SNL

Alex Trebek is a cultural institution, a beacon of knowledge and grace under pressure. Everyone loves him. Which is why it’s always amusing to watch the unflappable host of Jeopardy say silly words and phrases in that reliable deadpan of his. A recent episode of the immortal game show saw him forced to say the name “Turd Ferguson,” which should amuse anyone with a passing knowledge of modern comedy.

This season of SNL has had some definite highs and definite lows (I’ve been seriously questioning the writers’ ability to deliver great material for the female hosts), and the last few episodes have only been consistent in their clumsiness. What began as a strong season has faltered in the final lap, but the promise of Louis C.K. hosting the Season 40 finale inspired some optimism thanks to both his comedic talents and his track record with SNL. Sadly, this week’s outing proved to be as so-so as the last few episodes, resulting in a finale that’s merely half-decent.

Since The Walking Dead just ended its fifth season and it’s still one of the biggest shows in the history of television, it makes sense that SNL would pause to talk about it. After all, what good is the “Weekend Update” segment if the anchors don’t occasionally stop to talk about what’s big in popular culture? And what good is SNL if it can’t get one of the most popular actors from The Walking Dead to stop by for a minute-long cameo?

Most of the time, the SNL opening monologue is a formality and a tradition, a road bump on the way to the actual good parts of an episode. It feels like something the guest host does because he has to, not because anyone on the writing staff actually had a good idea. And that’s why last night’s monologue was such a joyous surprise: it was not only the best monologue of the season, but the best sketch of the whole night.

Did anyone think that SNL was going to get Chris Hemsworth to guest host and not do an Avengers sketch? Of course not! Although Avengers: Age of Ultron isn’t out for another two months, this bit takes place after the events of that film, following Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they deal with the fallout from winning their toughest battle yet. Well, at least some of them are dealing with the fallout. Thor is just partying.

Schwing! With the SNL 40th Anniversary Special bringing back all their heavy hitters, you had to know that Wayne and Garth were going to come back for one more Wayne's World. We had to wait until the end of the special, but it was worth it to see their “SNL Top 10” that broke the fourth wall and was actually sweet.

What would a SNL 40th Anniversary Special be without Celebrity Jeopardy, one of the most popular recurring sketches of the modern SNL era. Alex Trebek was back and he brought with him some of his most frustrating contestants including Sir Sean Connery, Justin Bieber, Tony Bennett, Matthew McConaughey, Christoph Waltz, and, of course, Turd Ferguson.

Super Bowl commercials are still a big, huge, massive, crazy deal, with major corporations shelling out absurd amounts of money on ads designed to win over the most reliably large and receptive audience in all of televised sports. So of course ‘SNL’ was going to contribute its own commercial parody to the mix...but man, no one was expecting something this mean, scathing or on-point.

Some people are giving Chris Rock a lot of greif over his monologue this weekend on Saturday Night Live. For many comedians, time + tragedy = funny. Apparently, this isn't the case for some out there. I thought it was pretty funny myself, but others say he went too far. What do you think?

Jim Carrey hosted 'Saturday Night Live' over the weekend and put his take on the Lincoln car commercial now airing starring Matthew McConaughey. I don't know if his impersonation is dead on, but it certainly is 'alright, alright, alright'!

Tracy Morgan ('30 Rock,' 'Saturday Night Live') is in critical condition after a six-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike early Saturday morning. Morgan had been riding in a limo bus from Dover, Delaware where he performed Friday night.

Louis C.K. is hilarious. Saturday Night Live is hit and miss. Though Louis' second hosting gig last night was by no means the greatest episode of all time, he killed it in the monologue and the 'Black Jeopardy' sketch -- see them both here!