Serial: The Christmas Surprise - SNL

Serial's Sarah Koenig (Cecily Strong) investigates the story of Kris Kringle (Kyle Mooney), an elf who allegedly leaves presents in people's homes. [Season 40, 2014]
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[@simonjenkin]

the *really* impressive thing about this is how they managed to perfectly nail a sketch about something that has absolutely no visuals at all. they created an entire visual language for an audio podcast and it's seamless. that's just incredible.

[@justinpullins6214]

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking. It really is so masterfully done that you don't even notice that at first. It just makes sense immediately. Kudos.

[@amieofrain1804]

wait really? i haven’t heard about serial so i thought this was an actual show!

[@ruthgrossman9231]

@@amieofrain1804 It is, but it's a podcast - so you don't see anything.

[@HellstreamGames]

Wait until you hear about movies based on books

[@frankt.morgan5538]

​@@HellstreamGames NO. Movies based on books?! Is that actually real?? (I’m kidding.) 🥴😁

[@Mick-Squared]

She did a great job on Sarah Koenig's voice. Lol

[@Mick-Squared]

Actually all do the voices were well done. Lol

[@nutsackmania]

+Micki Michelle Lol

[@alexlawrence449]

She really did.

[@amandataylor652]

I honestly thought it was Sarah at first like guest starring until I actually looked at the girls face lol

[@stevenpuente8153]

+Amanda Taylor I just saw this and if I hadn't seen a, video of Cecily talking about before, I would've thought it was her for a bit too. this was too good lol

[@salohcinz3801]

One of the best SNL sketches I've ever seen

[@SillyWashington]

How is it a skit? It's a real documentary.

[@Sh0wat]

+Silly Wtf

[@ElevatingNoCo]

Hubert Mcloller support from NPR comes from Saturday Night Live

[@ElevatingNoCo]

can't stand that NPR crap.

[@flisko123]

not

[@michaelgawlik2697]

Kyle on the phone is so funny. He matches Adnan's tone and voice perfectly.

[@bewbsmcgee946]

ya know what I'm say in?

[@RealizeImmaBeast]

Bewbs Mcgee Yeah I don't know

[@mloftin6472]

Yaknowutimsayin

[@maggiemay896]

I broke the 666 :(

[@8830wjs]

Keenan did a really good job on the UPS guy

[@assclownmcgraw5634]

People are giving props to Cecily for her Sarah Koenig impression, but what about Kyle's Adnan Syed speech patterns? That was on fcking point as well. This one fascinates me because this is truly accurate.

[@mrchaos239]

Tyrone Lannister seriously!

[@wambsgays]

PERIODT

[@cindyd.934]

Agreed

[@berrychampion3173]

100% agree

[@ieatgremlins]

He killed it too.

[@jtuck35]

This remains the most bang-on parody SNL have ever done. It probably works so well because you can tell they're actually fans of Serial. It's not even really parody, just pastiche.

[@r.s.4085]

My favorite kind of pudding!

[@flowerchild89]

This skit is HILARIOUS 😅

[@brandonpundzak4499]

Cecily is brilliant.

[@rrileu9148]

"..and then there's the Nisha call. Next time, on Serial." EVERY TIME. Couldn't be a better ending.

[@simonjenkin]

"Mail kiiiimp?"

[@cariwhyte]

Riley Whelan HAHAH YES

[@AshleysCamera]

As an avid and dedicated listener to the Serial Podcast, this skit is absolutely hysterical. Their impersonations of the defense lawyer, Adnan, Sarah Koenig, and Dana were on point. The style of the video, the speech patterns, the music, everything, is just amazing.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Deep thoughts into your intimate moments just like white snow melting around hot chocolate

[@AnnaKhKem]

Friend David from UPS is also very funny. 😂

[@auntvesuvi3872]

The intonation of the line, "the horse wouldn't even fly". Brilliance. I will so miss Cecily Strong on SNL. Looking forward to everything else she does. 🌟

[@alumpyhorse]

Love Cecily, miss her!

