Top 20 Saturday Night Live Sketches That Went Wrong

it's live television what could possibly go wrong welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 snl sketches that went wrong for this list we're looking at mistakes unplanned moments and character breaks among other times where a sketch didn't quite go to plan however we will only be including skits so you won't find ashley simpson's lip syncing gaff on our list [Music] we will also be excluding any sketches that were cut for time like gus chigen's old prospector guts for the last time cinnamon and gravy number 20. adam driver's bird mishap career day the bird incident guaranteed the sketch immortality but it was pretty amazing even before that point driver plays a curmudgeonly oil baron attending career day at his son's high school greetings children i'm mordecai's father hello boy how are you look at your father boy he ruthlessly attacks his son for his lack of strength berating him in front of the entire class point to the weakest in your class and we shall ruin their spirit as i ruined the spirit of h.r picking so long ago while we could point to pete davidson breaking character and honestly who could blame him things truly go off the rails when driver produces a fake bird from a burlap sack and smashes it into the ground he then slams his cane into the bird by accident skewering it with a fury typically reserved for a bloody historical drama we've said it before and we will say it again abraham h parnassus deserves his own film i crushed you into the ground and now you're number 19. the hungry dog massive head wound harry if you're squeamish you might want to look away now among dana carvey's countless memorable characters during his snl tenure was massive head wound harry hey great party while we don't learn the gory details behind the injury it's bad enough that part of his brain is hanging out the other party-goers are disgusted by the wound except one a dog as the dog feasts on the wound carvey has to keep one hand on the headpiece to keep it from coming off entirely eventually the dog manages to tear off some of the wig and we don't know whether to laugh or hurl or both number 18 edie bryant's bungled costume change inside the beltway good morning and welcome to inside the beltway where we look at what's happening up in washington when done correctly a costume change can be a useful tool in a live broadcast transporting characters across time and space by swapping out one or more articles of clothing however when done poorly it can lead to embarrassment character breaks and saturday night live infamy such is the case during this season 45 sketch featuring eddie bryant cecily strong keenan thompson and host woody harrelson i mean remember what happened five months ago let's take a look the plan was to have the cast switch clothing between clips to give the impression of a news flashback but an overzealous aide comes on stage and attempts to take 80 brian's coat while the cameras are still rolling he gonna win the flub is obvious to viewers as well as the studio audience and it causes all four actors to break character wow mr maddox i'll admit that you were onto something back then number 17 uncooperative dogs dog court actor and comedian wc fields once said never work with animals or children possibly because both are unpredictable don't take justice into your own hands take them to dog court with me judge connie schomberg well considering our earlier entry in this current one we doubt the writers at snl had ever heard this quote before how else can you explain their decision to use multiple dogs in the 2019 sketch dog court things actually get off to a pretty good start despite the number of dogs present however things quickly go off the rails when cecily strong attempts to deliver a verdict while holding a pug well let me tell you something the doctor is a place for fun and tolerance okay i should be so lucky the pooch thrashes around violently in her arms knocking around her glasses and generally being an adorable nuisance the lesson dogs and live tv don't mix okay you too tell me what's what make it snappy number 16 an almost perfect escape whiskers are we here is yet another occasion where the animals steal the spotlight kate mckinnon is joined by tiffany haddish for this iteration of a recurring or is that re-purring sketch which features rescued cats up for adoption and this is claudia hey haddish acts fast when their feline friends try to jump out of their box even delivering an impromptu joke that makes mckinnon momentarily break character [Laughter] hilariously for the duration of this sketch they have to keep one eye on the cue cards and another on the box thanks to the exceptionally restless cats one cat gives his human co-stars quite a fright causing them both to break while haddish demonstrates her own cat-like reflexes you won't have to worry about shedding with toby he shaved everything off for a gay circuit party number 15 brower's wires get crossed weekend update bennett brower chris farley's bennett brower was a staple character on weekend update in the 90s i don't understand what's going on in the news i'm not likable he was usually invited to provide commentary for the comedy news show but instead he'd go on a self-deprecating tirade with an abundance of air quotes he'd rather get his two cents from commentators who don't make babies cry in this episode he's meant to lift off and fly mid-rant but the wires got caught on the lights and he barely makes it off the ground as update host kevin nealon and a stagehand try to help farley takes it all in stride however rumor has it that his landing wasn't so smooth sailing either making this one of snl's most iconic bloopers number 14 larry david can't stop laughing new wife you know those moments where something makes you laugh and you just can't stop the gay world isn't just one thing it's a complex tapestry of cultures you know like uh south america in this sketch that supposedly spoofed real housewives star erica jane larry david plays a lawyer who throws a party to introduce his colleagues to his new wife get out just get the hell out i want you off the property now get out you're fired get out it seems that the sketch was a tad too outlandish for the comedian as he eventually reached a breaking point and simply could not recover we want to be at power bottoms for her you know 3 30 a.m performance it was an unexpected surprise for fans who are more used to his dry comedic delivery but it is a memorable moment all the same we honestly