

Recurring parody of the MSNBC series Hardball with Chris Matthews, featuring Darrell Hammond as host Chris Matthews.

The Hippies

Jason (Dan Aykroyd) and Chloe (Laraine Newman), two drug-consuming, swinging, slang-talking hippies.

Home Movies

Viewer-submitted short films, which became one of SNL's longest-running segments as they ran through the 1970s and into the early 1980s. They are perhaps most significant for having introduced Mr. Bill, one of the most popular characters of the 1970s.

I

Inside the Actors Studio

Parody of the Bravo talk show, featuring Will Ferrell as host James Lipton.

The Introverts

Boring office workers Neil (Will Forte) and Jean (Kristen Wiig), who prove to be depraved when they have a few drinks in them.

J

Jane Pauley

TV news reporter Jane Pauley, as portrayed by Jan Hooks, Julia Sweeney and Kristen Wiig.

Jarret's Room

Two stoner college students named Jarret and Gobi (Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz) host a webcast program that is a sort of updated version of Wayne's World.

Jesse Jackson

Baptist minister, activist and Democratic party primary presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, as portrayed by Joe Piscopo, Eddie Murphy, Carl Weathers and Darrell Hammond.

Jim Lehrer

PBS news correspondent and presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer, as portrayed by Jim Breuer and Chris Parnell.

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, as portrayed by Dan Aykroyd, Joe Piscopo, Dana Carvey, Michael McKean and Darrell Hammond. Also includes First Lady Rosalynn Carter (Laraine Newman and Ann Risley), Vice President Walter Mondale (Bill Murray, Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger and Dana Carvey), general election opponents and key Cabinet members.

Joe Cocker

John Belushi impersonates the blues singer.

K

Kaitlin

Amy Poehler portrays a hyperactive preteen named Kaitlin, who bounces off the walls and generally annoys her step-father Rick, played by Horatio Sanz.

L

The Ladies' Man

Leon Phelps (Tim Meadows), who is sexually irresistible and teaches other men to be the same.

Land Shark

A clever shark who walks on land and attacks women in their homes, voiced by Chevy Chase.

Larry King

CNN talk show host and quirky journalist, as portrayed by Kevin Nealon, Will Ferrell, Norm MacDonald, Jimmy Fallon and Fred Armisen.

Looks at Books

A fictitious talk show about new book releases, usually hosted by Jane Curtin.

M

MacGruber

An incompetent parody of MacGyver played by Will Forte, who routinely fails to disarm bombs.

Mango

A male stripper played by Chris Kattan who becomes the object of obsession for male celebrities.

Mary Katherine Gallagher

A Catholic schoolgirl who struggles to find acceptance despite her constant monologuing and smelling of her own armpits, played by Molly Shannon.

Meet the Press

A recurring parody of NBC's long-running Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press, featuring Darrell Hammond as host Tim Russert.

Merv the Perv

A middle aged man named Mervin (Chris Parnell) makes obtuse sexual remarks in hopes of sleeping with whatever woman is closest.

Morning Latte

Two incompetent morning talk show hosts attempt to share amusing banter, but only wind up coming off as obnoxious and ignorant. The show is hosted by Will Ferrell as Tom Wilkins and Cheri Oteri as Cass Van Rye.

The Mr. Bill Show

Not-terribly-animated segments featuring the Play-Doh character Mr. Bill who is subjected to all manner of torture, torment and abuse at the hands of his nemesis Mr. Sluggo and his master Mr. Hand.

Mr. Peepers

Chris Kattan as some sort of ape-man.

Mr. Short-Term Memory

Jeff Morrow (Tom Hanks), a man who can't remember what happened merely moments ago.

Mr. Subliminal

Kevin Nealon as a man who speaks his real beliefs under his breath.

The Muppets

Jim Henson's famous marionettes, who once had a regular segment on SNL.

N

Nancy Grace

A recurring parody of Nancy Grace, a political and legal pundit known for obsessively following non-events to the point of absurdity. The sketch features Amy Poehler as the show's namesake, Nancy Grace.

The Needlers

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler as Dan and Sally Needler, a married couple that "should be divorced." They spend most sketches fighting in front of their friends until the end of the sketch, where they have sex off screen.

Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy

Jimmy Fallon as an IT worker who was constantly annoyed when he had to help his computer-unsavvy coworkers solve their computer issues.

O

The O'Reilly Factor

A parody of the conservative editorial news program The O'Reilly Factor, hosted by Darrell Hammond as host Bill O'Reilly.

Oprah

A recurring parody of the daytime talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, featuring Jan Hooks, Tim Meadows and Maya Rudolph as host Oprah Winfrey.

P

Pat Buchanan

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, as portrayed by Phil Hartman, Mark McKinney, David Koechner and Chris Parnell.

Pong

A round of the popular video game "Pong" is seen on-screen while off-screen, the two players (Tom Davis and Al Franken) are heard talking.

Pretty Living

A women's daytime talk show hosted by Gayle Gleason (Ana Gasteyer), whose most frequent guest was "joyologist" Helen Madden (Molly Shannon).

Prince Show

The eccentric R&B/funk singer Prince (Fred Armisen) hosts his own unusual talk show with co-hostess Beyonce Knowles (Maya Rudolph).

S

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi Prime Minister Saddam Hussein, as portrayed by Kevin Nealon, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Horatio Sanz, Alec Baldwin and Dane Cook.

Sally O'Malley

Molly Shannon as a 50-year-old woman who applies for positions that are completely inappropriate for her.

Samurai Futaba

John Belushi as a Japanese businessman who uses his katana and pretends not to speak English.

Schiller's Reel

A series of short films written and directed by Tom Schiller.

Sharon Stone

Actress Sharon Stone, as portrayed by Nancy Walls, Gwyneth Paltrow and Amy Poehler.

SNL Digital Short

Previously recorded sketches, often written by and starring Andy Samberg.

T

Target

Adventures from a Midwestern Target with an incompetent staff, featuring Kristen Wiig as the talkative, unhelpful cashier.

Tim Calhoun

A fictitious awkward and inept politician played by Will Forte.

Tom Brokaw

The NBC Nightly News anchor, portrayed by Harry Shearer, Darrell Hammond, Dana Carvey and Chris Parnell.

Tom Snyder

Broadcast personality Tom Snyder, former host of the NBC late-late night talk show Tomorrow, among others, as portrayed by Dan Aykroyd, Joe Piscopo and Harry Shearer.

TV Funhouse

Animated and occasional live-action shorts by Robert Smigel.

Two A-Holes

Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig as two self-absorbed New York yuppies who annoy everyone they meet.

W

Wake Up Wakefield!

A recurring sketch taking place on a middle school's intraschool news program, hosted by A/V club students Megan and Sheldon (respectively played by Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch). Also features Jimmy Fallon as Randy Goldman and Horatio Sanz as Mr. Banglian.

Wayne's World

Dedicated rockers Wayne and Garth (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) host a public access television show from Wayne's basement in Illinois.

Weekend Update

SNL's long-running parody of local news broadcasts.

Whitney Houston

Pop star Whitney Houston, as portrayed by Maya Rudolph.

Wolf Blitzer

CNN news journalist, as portrayed by Mark McKinney, Chris Parnell and Darrell Hammond.

Z

The Zimmermans

An inadvertently raunchy couple, played by Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan, turn everything into sexual innuendo that they appear to get off on, but are disgusted when attention is called to it.