Bill Hader’s Top 10 ‘SNL’ Sketches

Before Bill Hader pushed the boundaries of what a comedy could be with his just-ended HBO series Barry, Hader was a standout on Saturday Night Live. During his eight-year tenure as a cast member, he became one of the funniest stars in the show’s long history. He created eccentric characters that played on his personal love of movies and wacky personalities, many of whom appeared in multiple sketches.

“Growing up in Oklahoma, his dad just introduced him to so much in the comedy world,” SNL creator Lorne Michaels told USA Today of Hader in 2018. “He knew everything; the most obscure stuff. His tastes overtook his experience, and his talent was up there with his tastes. In a sense, what he brought to the show, aside from the fact that he was brilliant, was that he was going into corners alone. It takes a little longer for people to find their voice in the show.”

Outside of SNL, Hader has done voice work for Pixar in Monsters University, Inside Out and Finding Dory. He also starred in the films The Skeleton Twins and Trainwreck. You can stream every episode of Barry on Max, while his past work on SNL is streaming on Peacock. Here’s a look at 10 great Bill Hader sketches from SNL.

Dateline: The Mystery of the Chopped-Up Guy

You know that GIF of Hader as Dateline host Keith Morrison chomping on popcorn? That’s from this hilarious sketch, where Keith Morrison tries his hardest to find the creepy parts of a fairly basic killer mystery. Guest host Steve Buscemi stars as the murderer who easily confesses to the killing.

Stefon

Stefon is Hader’s best-known original character. He appeared on “Weekend Update,” building a close relationship with Seth Meyers. At one point, they even got married! Hader has not appeared as the character since the 2015 40th Anniversary Special. He also played Stefon on the Oct. 11, 2014 episode, when he announced he was pregnant. The best part of the Stefon sketches is seeing Hader fail to keep a straight face while delivering the lines.

Herb Welch: Falling Ice

During an Emma Stone-hosted episode, Hader dug up Herb Welch, an incredibly politically incorrect elderly newsman. He is supposed to be reporting on falling ice from a New York building, However, he hits one woman with his microphone repeatedly and sexually harasses another.

Vincent Price’s Halloween Special

Hader excels at impressions, and his impression of Vincent Price is spot-on. The sketch is chock-full of great references to classic movies, with guest host Jon Hamm stopping by as James Mason. Kristen Wiig plays Gloria Swanson and Fred Armisen appears as Liberace.

Clint Eastwood for Chrysler

During a 2012 episode, Hader played Clint Eastwood in parodies of the Chrysler Super Bowl commercial, where Eastwood talked about how the U.S. is getting back on its feet. In the SNL version, Eastwood gives a dose of sneering reality. Halfway through he forgets what the ad is for. “Get a Chrysler… and get off my damn lawn!”

The Californians: Stuart Has Cancer

Some of The Californians sketches have the same problems many of SNL‘s sketches have – they go on way too long. Still, the soap opera parodies were hysterical. Hader played Devin in the sketches. The SNL crew posted the dress rehearsal for a 2012 sketch, where Hader, Armisen, and Wiig completely fail at playing it straight.

Daniel Plainview’s I Drink Your Milkshake

In 2008, Hader showed off his skill with impressions in this pitch-perfect sketch co-starring Amy Poehler. Hader plays Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. The sketch parodied the famous “I drink your milkshake” scene in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning classic.

The Group Hopper

The Group Hopper is SNL’s take on The Maze Runner and every other YA film adaptation made during The Hunger Games‘ box office domination. Hader plays a “King… or Queen” based on Elizabeth Banks’ Hunger Games character. Pete Davidson stars as Thehero… or “The Hero,” who leads a rebellion.

HBO: The Al Pactino Accused Murderer Biopic Series

For a time, it looked like Al Pacino was trying to play as many accused murderers as possible after his Phil Spector and Jack Kevorkian biopics. In this sketch, Hader plays dozens of murderers, or at least how Pacino would have played them. He even tries to play Amanda Knox and Dr. Conrad Murray.

Lifetime’s First Original Game Show: What’s Wrong With Tanya?!

Hader, like almost every SNL cast member, played his share of game show hosts. It is possibly the show’s favorite format. In a 2011 episode, he hosted Lifetime’s first-ever game show, where the three contestants – Kristen Wiig, Vanessa Bayer, and guest host Anna Faris – looked like they just walked out of a Lifetime TV movie. They had to figure out what was wrong with Tanyas played by Abby Elliott and Andy Samberg.