[@RavenclawNimbus]

She’s good at singing, she’s hilarious, and attractive all at the same time! How does she do it

[@peachmuffin143]

Cecily did the voice PERFECTLY. I'm so impressed.

[@iProvisionals]

This should actually be a weekly thing with Cecily

[@WillieD]

I just listened to Serial over the weekend and damn, SNL nailed the impersonations. SNL is getting better than it has been in a while.

[@teresadalessio1]

I totally agree. I stopped watching it 4 years and now it's my fave..I used to love mad TV too

[@quokka_11]

I'm touched by the thoughtfulness of protecting the helper elf's identity with a face blur. 💓💖

[@manchesterunitedno7]

Cecily and Kate arguably the strongest SNL casts since TIna and Amy days.

[@sbruchmann]

+Brian Fantana What about Kristen Wiig?

[@manchesterunitedno7]

Steffen Bruchmann I'm talking about this generation SNL performers. Kristen Wiig was an alumni, she came in during Tina and Amy days. To be honest, Kristen is in league of her own.

[@davidh3601]

+Brian Fantana I 100% agree but I think Leslie Jones is one of the less appreciated cast members but one of the strongest.

[@manchesterunitedno7]

David Harnch Indeed, her roles so far only limited to support and angry black woman variety. SNL still doesn't know what to do with it cast of woman of ethnic. With the exception of Nasem, but she was gone for greener pasture now.

[@diva1675]

+Brian Fantana what does Nassem do now?

[@meghanlamonte9380]

this is incredibly on point. the SNL cast is fucking talented. and the writers are geniuses.

[@nutsackmania]

+meghan lamonte false

[@Pumpkinking64]

this is a gem among loads of shit.

[@heyo3092]

+Roger Allen true true

[@Deidredit]

I was cracking up at the lawyer's voice when she was questioning jingles because that's exactly what the one lawyer sounded like on Season 1.

[@2ndRatePetronius]

The real Christmas magic of this skit is how perfectly it pays tribute to and skewers SERIAL. Kyle Mooney is SPOT ON in his voiceover as Adnan. My jaw literally dropped when he first came on.

[@jerrypwjr]

2ndRatePetronius I know! I seriously played it back about 1/2 a dozen times.

[@connorblake7487]

+Jerry wright Just say six. You played it back six times. I mean, why?

[@jerrypwjr]

Ha! Ha! I guess it sounded more dramatic. :D

[@shafeeksalim6222]

2ndRatePetronius ,

[@nebulousisgod]

Mooney is one of the best character actors of all time

[@oxhornsupporter985]

Does Sarah Koenig provide a voice over for this? If not, then Cecily Strong does an incredible impression of her. The sound and cadence of their voices seems identical.

[@briannadevlin1298]

It’s Cecily’s voice

[@CarlosEduardo-qf5gr]

Cecily is no joke

[@artmoss6889]

Cecily is one of the finest voice actors of our time. Her ability to mimic the vocal qualities of real people is matched by her skill at creating unique vocal signatures for fictional characters.

[@jnnx]

It’s called…”ACTING!”

[@momjeans9751]

"You never, not once?" "No Ma'am" *whaaaaaaaaaaattttt?!?*

[@JesseColton]

...and then there's the Nisha call. GOLDEN

[@bollean]

What is this reference?

[@md9333]

it was a big part of the pod cast serial season 1

[@joypopoola6115]

OMG Spot on!

[@jbmp1390]

Nisha call was bullshit anyway. Adnan was conspired against. I think that should be obvious.

[@theBeacon]

The Nisha call puts Chris in the Sleigh with Jingle at 2:15.

[@wheatymat8691]

The “Righ…..you know what I mean” ? Classic Sarah!

[@AltcoinDaily]

Kids today don't know how much this sketch 'hit'. SO GOOD. 🙏

[@lepair27]

"And then there's the Nisha call." That's when I lost it.

[@bigdc202]

I didn't get that joke. What is it about?

