Comedy: The real winner of the U.S. election campaign - Action News
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Comedy: The real winner of the U.S. election campaign

With U.S. voters about to pump the brakes on what's been a wild political ride, here are some of the most memorable comedic moments of the campaign.

The moments that have voters laughing (or crying) all the way to the ballot box

Alec Baldwin, left, as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Kate McKinnon, as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, nailed their impressions of the candidates on Saturday Night Live, provided some much-needed comedic relief during a tense election cycle. (Will Heath/NBC/Associated Press)

The seemingly never-ending TV drama better known as the U.S. presidential election will meet its climactic conclusion on Tuesday night.

Whether a short-fused billionaire or an email-challenged career politician ends up in the Oval Office, one thing is certain: comedy was the biggest winner in this campaign.

Riddled with jaw-dropping soundbites and scattered with potentially career-ending scandals, the road to the White House kicked up lots of dirt for America's funniest comedic actors to riff on likeAlec Baldwin's pitch perfect (and puckered) Donald Trump and Kate McKinnon's dialed-up Hillary Clinton.

Impactfulimpressions

While Democratic contender Hillary Clinton publicly endorsed McKinnon's portrayal, Saturday Night Live's political playacting proved too much for Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Skewering their spouses

There was no amnesty for political spouses either, with SNL's Cecily Strong and Broadway actressLaura Benantieach taking a stab at Trump's wife, Melania, and SNL's Darrell Hammond putting on Bill Clinton.

Hillary Meets Hillary

Perhaps one of the most memorable momentsfrom early in the campaign was an SNL appearance by Clinton herself. The October 2015 cameo saw the U.S. secretary of state playbartender"Val."

In the skit, Clinton offered asympathetic ear to McKinnon's Clinton impersonation whilepoking fun at her late opposition to the Keystone pipeline andsupport of same-sex marriage.

One month later, NBC was the target of protest when it announced that Trump would be guest-hosting an SNL taping.

Despite noisy demonstrations and petitions to"Dump Trump", the show went ahead with Trump pulling fewer laughs than ratings for the network.

The real burn

Three days before before the New Hampshire primary, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also made a cameo on the late-night sketch comedy show. The appearance gave the audience a side-by-side view of the real Sanders next to comedian Larry David's uncanny representation of the 75-year-old.

Political take-downs are proving to be a big ratings boost for SNL, with NBC's late-night series experiencing numbers unseen since 2008 the last election cycle, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

But there is lots of material to go around. Political comedians like HBO's John Oliver, TBS's Samantha Bee, and CBC's Rick Mercer and the22 Minutescast are also making hay from the campaign's many dramas.

With U.S. voters about to pump the brakes on what's been a wild political ride, comedians and audiences alikewill be savouring every last moment of levity before reality sets in on Tuesday.

In anticipation, NBC is airing aSNL special on the eve of the election.

It airs on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Follow the U.S. election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, with CBC News

CBC online: Our day starts first thing in the morning at CBCNews.ca with news and analysis. Then as polls close, we'll have live results and insights into the conversations happening on the ground and online. We'll cover the story from a Canadian perspective until a new U.S. president is declared.

CBC Television: America Votes, the CBC News election special with Peter Mansbridge, starts at 8 p.m. ET on News Network and at 9 p.m. ET on CBC-TV. You can also watch our election special through the CBC News app on both AppleTV and Android TV, and on the CBC News YouTube channel.

CBC Radio One: Our election special hosted by Susan Bonner and Michael Enright starts at 8 p.m. ET.

With files from The Associated Press