The First SNL "Love-Ahs" Sketch Aired 20 Years Ago Today

On February 24, 2001, Saturday Night Live gave us our first look into the lives of Virginia and Roger Klarvin, college professors with a particular predilection for calling each other "lovers" (or, more accurately, "love-ahs") and openly discussing their "lovemaking" escapades in lofty, squirm-inducing terms.

In this first outing, they have Roger's new research assistant (Katie Holmes) and her husband (Jimmy Fallon) over for a little 'get to know you' socialization. Of course, it quickly gets weird when they mention their regular lovemaking in the very chair they're sitting in. When their guests attempt to leave, the Klarvins teach their first lesson... how to pronounce the word "lover" in such a way that it unlocks primal urges. Then the sketch ends in its usual way, with Roger breaking his erudite facade to scream about his back pain.

The "Love-ahs" appeared a total of seven times on the show, and this first one is notable in that Fallon did not break into laughter at all. The same could not be said later that year, when he shared a "hot-TUB" with the Klarvins and their dear friend Barbara Hernandez (Drew Barrymore), although to be fair to Fallon, everyone broke that time — even Ferrell, who is usually the guy so intensely committed to the bit that he everyone else breaks.

Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.