Vintage Saturday Night Live clips honor the early 2000s era

The latest selection of vintage Saturday Night Live clips released online look back at the start of a new millennium.

Since it was 19 years ago, it is appropriate to add in “for those who remember” when discussing the transition from the 1990s to the 2000s. It was a strange time highlighted by the Y2K “scare” and a noticeable shift in pop culture. Changes also came to Saturday Night Live.

The sketch show celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2000. This came during a period where popular cast members like Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley had left the show either by choice or by NBC’s decision. It meant that producer Lorne Michaels had to bring in a new crop of talent to bring the show into the 2000s.

And while the show’s new cast didn’t instantly connect with audiences, it still resulted in some household names getting their start. Performers like Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, and Seth Meyers all started to shine in the early 2000s era.

Saturday Night Live has been releasing vintage clips on to its YouTube page all summer to hold fans over until season 45 starts this fall. The clips have been coming out in mostly chronological order. Recently fans were treated to the late 90s period highlighted by Ferrell and Fallon’s early work.

This week saw the show move further into the new millennium with sketches from 2000, 2001, and 2002. Check out Last Night On’s picks for the top three sketches from this batch.

Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet

Inside Barbie’s Dreamhouse

Bald Eagle Fight

Credit should go to this era of Saturday Night Live performers for being original. They didn’t try to recreate anything from the past but instead brought a unique voice to the show for a unique time. Clearly they did something right given the incredible careers so many cast members have had since leaving the show. Who was your favorite cast member from the early 2000s? What was your favorite sketch? Let us know in the comments below!