The Best 'SNL' Host of Season 37: Nos. 5-8

Saturday Night Live may have wrapped up its 37th season, but that doesn't mean we can't keep talking about the show. Twenty-two different actors, singers, athletes and whatever it is Lindsay Lohan does these days hosted the late-night institution over the past eight months, and in no way where all their efforts equal. Some hosts gave it their all (and got some excellent writing to support their stint) while other hosts possibly slept-walked through rehearsals and barely even realized they were hosting SNL.

Every day this week, The Bill Kuchman Chronicle will countdown the season's hosts. You'll get two bonus hosts on Monday, but after that, each day will bring four additional hosts.

MONDAY: Nos. 17-22 • TUESDAY: Nos. 13-16 • WEDNESDAY: Nos. 9-12

THURSDAY: Nos. 5-8 • FRIDAY: Nos. 1-4 

No. 8: Jason Segel

Nov. 19, 2011 (Episode No. 7)

Jason Segel brought Muppets with him when he hosted SNL. That's pretty much all you have to know about why he ranks at No. 8 on this list. Everything is better when you add Muppets. Segel has been on a hot streak these past few years, with How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets. His SNL hosting gig kept that streak alive.

Best sketch: Jason Segel Monologue

As I said before, Muppets make everything better, so Segel clearly knew what he was doing when he chose to sing with Kermit and the gang during his monologue.

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No. 7: Alec Baldwin

Sept. 24, 2011 (Episode No. 1)

With the SNL season premiere, Alec Baldwin moved past Steve Martin to become the person who has hosted the most episodes of the late-night institution. When you take the number of times Baldwin has hosted SNL and pair it with his NBC residency thanks to 30 Rock, the actor has basically become a de facto member of the cast.

Best sketch: Dying Wish

Baldwin's role as a dying captain giving Taran Killam a plethora of increasingly awful things to tell his wife and son closed out the episode on a high note.

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No. 6: Eli Manning

May 5, 2012 (Episode No. 20)

If you had told me back when this season of SNL started that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning would wind up being one of the year's funniest hosts, I would've called you a liar. Such a notion would have been implausible. Eli's brother Peyton Manning put on a fantastic show when he hosted SNL a few years ago, but Eli himself has always been seen as the lesser Manning. Well, Eli certainly changed all of that this year, not only winning his second Super Bowl but also proving to be his brother's equal on the SNL stage.

Best sketch: Text Message Evidence

I actually had a whole list of sketches that Manning was hilarious in, but I went with Text Message Evidence just because it was so ridiculous. It also summed up Manning's performance perfectly. Goofy and game for whatever crazy ideas the SNL writers threw at him. 

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No. 5: Emma Stone

Nov. 12, 2011 (Episode No. 6)

Emma Stone returned to SNL in Season 37, and was just as awesome as she was last time she hosted. Stone started the show off strong, playing along with Andy Samberg's attempts to audition for the latest installment of Spider-Man and even making technology hump with Samberg at the end of the show.

Best sketch: Bridal Shower Gifts

Stone completely disappeared into the part of Wallace, the older woman who completely misunderstood the point of a bachelorette party. It's easy for Stone to play an attractive French girl dancing with Killam, but her performance in this sketch took her SNL hosting abilities to another level.