Martin Short and Steve Martin’s Best Collaborations, From ‘SNL’ to ‘Only Murders’

​The Prince of Egypt (1998)

The premise: This epic biblical musical from DreamWorks Animation charts the life of Moses, from his fateful infant basket ride down the Nile to the eventual parting of the Red Sea and receiving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Among the many obstacles standing in his way are the manipulative high priests Hotep (Martin) and Huy (Short), who use trickery to ensure subjugation to the pharaoh. This wouldn’t be the first time Martin had a brush with ancient Egypt — of course, you’ll remember his uproarious 1979 “King Tut” sketch from SNL, which parodied the wildly popular “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibit sweeping the nation.

The best part: Hotep and Huy have their big baddie moment with the production number “Playing With the Big Boys,” in which they sing about the powers of the Egyptian gods.

Watch it: The Prince of Egypt on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Peacock

​Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004)

The premise: One of Martin Short’s most indelible (and aggressively disagreeable) recurring characters is the clueless film critic Jiminy Glick, who vacillates wildly between fawning fandom and cutting insults as he interviews celebrities. In this cinematic sequel to his Comedy Central series, Glick finds himself embroiled in a murder case at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he interviews such celebrities as Whoopi Goldberg (66), Sharon Stone (64), Kurt Russell (71) and Steve Martin. They improvise a wickedly risqué interview about Steve’s first full frontal scene in the fake film-within-a-film Hot Havana Nights and the communists supposedly running Hollywood (ahem, Meg Ryan).

The best part: Stick around for the bloopers during the end credits, when Jiminy reduces Steve into a pile of giggles with non sequiturs like “What’s your kryptonite? Mine’s cheese Parmesan.”

Watch it: Jiminy Glick in Lalawood on Amazon Prime

(Left tor right) Martin Short, Steve Martin, Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day during the "Wyoming Skies" sketch on "Maya & Marty."

Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

​Maya & Marty (2016)

The premise: NBC took a big swing when they tried to revive the prime time variety show format with Martin Short and Maya Rudolph at the helm. While the show only lasted six episodes, Steve Martin managed to guest star on half of them — and you won’t soon shake the image of Steve playing a ventriloquist with Marty as his dummy! Sadly, even though the show aired less than a decade ago, it’s tricky to find the episodes online, but you can still track down some favorites on YouTube.

The best part: In the Western sketch “Wyoming Skies,” a cowboy named Dutch (Martin) tries to sing a sad tale around the campfire, but his buddies (Short, Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day) have some constructive criticism about his performing style.

Watch it: Maya & Marty clips on NBC.com

​Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018)

The premise: The pair has been touring together since 2015, when they debuted their live act A Very Stupid Conversation. The show morphed over the years, eventually turning into this vaudeville-inspired variety special, complete with Hollywood stories, musical numbers, stand-up bits and plenty of hilarious jabs (“When I think of Steve, and it’s not often…”). Steve plays his banjo, Martin plays his Jiminy Glick, and audiences get to enjoy decades of nostalgic greatest hits. Tim Grierson of Rolling Stone put it best when he called it “showbiz comfort food.”

The best part: The show is one of the purest displays of their friendship and chemistry (they genuinely seem to find each other funny and laugh at each other’s jokes), even when they’re peppering the act with their trademark self-deprecation. Case in point: lyrics like “Everything they said made me wish I’d stayed in bed/But I’m glad I saw their show before they’re dead!”

Watch it: Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life on Netflix

​Only Murders in the Building (2021–)

The premise: Semiretired actor Charles-Haden Savage (Martin), Broadway director Oliver Putnam (Short) and young renovator Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) share an address — the Arconia complex in the Upper West Side — and an obsession with true-crime podcasts. After one of their neighbors dies suspiciously and the police rule it a suicide, the unlikely trio decides to team up to investigate the potential crime, creating their own upstart podcast in the process. Martin and Short banter and bicker like an old married couple, and they’re joined by an impressive wild card cast of supporting players that includes Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Tina Fey and Sting … playing Sting.

The best part: For some grade A physical comedy, it’s hard to beat the action-packed Season 1 finale. We won’t spoil it for you!

Watch it: Only Murders in the Building on Hulu

Mike Smith/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

​You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today (2022)

The premise: Following their 2019 Now You See Them, Soon You Won’t tour, the funnymen are back out on the road through October with frequent collaborators pianist-keyboardist Jeff Babko and the Steep Canyon Rangers, a Grammy-winning bluegrass band that often accompanies Martin when he’s wearing his banjoist hat. In a recent interview with the Milwaukee Record, Martin admitted to being a little more nervous than Short about performing live. “What you contribute that gives you greater nerves, which I am envious of,” Short explained, “is that you care.”

The best part: You’ll have to grab a ticket and see for yourself!

Book tickets: You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today on SteveMartin.com

Nicholas DeRenzo is a contributing writer who covers entertainment and travel. Previously he was executive editor of United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Sunset and New York magazine.