Saturday Night Live has served as a cultural phenomenon for nearly five decades now, delivering sharp satirical commentary on current events in politics and pop culture in the form of live comedy sketches. In recent years, however, the show has been met with criticism for its lack of quality comedians, subpar writing and limited appeal to younger audiences. Despite these concerns, Saturday’s season premiere demonstrated promise of a brighter future ahead for the television series.
Between the comical portrayals of the new group of political candidates, the charisma of six-time Emmy Award-winning actress and the night’s host Jean Smart – best known for her roles in “Hacks” and the CBS sitcom “Designing Women” – and the strong performances from its cast, which introduced three new members this season, SNL is in the midst of a much-needed resurgence.
The season premiere commenced with a hilarious cold open that highlighted the upcoming 2024 presidential election, featuring Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as Joe Biden and Andy Samberg as Douglas Emhoff. SNL cast member James Austin Johnson returned to his iconic and eerily accurate Donald Trump impersonation.
The sketch started strong with Rudolph's Emmy-winning impression of Harris after Andrew Dismukes as David Muir from ABC News announced he would check in with each candidate at their campaign rallies.
“You see, my campaign is like the Sabrina Carpenter song ‘Espresso,'” Rudolph said. “The lyrics are vague but the vibe slaps.”
The writers did not miss a mark and were sure to include every major political event that has transpired since the show last aired in May. This included the attempted assassination of former President Trump, the long-anticipated dropout of President Joe Biden and the various out-of-pocket remarks made by both parties’ nominees about their political opponents.
The premiere proceeded with a charming monologue delivered by Smart, in which she playfully addressed the significance of reaching such a monumental milestone for the show.
Smart cleverly acknowledged the aforementioned criticisms aimed at SNL, which indicates some level of self-awareness on their part. After all, the first step to solving the problem is acknowledging the problem.
“I thought ‘SNL’ stood for Saturday Night Laughs,” Smart began. “And then I watched the show and I thought, ‘Well, that can’t be right.’”
An eruption of laughter came from the audience, which continued as the episode progressed with a variety of well-executed sketches. Two notable skits which seemed to draw the most audience laughter were a sharp twist on the classic 1950s sitcom “I Love Lucy” and a bit where Smart portrays a romance novelist who took on the responsibility of writing a math textbook for children.
Smart’s comedic talent drove both of these sketches, where she played off the energy from the cast flawlessly. These skits also introduced two of the new cast members, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline, who bring a youthful presence to the predominantly millennial ensemble. Before joining the cast, Wickline was most notable for her comedic TikTok videos and Padilla for her three years spent in The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe.
Where SNL seemed to fall short in its premiere — and in general — was their execution of pop-culture references and portrayals of younger celebrities. Cast members Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman attempted to portray Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, respectively. In the sketch, Yang plays off the title of Charli XCX’s most recent album “brat,” declaring whether random things involving the election — such as Hunter Biden’s laptop or Mark Robinson’s search history — are “brat or nat” in a talk show segment.
While it hit on pop culture trends from the summer, the sketch ultimately missed its mark, as both Yang and Sherman overdid each of their impressions to a point where it was almost too absurd to find funny. This made their portrayals appear forced and out of touch. Cast member Marcello Hernandez, on the other hand, nailed his impression of Bad Bunny in the $100,000 Pyramid game show sketch, as he embodied his mannerisms and swagger in an effortless, casual manner that made the portrayal significantly more believable.
While the celebrity impersonations were hit or miss, musical guest Jelly Roll delivered a standout moment. The Nashville-born Grammy nominee took the SNL stage to promote his upcoming album drop on Oct. 11 entitled “Beautifully Broken.” The country-pop singer performed singles “Liar” and “Winning Streak” with a soulful chorus of singers to accompany his raspy, passion-filled voice. The artist delivered strong performances that received much praise from the audience.
As the night neared its end, the SNL classic Weekend Update returned with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che, who brought their signature blend of sharp wit and humor to the desk. The duo addressed the current political landscape to kick off their segment, then proceeded to shamelessly poke fun at various public figures. Among the targets were Mark Zuckerberg, who was said to resemble a minion in his augmented reality glasses and controversial rapper Diddy, who was recently indicted for some disturbing behavior and cannot be held back “wearing all that baby oil,” according to Che.
With a promising premiere that featured clever writing and a renewed focus on relevant topics, SNL seems ready to bounce back. The show has already announced its strong lineup of upcoming hosts, with big names such as Michael Keaton, Ariana Grande and John Mulaney — all notably talented performers. As the show navigates modern pop culture and the evolving entertainment landscape, it has the chance to harness its fresh ensemble to engage younger audiences and reclaim its place in the comedy landscape.
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