{"id":661525,"date":"2026-06-27T18:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T18:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/661525\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T18:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T18:15:18","slug":"the-1991-snl-sketch-bill-hader-called-the-greatest-in-the-shows-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/661525\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1991 ‘SNL’ sketch Bill Hader called the greatest in the show’s history"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bill<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ YouTube<\/p>\n

Fri 26 June 2026 19:53, UK <\/p>\n

With over half a century\u2019s worth to choose from, narrowing down the field to the single greatest Saturday Night Live sketch of all time seems like an arduous, if not impossible, task. However, Bill Hader<\/a> disagrees.<\/p>\n

As one of the countless Studio8H alumni who went on to bigger and better things after departing the show, he\u2019s also got more skin in the game than asking the average Joe on the street. Hader was one of his era\u2019s biggest breakout stars, but his personal preferences are rooted much deeper in SNL\u2018s past.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no definitive answer to who deserves to be called the finest performer in the never-ending sketch series\u2019 history, with co-creator Dick Ebersol hanging his hat on Eddie Murphy<\/a>, which is a more valid shout than most, Hader has one notable supporter in a pretty high place, since they\u2019re part of that conversation, too.<\/p>\n

Bill Murray thinks the man of a thousand voices and contorted faces is the best ever to grace the airwaves as part of the SNL roster, and accolades don\u2019t come much higher than that<\/a>. Hader would probably disagree, since he\u2019s not one for patting himself on the back and touting his own achievements, and he might be more inclined to award the honour to Phil Hartman.<\/p>\n

The Barry creator has always held Hartman up on a pedestal as one of his comedy heroes and inspirations, and he carried that mindset with him from the start of his SNL tenure, hoping to fulfil a similar role: \u201cIt was like The A-Team,\u201d he recalled of those early days. \u201c\u2018OK, I\u2019m the impressions guy\u2019. And I\u2019d do someone at the table read, even if I had a bad idea, just so the writers could go, \u2018OK, we don\u2019t like that sketch, but we know he can do that guy.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Hader might be one of the best impressionists who\u2019s ever graced the show, but for many long-time viewers, Hartman will never be beaten<\/a>. That said, it wasn\u2019t one of the latter\u2019s impressions that the former adored, but one of his more offbeat creations, which debuted in 1991 and ran through to 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfrozen Caveman Lawyer is amazing,\u201d Hader marvelled. \u201cProbably my favourite sketch.\u201d Whether you\u2019ve seen it or not, you can infer what it was about from the name alone, with Hartman playing a litigator who was defrosted in 1988, went on to study law at the University of Oklahoma, who\u2019d use his seeming simple-mindedness to manipulate cases to his advantage.<\/p>\n

Further reading: Cutting Room Floor<\/p>\n

On paper, it was stupid. In practice, it was also stupid, but in the best kind of way. Hartman\u2019s commitment to the bit could never be faulted, and years before Hader had even considered<\/a> becoming a Saturday Night Live player, he\u2019d always be left doubled over whenever a new Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer skit appeared.<\/p>\n

It makes sense, since he was heralded by many as Hartman\u2019s spiritual successor of sorts, but he was enthralled by the bit as a fan first and foremost, and for Hader\u2019s money, it\u2019s the best there\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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