[@mishatex6531]

bigdc202 A podcast that is about a murder case in 1999. You should listen to the podcast. It's great.

[@spatt01]

lepair27 yea, for me it was the mail chimp at the end. And also how she answers her own questions like the podcast "could chris really have done this...and if so, how?". This was so funny I couldn't even laugh, I just sat up in amazement at how they bullseyed SERIAL. Then I bust out laughing...

[@joshlarson1252]

There were probably a lot of people who didn’t fully appreciate this but anyone who has heard season 1 of the Serial podcast will truly appreciate how spookily accurate this is. Every single detail is spot on.

[@camillevoyage9727]

omg this is on point, even the way "Adina Hernandez" sounds compared to Adnan's lawyer ahahaha

[@alimayasmr8749]

This made me feel nostalgic, used to listen to Serial with my colleagues when I worked in an office a few years back. Didn't realise how popular Serial was! Also can't get over how accurate Cecily and Kyle's impressions were, chilling

[@888thisthat]

“You understand...that’s hard for people to swallow, ri-you know what I mean?” twice verbatim, with different responses, so right on. Possibly the best snl parody ever.

[@deepseagrenade]

I had never heard of Serial until I watched this - after totally binging the podcast I had to come rewatch to see how close it was. Everyone did an amazing job!

[@Sarahforthefail]

Standing ovation for Cecily Strong in this sketch, she nailed it!

[@KvnDWr]

Yo, this is god-tier parody... like straight up perfection

[@gemmagoette9713]

I may or may not have 1. listened to this 1 million times, 2. sent this to literally everyone I know, and 3. wanted to like this at least 5thousand times

[@blakes5827]

I may or may not have laid a turd so large that I thought it was a dead Dachshund in the toilet.

[@wanwo4930]

but will we ever know for sure!?!?

[@jacktrppr1]

So amazingly well done. This should be evidence when people say SNL sucks now. They can't all be winners, but they can still make brilliance like this.

[@canaisyoung3601]

I know. Plus, even the good seasons (like the 1970s episodes or the Dana Carvey/Phil Hartman era or even the Bill Hader/Andy Samberg era) have a lot of bad and forgettable sketches. I even found some mildly amusing sketches during the Jean Doumanian era (1980-1981 season).

[@tdc1991x]

I completely lost it at the Hernandez part

[@wrenromero8646]

What a brilliant parody. Cecily Strong, you will be missed on SNL!!

[@thebirdandthecricket]

ACTUAL TEARS IN MY EYES IM SO PROUD OF U SNL

[@claireslifeoncam]

J Dee Carter omg shut the actual fuck up lmao it was a hyperbole

[@naughtybynature999]

This was one of the more genius sketches SNL has put out. That generation IMHO is sooo underrated. They weren't goofballs like the 90s early 2000s SNL, they had really excellent writing

[@luvluvluv2216]

"Ok, so its mail kimppp?" OH MY GOD that was so unexpectedly perfect. This whole skit is my favorite

[@leapyearbabe4]

the writing of this skit is spot on. soo impressed cuz i love serial!

[@rav3nklaue736]

I listened to Serial 5 years ago in an English class. I still come back to this skit because it is so accurate. Brings back memories, especially the music.

[@TheJenniferOlive]

This is amazing! 100% nailed it!

[@SeptemberRose23]

Lmfaooo the Adnan impersonation is spot on 😅🤣😅🤣

[@ishashah9510]

Holy effing crap!! Cecily Strong is so bloody brilliant! It is amazing how spot on this is! And the Nisha Call...bwahahahaha!!

[@GoziTV]

Omg!!! Everything about this is perfect!!! Lmao

[@kristie123ize]

gozi!!!!

[@blakes5827]

IKR

[@Muybuena]

I'm kinda sad people don't seem to see just HOW phenomenal this sketch is! What a spot on Serial/Xmas crossover.

[@ClericEric]

How have I never seen this?? Cecily needs an Emmy

[@londonbordeaux]

Still one of my favorite skits everrrrrr.

