Charles Barkley returned to host Saturday Night Live this past weekend. He had trouble at times keeping his composure, fighting “turribly” to avoid smiling, and at times biting his lip to stop a smile from forming on his charismatic face.

Charles Barkley as Darrell, in "MacGruber."

Some skits were lacking in overall quality, and some were hilarious. Other skits Sir Charles could not pull off.

Barkley appeared in multiple skits, but the skits shining with the most comedic value were those playing on his personal life. Here is what I view as the top 5 from SNL.

Number 5            Barkley’s Bank

In this skit SNL manages to make fun of Charles’ notoriety of having a gambling problem. How do they do it? They spin off of the famous british Barclay’s bank, calling it “Barkley’s Bank.”

What is the slogan? Simple: “I’ll double your money, or loose it all”

Number 4            NBA on TNT

In a spin off of Charles’ analyst job with TNT, Barkley is doing color commentary with Kevin Harlan (Jason Sudeikis) and a terminally ill child (Andy Samdberg) who is guest commentating due to a fictitious make a wish type organization granting his wish.

Barkley is in typical form in this piece, and at times fights back smiles while stumbling over his words in standard Sir Charles protocol. This piece succeeds in depicting Charles as a person who always speaks his mind, and will eventually eat his own words.

Number 3            Reel Quotes

Charles plays San Jefferson, a manager of Blockbuster (later revealed to actually be Blockbusters Demolition), a contestant on “Reel Quotes,” a game show where the contestants compete to identify and finish the quotes from famous movies.

Bill Hader is the host Reg Barnabay and Barkley competes against Kristen Wilg, who plays Rebbeca Lumpin, a clueless school teacher who bewilders and confused Hader’s character.

Number 2            Haney Project

This skit dives into a spin off of the Haney Project, a reality show focusing on Barkley’s horrible golf game. Hank Haney is a famous golf instructor, working with the likes of Tiger Woods.

The script takes a twist, diving into the concept “what if Charles had a hitch in more than just his golf swing?” and takes this concept to the extreme. Hank Haney is played by Jason Sudeikis, and he nails it.

Number 1            MacGruber

This is a spoof of the cult classic MacGyver, and has 3 vignettes used as interstitials within longer segments. Due to the ability to edit these during post production, they come across as the most polished and humorous.

Barkley plays Darrell, whose name MacGrubber mispronounces constantly to Darrells chagrin. Macrguber makes multiple racial stereotypes in Darrell’s direction.

In my opinion, Barkley performs his best in these skits, showing the largest range of acting ability However, it could be the editing that makes these work the best.

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