Olivia Rodrigo (05.02.2026)

White House Press Conference

• Ok, I liked that "A-Span of your life disappears when you watch C-Span" joke at the beginning.

• I liked the idea of Ashley's Karoline Leavitt trying to hold a press conference while massive ballroom construction makes it nearly impossible. Too bad they abandoned that idea in favor of another Jost/Hegseth cold open.

• While I do wish we'd get a break from this impression (or at least that they'd have reframed this as a sketch about Hegseths' actual hearings before congress just for a change of pace) I actually thought this was decent. I did like the joke about Hegseth having a tattoo of "Jesus choking out Jimmy Kimmel".

• Ok, I have some...pretty mixed feelings about Aziz Ansari playing Kash Patel. 

• On the one hand, he is an actual Indian comedian playing an actual Indian government figure and Aziz is one of very few Indian performers I could see pulling off this similarly "bro-y' characterization of Kash Patel. 

• On the other hand, everything else I know about Aziz Ansaris' career since 2018...is still a little off putting to me as someone who used to be a huge fan of his as a comedian.

• I mean, Kal Penn probably would've been my first choice for an obligatory stunt cameo here, but this...hell, I'll take it. I'll admit Aziz really sold the hell out of this. C+

Monologue 

• Hmm...this monologue is taking me in a couple of different directions I wasn't expecting.

• The best joke of her was the one she opened with about Mikey, Chloe, Kenan and Sarah being the cast members she got into in her "teenage years" who all came back (which isn't saying much).

• I wasn't expecting the type of monologue where the host goes over their early acting career from a double duty pop star host...but then again, most of this young, Disney-adjacent double duty hosts DO start out as child actors before becoming singers and musicians full time so I guess we were bound to get one of these some day. I wasn't crazy about the grainy ass 480p looking close up they showed or how sloppily they Clutch Cargo'd it, though. 

• I did like how she tried to make a few jabs (no pun intended) at Jake Paul (who...was apparently an old costar of hers?) but my first reaction was "she should've went way harder on that guy". My second thought after that was "Oh, wait...am I confusing Jake Paul with...yeah, I AM confusing Jake Paul with his brother Logan Paul. Nevermind."

• It was nice of them to give us a bit of music just when we were expecting something more from this monologue. On paper, the idea of Olivia singing a parody of her own hit "drivers' license" but about getting a Real ID (in fact, I have a feeling this was pitched to her and she just went with it) but she actually elevated that as much as she could have and made it work. It felt a little bit fresher seeing this as part of her monologue rather than as its own separate pretape. B-

Edge Of Destiny

• Ok guys, you definitely don't need to frame a Pluto TV sketch with an ID bumper. That's not a thing any Pluto TV "channel" does.

• Huh...I wouldn't expect a parody of a Dynasty/Dallas/Knotts Landing type 80s prime time soap in an Olivia Rodrigo hosted episode (not just because those shows are obviously before her time which wouldn't stop her from discovering them) but I guess that wouldn't matter if their main pitch to her for this would be "you're just gonna push everyone else down the stairs"

• Still, I have to admire this sketch just for trying something new for SNL purely from a visual/directing angle as well as a stunt/physical comedy angle. I liked how they transitioned out of this sketch SNLUK/TV verite style at first. I was kinda bummed that they just cut to the next pretape after that instead of a whole new live segment but I guess I've just been a bit spoiled by SNL UK as of late. B+

Midnight Matinee: My Room

• At this point, I'm a little wary of the idea of SNL continuing with these Dan Bulla Midnight Matinee shorts in general since I think whether good or bad they always feel too long and have serious pacing problems.

• I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. I liked the idea of Olivia being an exhibit in a human zoo for alien insects. Even though I'm pretty sure this was the exact plot of an old Twilight Zone episode, at least this borrowed more from that than it did Ariana Grandes' "Smell Of My Best Friends House".

• There were various little details I loved about this including the use of more cheap CGI visuals than stop motion ones, the alien insects applauding Olivia for simply using a human bathroom, the subtle Harambe reference that they actually pulled off better than SNL UK did, the insane Mikey/Sarah remake of "A League Of Their Own", the addition of JAJ as a rejected potential mate who is then marched into a giant human garbage disposal, and of course, the detail of her falling in love with her own insect protestor. 

• Of all the sketches that made use of Olivias' singing, this might have been my favorite (with the "real ID" portion of the monologue coming in a close second. B+

Shop TV

• Ah, fuck. You know, I actually had the thought earlier today "if they actually do another fucking Shop TV with this girl, I'm gonna shit" because there were a couple of these I really didn't care for.

• Of course, I thought of this because they did one with Sabrina at the beginning of this season...and she and Olivia both "contemporaries", let's say.

• This was another one I was...well, I don't want to go as far as saying I was "pleasantly surprised by" but rather when I gave it a chance, I ended up appreciating it for how far they were willing to commit to and go with it.

• The high point of this for me may have been Mikey being handed a roll of toilet paper to wipe the peanut butter off his finger that came out when he pulled it out of the "fudge hole".