[@ShowDonkeys]

One of the best SNL Sketches.

[@ieatgremlins]

I’ve listened to season one and two of Serial countless times and Cecily NAILED this.

[@TheArchsage74]

Jesus Christ, she sounds exactly like Sarah Koenig.

[@britneyspearsstan]

This is one of the best SNL skits of all time and it has to come back

[@HailSocialite]

I'm listening to Serial now, and I stop every few episodes and watch this.

[@NennaJuj]

I'm doing the exact same thing

[@danyellejones2799]

HailSocialite omg me too 😂😂😂😂😂

[@SNair819]

Me too, right now...its 3.48 am in Delhi and it's coldd

[@PeterZachKozlina]

Idk why this sketch is so underrated, it’s honestly one of my favorites along with anything Stefon

[@KCDarin]

Netflix's "Making a Murderer" led to Google searches about Steve Avery; which led to popular mentions of "Serial Podcast". I listened to all 12 which led to youtube searches about "Adnan Syed" which led to this incredibly creative parody of the Serial podcast..AWESOME!

[@cilantrogarden]

My exact experience too

[@anacallejas6328]

Christmas Magic, man!

[@queeriocheerio]

If you close your eyes, this is IDENTICAL to the actual series. Bravo SNL!!!!! my favorite sketch to date.

[@tullymox]

My wife watched this before I did, and she thought it was just a parody of NPR style podcasts. When I played Serial for her, she flipped out at how spot on it was. One of the best parodies SNL has ever done.

[@allisonallbee253]

I just finished the first season of serial and this is unreal how spot on all the cast members are!!!

[@CharlieBourgeois_]

Here I am: 11/1/16 just finding this for the first time. WTF. This is the greatest thing ever from this show. Ever.

[@53orion81]

totally agree...

[@yonghokim]

Charlie Bourgeois i listened to entire serial podcast, subscribed to snl in october 2016, but only found this vid today because someone ppsted it on tje serial subreddit

[@sherryn.3687]

Charlie Bourgeois This is 06/05/2017. It is my first time seeing this. Amazing.

[@lameloball3938]

One year anniversary of this comment

[@pablolc7483]

I thought there was a hair on screen...I tired to flick it off only to realize it was your the picture for your profile.....going back to sleep now...

[@jax422]

Cecily Strong is one of the most underrated SNL cast members of all time

[@jamesren4665]

I need the next episode.

[@AdamSank]

Good lord! Now that I'm finally listening to the original season of "Serial," I can get how brilliant this piece is. The nailed EVERYTHING. Maybe Cecil's finest work.

[@physiotherapistpaulina9340]

"you know what I am sayin?".................... priceless. These women are fantastic. Love Cecily and Kate too.........

[@pekos21]

The Nisha call!!!!!

[@user-gd8xm3eb9t]

The attention to detail and effort to nail the podcast exactly is amazing. Even his lawyer?😂😂😂😂

[@sirmart42]

198 people haven't listened to serial. This is perfect

[@aarondadvlogs]

SO GOOD

[@jjwatt7475]

lmao! Spot on!

[@christianharvey5863]

This is by far the best SNL skit

[@habibal-jarrah5822]

this sketch is amazing in many levels ... Good job!

[@krishnadavis6007]

Cecily Strong was BRILLIANT!!!

[@KiLLJOY1056]

If you wanna make sense of Santa, you could say that the Christmas Magic actually slows the whole world down over Christmas night, rather than making him go fast. He’s moving at regular pace but the world is super slowed down. He told me himself

[@Piaseczno1]

McKinnon's "He-ah!" as she attempts to usher the sleigh into motion is full humour.

[@TimStreet]

Love the Mail Chimp ad at the end. Did they ever get lucky sponsoring that podcast.

[@EliezerPennywhistler]

Have YOU signed on? If not, in what sense were they lucky?

