Viewers watching Saturday Night Live were able to see a side of Sesame Street that’s never been seen before.
In a segment parodying Joker, a film chronicling the decline of Batman’s arch enemy into madness, SNL presented their own spin on the origin story and cast David Harbour as the titular character, Oscar the Grouch.
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Harbour, who’s commonly known for his role as Jim Hopper on Stranger Things, portrayed Oscar, an irritable and grouchy garbage collector who slowly becomes disillusioned with the state of crime and poverty on Sesame Street.
“If everyone calls you trash, everyone treats you like trash, why don’t you just become trash?” said Oscar, stepping into his new home of a garbage can after coming to terms with who he truly is.
Recognizable characters from the show also get a dark spin, with scenes shown of Count von Count portrayed as a drug abuser, a panhandling Cookie Monster and an Elmo who gets arrested for allegedly selling crack.
Scenes from Joker are also mirrored with detail, with Harbour imitating the movie’s iconic staircase and bedroom dancing sequences.
“Would you do me one favour,” Oscar asks of two figures during a change room scene. “Would you call me the Grouch?”
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