One of the great things about Saturday Night Live? You hardly ever have to watch a full season live, because all of its greatest sketches wind up, at some point, on YouTube. There, you can just watch and rewatch to your heart’s content.
This is the case with the mock soap opera, “The Californians,” which was a brilliant and hilarious staple during the tenures of comedians Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig, and Bill Hader. (All of them have obviously gone on to bigger and better things.) On Seth Meyers last night, Hader joined Meyers to talk about the unforgettable sketch, which poked fun at how West Coasters form words and deliver sentences that Eastern ears can barely decipher. Here’s a taste of “The Californians” from SNL‘s 40th anniversary special:
In the bit with Meyers, Hader discusses the origins of “The Californians,” and how difficult it was for him to hold it together when filming the sketch. (Also, watch Hader and Armisen, in their joke band Test Pattern, performing the song “Art + Student = Poor” here.)
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