Saturday Night time Dwell is at the moment airing its fiftieth season within the 2025 TV schedule, which is actually a milestone that the majority reveals won’t ever attain. NBC has celebrated that milestone in a wide range of methods, however followers with Peacock subscriptions are those with entry to the SNL50: Past Saturday Night time docuseries that chronicles a number of the collection’ highest highs and lowest lows over the previous half century. Will Ferrell’s iconic “Extra Cowbell” sketch is actually one of many highest highs, and is the topic of 1 full episode of SNL50.
Docuseries government producer Morgan Neville spoke with CinemaBlend concerning the episode, together with how the staff tracked down contemporary footage for a sketch that aired 25 years in the past. The “Extra Cowbell” sketch was written by Will Ferrell and in addition featured SNL solid members Chris Parnell, Chris Kattan, Horatio Sanz, and Jimmy Fallon, a few of whom had been extra profitable than others at maintaining a straight face reverse the longer term ELF star because the Gene Frenkle, the cowbell-playing member of Blue Oyster Cult.
The sketch has haunted host Christopher Walken ever because it aired in 2000 resulting from how infinitely quotable it’s, and the SNL50: Past Saturday Night time episode all about it revealed that Will Farrell initially wrote it for Norm Macdonald within the position of Bruce Dickinson, however was handed over and shelved till Walken arrived. I will not spoil the occasions of the total episode of the Peacock docuseries right here, however once I spoke with SNL50 government producer Morgan Neville, he defined why the four-part collection devoted a full episode to simply that one (admittedly unimaginable profitable) sketch:
I cherished that concept, as a result of I simply knew we might get actually particular. I might consider another documentaries I’ve cherished that get actually particular, just like the Helvetica documentary concerning the font, or there is a documentary concerning the bathe scene in Psycho nearly that one scene, and I stated, ‘Okay, it may be carried out.’ I did not know the place it was gonna go, however I used to be actually enthusiastic about getting actually micro. After which, as soon as we received into it, they not solely had the gown rehearsal footage, however any individual who used to work on the present, who does not even work right here anymore, had a VHS tape with the blocking footage of them blocking the sketch. After which discovering the previous variations of the scripts. When you begin to actually get into the archeology of it, it is superb how a lot info there’s about one sketch.
Loads of SNL followers have undoubtedly seen “Extra Cowbell” greater than as soon as, however the particular episode of SNL50 included footage that actually was by no means a part of the unique broadcast, a DVD launch, or the clip on YouTube. The method of gathering info on the sketch from 2000 that no one knew could be such an enormous hit went so far as retrieving a VHS tape from a former worker. Contemplating that few folks even have VCRs these days, it is spectacular that the tape was nonetheless round and of excessive sufficient high quality for the docuseries!
SNL50‘s EP Morgan Neville, who received an Academy Award in 2014 for 20 Toes from Stardom, and Emmy in 2017 for Better of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal, a Grammy for 20 Toes From Stardom, and scores of nominations for different initiatives together with Will not You Be My Neighbor as a showcase of Mr. Rogers and Piece by Piece because the documentary of Pharrell Williams’ life and profession through Lego animation, went on to say concerning the “Extra Cowbell” sketch circa 2000:
On the time, that sketch wasn’t something greater than only one sketch for the evening. No one even actually knew that that sketch was what it grew to become. The sketch took years to construct its historical past, and a part of it’s it made it onto the ‘Finest Of’ DVDs and all of that. It was 25 years in the past, as a result of it was earlier than viral [videos]. That sketch actually needed to have time to construct. And that is attention-grabbing. Even simply then, why does a sketch immediately construct and go viral? What connects folks to one thing? But additionally making an attempt to do it in a approach that is not simply analytical, as a result of speaking about comedy for too lengthy can actually be a idiot’s errand. It is like, let’s even have enjoyable with it, as a result of why else are we right here however to chuckle?
The SNL50 episode concerning the sketch goes in-depth on how the chances had been really stacked in opposition to “Extra Cowbell” even being the standout phase of the episode again in 2000, with completely no approach of guessing that it will be a staple of popular culture 25 years later.
As any individual who really did see it for the primary time through the Saturday Night time Dwell – The Better of Will Ferrell DVD compilation, I rewatched the sketch on YouTube after seeing the brand new docuseries and found that it has accrued 28 million views since going reside on the platform in 2020 5 years in the past. I shared that determine with Morgan Neville, who responded:
That is solely 5 years! That is loopy. It is a part of why I feel SNL has really lived on deep into the twenty first century, is it is really oddly suited to how we eat media nowadays. It’s totally clippable.
Very clippable and really quotable, I might say! Essentially the most well-known line to come back out of “Extra Cowbell” could be Christopher Walken’s “I received a fever and the one prescription is extra cowbell!” My private favourite, although, is when Will Ferrell’s voice begins to crack on saying “I might be doing myself a disservice––” whereas his castmates are hiding their laughter of their Blue Oyster Cult facial hair. Even he comes dangerously near cracking a smile! In any case, nothing makes a humorous SNL sketch even funnier than when the celebs can not help however break.Have a look:
Take a look at the deep dive into “Extra Cowbell” with the third episode of SNL50: Past Saturday Night time, out there streaming on Peacock now. All 4 episodes of the docuseries are price watching, although, between the lengthy checklist of present and former stars rewatching their auditions and the story of the bizarre yr that just about resulted in SNL‘s cancellation. You can too discover new episodes of Saturday Night time Dwell with the subsequent SNL hosts on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.