don't know how the rest of the cast didn't break with him because [Applause] the club is overrun with thirsty number 13 unsuppressed smiles the californians steward has cancer so you're gonna take candy view driver to sam sente and then they go left and come four five north from there just get off my hauling totally like that the californians is one of the most popular recurring segments in recent saturday night live history thanks in part to its continuously star-studded roster and the countless character breaks it's caused sure why are you him so early i skipped wilshere and took beverly over to santa monica and took that all the way up [Music] yeah i just came over to fix the speakers the outside speakers on the patio i think that's something pretty good few would argue that the first iteration of the sketch was the funniest and those same people would likely agree that it was also the most out of control kristen wiig and fred armisen can barely make it through a sentence in their ridiculous californian accents stifling laughter at every turn however the worst offender is bill hader who all but gives up on staying in character the moment fred armisen opens his mouth we believe you can safely file this one away in the so bad it's good category the chin and get out of here number 12 candace bergen's stupid mistakes the right to extreme stupidity league this moment could not have worked out better if it had actually been scripted it didn't take much to make candice bergen break after her minor mistake but the irony of her flub was not lost on anyone you're not too bright are you fern i mean whatever your name was in fact it pretty much fuels gilda radner's legendary quick wit as she inserts her own quips that just make bergen and the audience of course laugh even harder you know we all can't be brainy like fern here sure the original plan for the sketch might have gone out the window but we think we can all agree that it could not have beat this impromptu updated version anyway and i should know and so should fern cause we are extremely stupid people number 11. sean hayes and jimmy fallon break character jeffries jimmy fallon is quite famous or make that infamous for breaking character so no surprises that this is just one of his appearances on our list you wear quick silver swimming trunks yeah i do what they're cool yeah look we don't carry diesel we work at jeffries we read italian vogue it's our deal he's joined here by sean hayes to play retail workers in a high-end clothing store who never miss a beat to make catty remarks to their customers jimmy struggles to suppress a smile before the sketches even started and it isn't long before both are trying to contain their laughter however will ferrell entering on a scooter and answering a tiny cell phone proves too much and they both just dissolve into fits of laughter we're going to the dolce gabbana show how fast can you have your bags back from iran i've got my jack pain backpacked already my boss mentos number 10. the cast losing it debbie downer disney world debbie downer is one of the funniest characters that snl has produced in its long history ever since they found mad cow disease in the u.s i'm not taking any chances it can live in your body for years before it ravages your brain [Music] she made her debut in 2004 flanked by host lindsay lohan and a handful of comedy legends however no amount of talent could have saved this sketch from devolving into one giant character break media is so sensitive there so secretive juxtaposing debbie's depressing facts and anecdotes with the innocence and happiness of a place like disney world is pure comedic genius any chance lohan and company had of making it through the sketch in one piece disappeared the moment rachel dratch broke during a slow zoom on her face from that point on the question wasn't if everyone would break but when i can't have children number nine frankenstein's monster gets fired up succinctly speaking in the late 80s snl brought together tanto tarzan and frankenstein's monster due to their limited grasp of the english language in fact frankenstein's monster pretty much speaks in a series of grunts and growls other than occasionally informing us that bread good and fire bad all right it's hard to say what exactly about the then current nuclear arms treaty causes the usually straight-faced phil hartman to break in this moment but when he does break he goes down hard due to the unexpected timing and the fact that it specifically came from hartman this is easily one of snl's funniest character breaks of all time join us next week when we'll be talking with the cavemen from quest for fire thank you number eight ryan gosling's giggles close encounter you know you've penned an a plus sketch when you get an academy award nominee like ryan gosling to break wow what floor were you guys on i woke up in a dirty metal dome and uh 40 little gray aliens watched me pee in a steel bowl the canadian actor was unable to maintain his composure in the face of kate mckinnon's hilarious retelling of an alien abduction how did the aliens return you all to earth oh i was carried down gently mckinnon's graphic story actually makes everyone on stage break at one point or another and it's clear that she relishes her ability to make her peers crack up gosling was once again the victim of mckinnon's superior comedic talent when he appeared in another close encounter two years later however this time it was mckinnon's handsy approach that had them in stitches they'd take one cheek kind of jiggle it and then and they were making a sound the whole time like number seven bill hader's mad maneuvers girlfriends game night bill hader hosted snl for a second time in 2018 and while he had a number of hilarious sketches nothing tops girlfriends game night though not for the reason you'd expect hi hi sorry we're late it's been a chaotic week marissa's sons are suing me again chorus were you going to the suga hater played horus a wheelchair-bound senior citizen dating a much younger woman the two attend a game night together but horus's inability to control his electric wheelchair nearly causes him to flip the table for rest later in the sketch he puts it in reverse and nearly runs over melissa b senor set breaks and character breaks ensue and through it all bill hader looks like he's having the time of his life you know what you should be ashamed of yourselves [Music] number six jimmy fallon tries not to laugh the love is with barbara and dave as we've already noted it doesn't take much to