Saturday Night Live

When it debuted in 1975, Saturday Night Live redefined the shape and tone of TV comedy, and helped mold the comedic taste of multiple generations.

Created by Lorne Michaels, SNL has minted star after star after star. The original Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players gave us Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd. The explosive talent of Eddie Murphy kept the show alive during an otherwise fallow period in the early-mid Eighties. After a few short-lived casts featuring preexisting stars like Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Anthony Michael Hall, the series kept churning out new favorite actors and characters: Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth on Wayne's World, Adam Sandler singing goofy songs on Weekend Update, Will Ferrell jamming his way through the immortal "More Cowbell" sketch, the baton-passing of Weekend Update from Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon to Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, the music videos featuring Andy Samberg and friends, Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeiikis as two a-holes, Kenan Thompson distractable talk show host on "What's Up With That?," and many more.

And from the first time Chase fell down playing President Gerald Ford, the satire of SNL has become a significant part of our political discourse. Gen X's memories of George H.W. Bush are forever entangled with Carvey's impression of him. Some people still think the real Sarah Palin, and not Tina Fey as Palin, said she could see Russia from her house.

Through its many highs, lows, and "Saturday Night Dead" headlines, SNL has endured, and become a comedy institution.