Ten years ago, I sat down at the counter in my kitchen and watched the 40th season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” with my dad. I had seen clips before but he had never let me sit down and watch it fully since it can get raunchy.

Since that 40th premiere, I’ve sat with my dad and watched almost every episode. It became our thing. It became more than a show, and more of something I looked forward to every week. It was our bonding time.

Now that I’m in my second year of college, it’s a bittersweet thing. We don’t watch it together weekly like we used to, and it’s not the same. I’m realizing now, that it wasn’t the show that was funny, it was the experience of sitting down, watching it and hearing each other laugh.

Things have changed over time, and it’s not just the way we watch. The cast and the humor have changed over the 50 years too.

The feeling that once came with the show half a century ago, isn’t there anymore. Instead, it’s replaced with nostalgia, and a feeling of “home.”

That’s why when some people say “It’s not funny anymore,” I know it isn’t still successful because it’s funny. But because there are people who have watched this show for decades, week-after-week, it is. There are families like mine that have three or more generations watching because they brought that tradition into their own family.

It’s so fascinating to see all of the stars who got their start on SNL become so successful in movies, shows and other forms of entertainment, including Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers who have their own late-night shows.

It’s even more amazing to see the same thing happen with new stars, proving that SNL isn’t forever (unless you’re Keenan Thompson), but more of a gateway into comedy.

Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kate Mckinnon and, most recently, Ego Nwodimz are prime examples of SNL being a claim to fame.

It’s also fun to see newer stars take the place of older stars on the show, for example, the predecessors and successors of Weekend Update. Colin Jost and Michael Che are a powerhouse duo, but we can’t forget Meyers before them, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler before him and so on.

With a comedy show lasting 50 years, it also acts as a reminder and time capsule for the changing world and satire.

Every election season one of the first questions asked when there’s a new candidate is “Who’s going to play them on SNL?” In this election alone everyone was gearing up to watch the iconic Maya Rudolph play Vice President Kamala Harris. I remember watching them make fun of Mitt Romney with skits of him drinking milk like an alcoholic.

Especially in a world like today where everyone is so divided, SNL brings people together, by just making fun of everyone.

We also have to acknowledge how well SNL transitions without falling behind over the years. They seamlessly got to a point where skits are now structured in a way that caters to TikTok, Instagram Reels and other social media platforms. They know that not as many people watch it on TV anymore, so they adjust it  to maintain success. 

It’s working, because now I’m watching SNL in my bed on TikTok instead of sitting down and watching it on a streaming service.

Though the show is made for laughs, it’s hard to ignore the sentimental value of it. For the viewer and the performers. Fifty years is an amazing milestone.

It’s more than just a comedy. It’s a legacy that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.