The past year for Eddie Murphy has been like a long-overdue package delivery of Christmas gifts. The comic made a meteoric comeback to film with his Netflix hit, “Dolomite Is My Name,” which seemed tailor-made to Murphy's delivery style, even more than three decades after his blitzing years across big screens.

Suddenly, Eddie Murphy has Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice nominations again, and fans begging for more from the 58-year-old genius. Murphy ranks 10th on Comedy Central’s Greatest Comics of All-Time list, and just barely in the best of his middle-age years, he has plenty of time to make the best of his current heyday.

Continuing versions of “Coming to America” and “Beverly Hills Cop” are in the works. The phenomenal live comic is planning a return to stand-up, and this weekend, Eddie Murphy returns to the place where the world took notice of the fresh-faced 19-year-old with the voice and humor that refused to be ignored. The “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) stage will welcome its beloved prodigy back for the first time since the 2015 anniversary show, and this time is different.

Eddie Murphy and Al Roker sat down for a December 19 chat from their full interview on “Today,” and it was clear that this homecoming to comedy means more than words, even bleeped ones to the forever funnyman. “I want it to be right. I really, really want it to be right,” Murphy insisted, and the whole Murphy clan will be rooting him on to a triumphant finish.

All the old friends

Absence, especially in show business, can truly make the heart grow fonder. Deadline and The Wrap relate in December 18 features how Eddie Murphy's presence kept the TV comedy innovation from sinking during the mid-80s. Lorne Michaels left “SNL” for a time over disputes with network executives. Dick Ebersol was brought aboard to right the ship out of some dicey seas, and one of the saving elements was pretaped segments with Eddie Murphy that could be plugged in for needed boosts.

Without spilling too many of his magic beans to Roker, Eddie Murphy, strongly hinted that old “SNL” favorites from his repertoire, such as Gumby, Mr. Robinson, Velvet Jones, Buckwheat, and more familiar friends to be audience will be part of his “SNL” homecoming. He appeared especially in mentioning a Bill Cosby skit that “he probably won't think is funny” but certainly hit the funny bone for Murphy.

There's no word yet if Tom Hanks will turn up as Mr. Rogers, but in real life, Eddie Murphy described Fred Rogers as one of the “most gracious” men he had ever met when the PBS icon paid a backstage visit to praise Murphy's parody of the childhood favorite.

Few comics would dare to announce themselves as “19 years old” in their major network debut, but that's what Eddie Murphy did, and he calls “SNL” “the Harvard for comic actors,” and even at such a young age, he realized it was “the most incredible place to be.”

Feeling the spirit

“The same spirit is up here,” Eddie Murphy declares, adding to the “dreaminess” of his holiday hosting experience. The comedian admits to some reservations when he returned for an appearance at the “SNL” 40th-anniversary special.

Any ambivalence was dispelled once Murphy was won over by the “spirit” and the “kinship” that still pervades the production.

Murphy isn't dismissing the timing of this comic “Christmas miracle,” either. Turning perfectly to the camera, he lowers his shades, teasing, “You’d almost think we planned it.”

For Eddie Murphy and his family, a lot of planning went into this memorable “SNL” celebration. His 10 children will be in attendance. “All my kids are flying in for this,” beams the dad, who delights in the effort.

Al Roker doesn't usually have his name associated with off-color language, but when Eddie Murphy elaborates that “This is Al (bleep)-ing Roker” who does so much more than the weather, a belly laugh bursts forth from the broadcaster.

This isn’t just any Christmas for Eddie Murphy, and he is certain to make this “SNL” delivery right on time.
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