Mulaney, a former writer on the show who has returned multiple times to host, kicked things off as a vendor selling hot dogs and heroin in New York in 1975, when the city was more gritty and āSNLā was just starting out.
Pete Davidson and David Spade, former āSNLā cast members, played two new arrivals to what Mulaney dismissed as a ābankrupt hellholeā as he urged them to leave.
However, the āpoets and dreamersā refused to go, starting a musical journey through 50 years of New York history set to Broadway numbers. The segment included Adam Driver as a dancing hot dog, Maya Rudolph as a needle full of heroin, Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton in āHamiltonā to roast Kate McKinnonās return as Rudy Giuliani, Scarlett Johansson as Audrey from āLittle Shop of Horrors,ā and Nathan Lane with a not-at-all-subtle reference to his role as Timon in āThe Lion King.ā
The segment also featured Paul Rudd, Kenan Thompson, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and more, ultimately concluding with their own take on āOne More Dayā from āLes Miserables.ā