SNL Recap: Eddie Murphy

Monologue: I'm featuring this less for the content (though it was solid, with Eddie Murphy now claiming to be "America's Dad"), and more just for the image of seeing Eddie Murphy on stage with Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle and Kenan Thompson.

Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood 2010: Eddie Murphy was game for bringing back a plethora of characters this week, but Mr. Robinson was a given. There was a unique take on this, dealing with gentrification of his neighborhood (as he's squatting in his apartment). That gentrification angle reminded me of "Bushwick,Brooklyn 2015" with Kevin Hart. Overall, this was a fresh take on a classic character.

Home For The Holidays: This was similar to "Best Christmas Ever" with Matt Damon last season. That dealt with the "perfect Christmas" with a singular family, while this dealt with an extended family over for Christmas dinner. While it hit the similar themes, it still provided something new to that style of short.

Weekend Update: Gumby & Jeanine Pirro: Weekend Update followed and built onto the energy of this show, and these two update appearances really stood out.

First, Gumby (Eddie Murphy) popped up, and basically just went on to rant on why he wasn't featured in the show. I really enjoyed how he basically just roasted Colin Jost and Micheal Che.

Next, Cecily Strong's Jeanine Pirro discussed Trump's impeachment. She has really mastered this character. The physical humor of Pirro spewing up wine all over Jost really made this work.


There was plenty of hype leading up to this week, but Eddie Murphy and SNL delivered. It was nice to see that Eddie was game for bringing back any character, whether it was Mr. Robinson, Gumby or even Velvet Jones. That energy spread throughout the rest of the show (a poor political cold open notwithstanding). A solid way for SNL to close out the year. (8.08)

Eddie Murphy: 8.08

David Harbour: 7.78

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: 7.52

Jennifer Lopez: 7.49

Kristen Stewart: 7.45

Harry Styles: 7.38
Woody Harrelson: 7.34

Will Ferrell: 7.21

Chance The Rapper: 6.98

Scarlett Johansson: 6.97