Eddie Murphy's Return To SNL Was Short, But Not Too Sweet

Eddie Murphy’s return to studio 8h may have come during what was potentially TV’s most grande spectacle ever in SNL’s massive, nearly 4-hour long 40th anniversary special. But it certainly wasn’t what any of us were expecting. While the night was filled with Kanye interruptions, reboots of classic sketches and a slew of monstrous musical moments, Murphy’s spotlight seemed to last only as long as it took to say thank you. And that’s pretty much all we got out of him.

Many of us teemed with excitement over what cross-generational comedic marvel could have been, dreaming of how Gumby could have met Stefan on Weekend Update or how the too-hot hot tub could have contained a lusting Rachel Dratch and Will Ferrell, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ear, while Murphy reprised his infamous James Brown routine along the edges. But no, instead, the highlight of Murphy's return to that legendary stage was actually Chris Rock, who gave a heartfelt and hilarious introduction to the man that paved the way for so many and convinced us that there was no definitive substitute for his particular brand of genius. That may all be true, but damn Eddie, give us something to work with.

The Huffington Post notes that as Murphy's thank yous ran out, there seemed to be some sort of teleprompter malfunction that may have cut his segment even shorter than what was planned, leaving him without a cue and doing a bit of improv to round out a minuscule 70-seconds of screen-time; virtually all omitted from the only official clip from the appearance. Yeah, it was a let down, but we'll always have what could have been. Watch Chris Rock's intro and the very brief return of Eddie Murphy at Saturday Night Live's 40 anniversary blowout below. Hit us with your dream Murphy skits in the comment section.