Saturday Night Live celebrated its fortieth year on air last Sunday. Decades of comedic legends all gathered together in hopes of honoring the many years of laughing out loud that writers and actors of the show provided. Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL, invited  many past, present, and future talents to create an epic arrangement of sketches and monologues.

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake opened the show up with a charming musical number. Original cast member Chevy Chase made a comical appearance as Molly Shannon got the crowd roaring with laugh  her entrance portraying her beloved character, Mary Katherine Gallagher. Will Ferrell brought tears of joy when he returned as the host of Celebrity Jeopardy. Seth Meyers did the same to the audience when he resurfaced in Wayne’s World. The dynamic duo, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, stopped by too. Even Steve Martin returned in an opening monologue as well as his infamous King Tut character.

On top of the star-studded cast, many previous hosts joined in on the fun. Robert De Niro had a brief appearance along with actor Bradley Cooper, Alec Baldwin, and Betty White.

For some, this three-and-a-half hour show was like a Saturday perk on Sunday night. For others, this event could be considered the all-star game of the comedy world.

The anniversary show pulled in a total of 23.1 million viewer from from 8-10p.m.

Lucas Woods, one of HB’s wittiest teachers, was one of the millions of people who tuned into the Sunday-night special. Woods has been a fan of SNL as long as he can remember. Among his favorite cast members were Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy. “I have never seen an event that has so many A-listers together, which demonstrates how important this show has been for comedy in general,” Woods said.

The show has been one of the few late night programs to appeal to people all over the country. In this anniversary special, the writers were able to reincarnate some old sketches while still staying relevant to their audience. The collection of comedians that came together in honor of  the decades of comedy was not only impressive but skillfully planned as well.

Woods, whose favorite sketch of the night was Bill Murray’s “Jaws” sketch, found it hard to watch current celebrities portray past legends. “I wasn’t a big fan of Emma Stone [performing] Gilda Radner’s character and Melissa McCarthy doing [Chris] Farley… I was like, really? You had to play Farley?” said Woods in regards to the impersonations. Like Woods, some people found the attempts left much to be desired compared to the original talent. However, others appreciated the tribute and saw it as less as a mere impersonation and more as a small reminder of the impression the comic left on the show.

“I think there are moments, and have been moments through it all that I am incredibly proud of,” said Lorne Michaels in an interview with NBC about Saturday Night Live over the past forty years.

Regardless of the quality of the anniversary special, the show has been a comedic outlet for people in the last four decades (however, the ratings do agree). The witty satire and relatable irony that the show presents every Saturday night not only makes for great laughs, but iconic moments in the world of sketch writing.