“Saturday Night Live” at 40: Year of the Video

The landmark anniversary season, which ends this weekend, may be best remembered for taped comedy gems. Check out some highlights.

The landmark 40th season of "Saturday Night Live," anniversary hoopla and all, proved a strong run. That's thanks in part to performers like Kate McKinnon (whose Hillary Clinton impression will be the one to watch this election year), Beck Bennett (whose "Baby Boss" offers one of the show's most inspired recurring physical gags in years) and Leslie Jones (who steals whatever scene she's in).

Still, some of the season's most memorable bits didn't take place on the stage in Studio 8H. From Albert Brooks' 1970s filmed gems (think "The Impossible Truth") to Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island crew's Digital Shorts (think a certain "box"), "SNL" has a storied history of pre-packaged sequences that belie the late night comedy staple’s "live" moniker.

This season brought some of the most elaborate – and funniest – videos of the program's four decades, adding up to a highlight reel worthy of future anniversary celebrations. With Louis C.K., who starred in the clever 2012 "Lincoln" short, set to host the season finale this weekend, here's a look at some of the show’s best Season 40 videos: 

99 Problems and a Laugh Ain't One of Them

Mike O'Brien gave the greatest and most unlikely performance of his career as the title character in "The Jay-Z Story," which features a cameo by Jason Sudeikis as Kanye West. 

Star Turns

O'Brien's brand of inspired weirdness also enveloped hosts James Franco – who played a fast-made friend – and Michael Keaton as a teacher on a date with destiny. 

Pot Party

Potheads of New York left the smoky haze of their homes to celebrate the city's new, less restrictive marijuana policy with an impromptu street bash, appropriately led by Woody Harrelson. 

Instant Car-ma

Jim Carrey grilled "True Detective" star Matthew McConaughey in a lambasting of the actor's rambling car ads. 

Clown Act

Kyle Mooney brought his purposefully awkward interviewing style to a Letterman-esque day at the circus. 

Thanks for the Memories

The women of the cast, along with Cameron Diaz, rapped about coming home for Thanksgiving – with an attitude. 

Baby Talk

McKinnon trotted out another great impersonation – of Justin Bieber – for a spoof of the singer's Calvin Klein commercial. 

"Empire" Games/ Change of "Hobbit"

Pop culture mash-ups produced the two best videos – and two best skits – of Season 40: Taraji P. Henson's Cookie of "Empire" fame met Cookie Monster of "Sesame Street" fame, and the worlds of the original U.K. version of "The Office" and "The Hobbit" collided around a typically deadpan Martin Freeman.

Jere Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multimedia NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is also the author of "Raising a Beatle Baby: How John, Paul, George and Ringo Helped us Come Together as a Family." Follow him on Twitter.

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