make jimmy fallon break so putting him in this sketch was really just asking for trouble barbara what brings you to the prestigious well jobs the lovers is a recurring sketch featuring an eccentric overtly sexual couple who have no concept of boundaries anticipation of lovemaking that will take place in this hot tub in less than 12 minutes i'm getting i'm getting kind of pruning i'm out no matter how hard he tries jimmy just can't keep a straight face that's unbelievable in jimmy's defense however will ferrell has since explained that these characters were created with the actual intention of causing his co-star to break it certainly does the trick even perhaps too well as the rest of the actors end up in a fit of giggles too somewhere in the distance we heard the pounding of native drums number 5. john belushi's wild swing samurai stockbroker few snl sketches illustrate just how far live television has come quite like this one the scene in question involved john belushi playing one of his most popular recurring characters a modern day samurai every appearance of the character song in a different profession from samurai taylor to samurai psychiatrist however the one we're here to talk about is the samurai stockbroker episode in it belushi's sporting his trademark samurai look which includes a katana at one point he starts to attack a wall with the blade but in his fever accidentally hits buck henry in the head you can clearly see henry stumble backwards and for the rest of the episode he had a band-aid on his head so yeah live tv and swords also don't mix number four the sketch that ruined christopher walken's life more cowbell don't fear the reaper take one roll all right one two three four this wildly weird premise combined with everyone involved constantly breaking made this sketch an instant fan favorite and cultural phenomenon fellas it was sounding great but i could have used a little more cowbell farrell created his character after hearing a faint cowbell in blue oyster cult's 1970s classic don't fear the reaper and wondering about the man behind the instrument i'm telling you fellas you're gonna want that cowbell on the track between watkins deadpan delivery and farrell's eccentric character and tiny shirt this sketch is so ripe for someone to break character and it doesn't take long before everyone does i'd be doing myself a disservice and every member of this band if i didn't perform the hell out of this although watkin can be seen laughing we're not sure it was still as funny for him when fans would continue to quote more cowbell at him long after the season ended i got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell number three chris farley's full moon ufo mission let me go in there cause i've got a hankering to get some butt there's very little chris farley wouldn't do for a laugh which makes it impossible to decipher if this moment was actually intentional or not in this sketch about commandos investigating a spaceship that's landed on earth farley takes the commando part quite literally despite this being a space-themed sketch none of us were quite prepared to see a full moon according to his co-star jaymore as farley wrestled with his pants he also bumped his head and almost cursed needless to say no matter what else happened during that show this is the moment everyone remembers number two stefan at all times various arguably bill hader's most memorable saturday night live character stefan never failed to bring the laughs during his visits to the weekend update news desk his knees look like biscuits and he's ready to party the character was the brainchild of hater and then snl writer john mullaney and he became a hit thanks to his off-the-wall new york city party recommendations and sassy attitude however bill hader simply could not make it through a stefan appearance without breaking character i'm really glad you made sure to make that not insensitive he'd constantly cover his mouth to hide his laughter something that was often due to him not seeing the jokes for the first time until he was on the air while haters breaks may have constituted a sketch gone wrong when stefan first debuted nowadays they're considered part of the act and we would not have it any other way this place has everything asbestos lupus the magazines at supercuts dan cortes before we unveil our number one pick here are some honorable mentions jimmy fallon thrown off by the teleprompter weekend update an indiana man was convicted of public indecency for letting his genitals get rid of this thing what is this chaos that's chaos kate mckinnon breaks character weekend updates smokery farms and the scent is strong can you spell character break spelling bee your word is little pig boy before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one down by the river matt foley van down by the river all right how's everybody the amazing chris farley clearly had the magical touch that could make anyone break and nowhere was that more apparent than with his most iconic character matt foley the antithesis of an effective motivational speaker first off i am 35 years old i am divorced and i live in a van down by the river in foley's snl debut he had host christina applegate and cast member david spade breaking almost instantly thanks to his wild erratic demeanor from what i've heard you're using your paper not for writing but for rolling doobies his hilarious delivery is only matched by the physical comedy which included lifting spade and breaking a table here's you here's matt there's you there everything about this character almost seems like it was created with the intention of causing his co-stars to break soon after matt foley became an snl regular and to that we say well lottie frickin duh i'm sick and tired of living in a van down by the river do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from watchmojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos you

Channel: WatchMojo.com

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Rating: 4.7565861 out of 5

Keywords: SNL sketches that went wrong, times SNL went wrong, times SNL didn't go according to plan, SNL goes wrong, SNL mistakes, SNL screw-ups, SNL bloopers, SNL unplanned moments, SNL character breaks, SNL unscripted moments, SNL breaking moments, SNL matt foley, SNL Stefon, SNL Chris Farley, SNL More Cowbell, SNL John Belushi, SNL, saturday night live, TV, comedy, watchmojo, watch mojo, top 10, list, mojo

Id: 0__LJpFANwk

Length: 21min 53sec (1313 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 10 2020