[@clintflicker7682]

Eliezer Pennywhistler Yes. Unless Tim Street himself signs on to mail chimp, then their whole campaign was worthless. We all know all marketing success is dependent on Tim Street's participation.

[@clintflicker7682]

Patrick Filan Holy shit! Tim's using The Brazilian Butt Lift? SIGN ME UP!

[@TheDeatz23]

+Clint Flicker lol, holy shit this response had me laughing me ass off. Well done sir

[@mikereicks1575]

+TheDeatz23 k

[@MargueriteTruckey]

fucking amazing. i hadn't listened to serial when this came out but now that i have, holy shit

[@happinessforeverandalways]

Marguerite Truckey me! I found Serial because of this, because I loved it so much!

[@alejandrorodriguez-do7rj]

such a crush on Cecily Strong right now

[@rikki1330]

This was perfection!! Glad he is out now!!!

[@p.g.3806]

I particurly appreciate that Santa has that poppy, degraded audio quality which is an acoustic signature of seemingly every key witness on serial- like he's speaking aggressively into a walky talky in the middle of the woods.

[@josiepark5521]

Cecily's voice is weirdly relaxing.

[@dancewomyn1]

Her "Ira Glass" vocal timing is fabulous!!

[@sevillomatic]

"a thousand year old toy maker, up north.." I can't with Cecily.

[@julians9064]

noticed the VHS tape times don't line up. he has the toy opened at 7:53 but is holding the closed box at 8:01

[@simonjenkin]

+John Smith You just blew the case wide open!

[@salohcinz3801]

+John Smith ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED

[@emmaj3361]

There are only 5:42 minutes in the skit

[@kentjg32]

How haven't I seen this before???? This was perfectly done.

[@revellifevideo]

This never gets old. 2024 still watching

[@skully720]

I lost it when she said they got high lmao

[@gwilliams5649]

I like how Santa says “Know what I’m sayin”

[@darkspd31]

I love how Kris Kringle talks, he's like from the Bronx. "like I don't know what else to say, you know what a I'm saying. .."

[@dudeman71213]

I can't believe I just found this. The first season of Serial is my favourite podcast of all time; I have so many memories of roadtrips listening (and relistening) to Sarah. I've listened to season 1 at least 4 times!

[@danny2812]

Just today, February 27th 2021, I listened the entire first "season" of SERIAL and this is sooooo accurate. Cecily and Kyle did such an amazing job! And then there's the Nisha call.

[@WaltonBurns]

This is dead-on. Not just Serial, all these story-driven NPR podcasts.

[@happinessforeverandalways]

This is exactly like serial, I watched this couple of months ago then started listening to serial, and this is 100% basically the first season. It's 👍🏻 great

[@Eddogegr3]

No one is gonna mention the MailChimp reference at the end? So perfect

[@josephjiang7755]

The WHATTTTTTT had me rolling XD

[@bragooo]

I'm soooo late but this is toooo accurate.!

[@Paunchypeach]

I choked on my food when Christina Hernandez started talking... WHAAAAAAT? Can't. Stop. Laughing!!

[@TheRahuiSouljah]

No one wants to mention Aidy as Gutierrez? Spot on.

[@actualhumangirl]

How did I not see this when it came out? Oh my god. I swear. This is pitch perfect. Cecily Strong is a gift.

[@jakespiegler5006]

Aidy Bryant has the most spot on impression😅

[@alex0589]

Still one of the most incredible, timely, perfectly executed skits/shorts Snl did in the last 5 years, the audience's reaction is half of it. Not necessarily the funniest, but the best. They captured the moment so goddamn well. They produced that in a few days.

[@Sam.Adeoye]

This is too accurate 😂😂

[@yoongistongue4163]

This skit actually made me listening to Serial 😅

[@BugalooB]

Sounds just like “This American life”! Lol

[@Tsquare22ESQ]

Kyle Mooney's impression of the standoffish slightly un willing subject is perfect.

[@sanansa4567]

that courtroom sketch with the attorney squawking, and the Mail Chimp at the end, put it over the top. LOL