Saturday Night Live spoiled its audience with a cameo-packed episode hosted by Martin Short to close out 2024. But if it wasn't for time restrictions, another big-name cameo would have been added to the list.
The cold open kicked things off by officially inducting Short into the Five Timers Club. Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd, John Mulaney, Emma Stone, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, and Jimmy Fallon all showed up to start the show. Lorne Michaels and Dana Carvey also popped up later in the episode.
A cut-for-time sketch prevented actress Lucy Liu from officially making a cameo during the episode. But thankfully, Saturday Night Live added the sketch online for all to enjoy.
Martin Short stars as the Grinch in the Dr. Seuss parody. The scene stars pretty slow and is more impressive for the production value than any of the comedy.
However, that quickly changes as the holiday sketch becomes so bloody and outrageous, one has to wonder if that had more to do with it not making it to air than the time.
The Lucy Liu cameo turns the sketch into a Kill Bill parody and reimagines the Christmas classic as directed by Quentin Tarantino. It's a similar formula Saturday Night Live as used in the past, most notably the bit about Wes Anderson directing a Halloween movie.
Has Lucy Liu ever hosted Saturday Night Live?
The cold open's cameos created something of a comedy reunion fest. Every actor in the sketch had worked with someone else in the scene at one time or another.
But Lucy Liu and Martin Short aren't exactly two names one would put together. They haven't worked together until now. So it seems like Saturday Night Live had the idea for Lucy Liu Who and the actress was game to play along.
Liu does have history with Saturday Night Live. The Elementary star hosted SNL once before, on December 16, 2000. Perhaps it's no coincidence that it was also that season's Christmas episode.
And in one more twist, Liu hosted the season 26 episode just a month after she was parodied on SNL. A "Weekend Update" bit about the Charlie's Angels movie featured Maya Rudolph as Liu alongside host Calista Flockhart as Cameron Diaz and Rachel Dratch as Drew Barrymore.