Watch The History Of SNL’s Incredible Political Comedy In The Trailer For ‘Live From New York’

It’s an ongoing source of sadness that we don’t have the same kind of enduring satirical comedy scene as the US. Sure, we have some great stuff: Shaun Micallef, the guys from The Chaser, more recent shows like ABC’s Black Comedy, and whatever comes from this never-ending, Tone-inspired Renaissance. But we’ve never quite had a Colbert, a Jon Stewart, or a Saturday Night Live.

As if to give us a taste of what we’re missing, SNL are now looking back on the incredible run they’ve had after the show’s highly publicised 40th anniversary. Directed by emerging filmmaker Bao Nguyen, the upcoming documentary Live From New York will combine classic clips from the show with behind-the-scenes footage and new interviews with the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Chris Rock, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, and Will Ferrell.

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Because this is as good a time as any to drift away into the gloriously, unproductive depths of Youtube, let’s take a closer look at some of those legendary performances the trailer alluded to.

Fey and Poehler of course famously depicted Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton during their time as SNL players, earning the former an award as AP Entertainer of the Year and the latter a life-long friendship with the Future Leader Of The Free World.

As Will Ferrell was accustomed to portraying generally incompetent/probably drunk weirdos, he naturally did an incredible job as George W. Bush in the early 2000s.

And, though Alec Baldwin has been heavily involved with SNL over the years even playing Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry in the lead-up to the 2012 election, the filmmakers decided this clip of him making aggressive wanking motions with a Wii remote was the only one which should make the final cut for the trailer.

Never forget.

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Live From New York debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 15.