Ep 6. Rosie O'Donnell/James Taylor

On November 13, 1993, Saturday Night Live aired the sixth episode of its nineteenth season, featuring Rosie O'Donnell as the host and James Taylor as the musical guest.

The episode opened with a sketch parodying the then-recently released film “Jurassic Park," with O'Donnell playing a dino-obsessed scientist who is disappointed to learn that her new intern (played by cast member Chris Farley) is more interested in MTV's "Beavis and Butt-Head." This was followed by a sketch featuring Tim Meadows as Willie Tyler, the ventriloquist who famously performed with a puppet named Lester. Meadows and his puppet deliver a series of cringe-worthy jokes that demonstrate the outdated nature of their act.

The first of O'Donnell's monologues was a pre-taped segment in which she visited the set of NBC's "Friends" and tried to insert herself into the show's famous group dynamic. This was followed by a live monologue in which O'Donnell sang and danced with the cast, making jokes about her weight and poking fun at the fact that she was known for hosting her own daytime talk show.

The episode's first commercial parody, "Middle Aged Women Gone Wild," featured O'Donnell and cast members Janeane Garofalo and Beth Cahill as middle-aged women on a spring break trip that gets out of hand. The sketch was both a commentary on middle-aged women trying to recapture their youth as well as a parody of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos then popular among college-age men.

Another highlight of the episode was a sketch called "Cornershop," in which cast member Phil Hartman played the proprietor of a convenience store that serves as a meeting place for a group of immigrants from various countries. The sketch humorously explored themes of cultural misunderstandings and the difficulty of assimilating into American society.

The recurring sketch "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" was also featured in this episode, with a series of brief, absurd aphorisms delivered by cast member Mike Myers in character as Handey. The sketches, which were inspired by actual newspaper columns of the same name, had become a staple of the show by this point.

In terms of musical performances, James Taylor delivered renditions of "Whenever You're Ready" and "Shed a Little Light," both of which showcased his signature folksy sound and heartfelt lyrics.

Overall, the episode was a solid installment in the show's long history, with O'Donnell giving a game performance as host and the various sketches demonstrating the diverse comedic talents of the cast. While the humor was at times edgy and irreverent, it never veered into outright offensiveness, and the show maintained its reputation as a cultural touchstone and comedy institution.