Saturday Night Live

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines Saturday Night Live as…come on, how do you introduce the comedy juggernaut of American pop culture for the better part of six decades? Answer: with a riff on the old “opening with a dictionary definition" joke that we hope Lorne Michaels notices and finds funny and subsequently showers us in fame and fortune after reading this page. Or at least looks at our wish list of first-time hosts, all of whom are funnier than Elon Musk.

Yes, the show has featured some of the best comedians of the last half-century. Yes, more cowbell both boosted attendance for and ruined the experience of Blue Oyster Cult shows. And yes, if Lorne Michaels is God, then Eddie Murphy is Jesus. But SNL is more than a once-a-week excuse to giggle and chuckle while watching network television. It's a blueprint for comedy and a career launching pad for some of the funniest people alive. Of course Cracked, the internet's only comedy website, has written extensively about it: