“SNL” Doing A “Sábado Gigante” Sketch In Spanish Was Not On My 2024 Bingo Card, But People Are Loving It

I vividly remember the first time I caught a glimpse of an episode of Sábado Gigante on my abuelito’s TV as a kid. I just kind of sat there for a while, watching the chaos unfold on the screen and thinking, “What the hell am I watching????” 10/10 would recommend. Well, in a twist that I absolutely did not see coming, SNL did a sketch this weekend that perfectly captured that nostalgic experience.

NBC

In case you’re not familiar, Sábado Gigante was a variety show that aired on Univision from 1962 to 2015. For a time, it was the longest-running TV show in history, having graced TV screens in Latino homes every week for 53 years.

Rodrigo Varela / WireImage / Getty Images

SNL cast member Marcello Hernández played host Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger), who called upon a very confused audience member — played by the episode’s host, comedian Nate Bargatze — to participate in everything from a sing-along to a guessing game.

NBC

Listen, they nailed the details. Of course, we got El Chacal:

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The bonkers hats, just because:

NBC / Univision

And a singing contest feat. El Leon, which — yes — is straight out of a literal episode of the show and not at all an exaggeration:

NBC / Univision

The sketch — which garnered 6M views on TikTok alone — was met with nothing but love from the audience, praising the cast for bringing such a nostalgic, iconic part of Latino culture to life:

One commenter praised the show for doing the whole sketch — minus Nate’s lines, of course — in Spanish:

SNL writer Steven Castillo shared the sketch to his Twitter, dedicating it to “all Hispanics who grew up watching this show with their families.”
Hope you guys enjoy this one. Dedicated to all Hispanics who grew up watching this show with their families.

— Steven Castillo (@STEEEZUSCHRIST) October 6, 2024

Twitter: @STEEEZUSCHRIST

But wait, that’s not all! Don Francisco — the host of Sábado Gigante — commented on the sketch, thanking them for “bringing back memories” of the iconic show, which he called “not only a great television program but…also very important as a meeting point for the family and our Hispanic community.”

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