• As for the non-outrageous parts of this sketch, I did like JAJs one line and Ashleys bit at the beginning openly celebrating her daughter's emancipation not being granted. Also, Olivia did nail the "gleefully oblivious dim southern bell" vibes and her quotes from grandma each including some out of nowhere jab at ugly girls was pretty funny. C+

Birthday Party (With My Ex)

• Well, this already seems to be the sketch that plays the most into Olivias' whole "image" tonight so far.

• There doesn't seem to be much to this writing or premise wise, but leave it to SNLs' current "it girl" Ashley Padilla to save the day by heightening the hidden nuggets of absurdity to this.

• Kenan didn't add much to this, unfortunately but this sketch does show Ashley has the ability to bring out the best in her fellow performers. Ben, Tommy and Olivia played well off of her. B+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Trump Passport, AI Jan 6th Speech, Michael Biopic, Slingshot To Laguardia, Hemorrhoid Scrolling

• Che's Best Jokes: WHCD Shooter Took Selfie, Voting Rights Act, Trump Likes Space, AOC/Gay President, Coors 0.0

• I have very little to say about this Veronika/Chloe two hander word salad. What I will say is that it took me a full minute to recognize that that WAS Veronika on the left and not just...the real person that Chloe was impersonating sitting next to her. Once I recognized that was Veronika, I was like "Damn, Veronika...you really are in your 'glow up era'"

• Other than that, I'm just glad they were able to keep the naked pop culture/extremely online pandering to GenZ to just one Update segment tonight rather than just jumping right out the gate with it...like they did when Sabrina hosted. With another double duty pop star host, it shows incredible restraint on the shows' part to condense all the buzzword slop they wanted to try to impress Olivia's fans with to one segment in the middle of the show.

• Yeah, it was smart of SNL to recognize that Kam was the only person on their payroll right now who COULD talk about the Megan Thee Stallion/Klay Thompson breakup. He really speaks for all men of every race right now.

• Seriously though, Kams' thing was definitely my biggest laugh of the night (especially his flub of the word "desperation" and the cut to cue card Wally showing that he actually did have Moulin Rouge spelled out phonetically). B-

Busted

• Really? A Trapped In The Closet parody? 20 Years too late?

• Oh, it's actually an Isley Brothers parody? I see.

• Well, at least this did get funnier the more convoluted the extra characters made this.

• It's a bit surprising that this was Janes' first appearance all episode but at least she and JAJ genuinely made this better.

• I did like how they knew exactly when to stop this (after Kenans' character walked in, basically) so they just tied up all the loose ends in a neat little bow. C+

White Rasta Guy

• This felt like a couple of different sketch ideas slammed together...but in a fun way.

• I would've been fine if the whole sketch were Olivia and Veronikas' characters recounting how trashed Olivias' character got but it's nice to be reminded of why Andrew Dismukes is funny when he suddenly barks out a Jamacian dance hall rap in a highly questionable patois.

• I would expect nothing less from the same cast member who gave us that 1950s "Hey Soul Sister" sketch from last seasons Michael Keaton episode that just got reran in prime time recently. B-

SafeGuard Security System

• Ok, maybe this was an overwrought concept but at least it gelled well with this host and at least they had the decency to bury it in the bottom of the show if they were going to get on their "hawk tuah/subway takes/chicken shop date" shit years too late for an audience that may not even watch this online late let alone stay up until 1:00 AM to watch it live.

• Di...did they get the actual Cory Booker to make a cameo in this? If so, why? If not, that better not have been some fucked up A.I. bullshit they pulled for this.

• I did like Ashleys' testimonial and I especially liked how they managed to work Jeremy and Kam into a portion of this sketch where Kam just plays himself the way Leslie Jones used to. C+

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Olivia Rodrigo (05.02.2026)
6. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
7. Jack Black/Jack White (04.04.2026)
8. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
9. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
10. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
11. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
12. Colman Domingo/Anitta (04.11.2026)
13. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
14. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
15. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
16. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
17. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
18. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts 

• Believe it or not, I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. Olivia was a fine host that the show knew how to use without using her to pandering to a GenZ audience with their idea of what appeals to them (outside of one particular sketch or two which they didn't exactly lead off with so they defied some of my expectations for the better there.

• I guess I was a bit higher on this episode than most because I felt I had to go into it with tempered expectations since really the last three or four double duty pop star hosted episodes were big time, dumbed down panderfests, so in a way I was expecting them to fumble this one. 

• Plus, the fact that it came after that Colman Domingo episode (which they somehow fumbled even worse) and on the same night as a rather strange episode of SNL UK I couldn't find myself getting into really helped my perception of this one. Why it just barely made my top five I can only explain by pointing out that all of the episodes the came after this one I found to be way more uneven.

• As far as cast usage goes, Veronika, Kam & Dismukes made some gains this week. I liked how well they were used as well as how they used Ashley, JAJ and (to some degree) Mikey. Tommy seems to have been put on the back burner along with Jeremy (which I'm kinda bummed about for him). Speaking of, this sadly wasn't as heavy a Jane Wickline episode as some were hoping but fortunately, the same could be said for Marcello here as well. 

• We got to see a bit more of Kenan, but he's still underused to the point where there's a strong possibility we may not see him in the fall. Chloe was featured a fair amount and everyone else was just...there.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was...decent. Next week, Matt Damon hosts for a third time. Sure, he might be a boring pick, but...there's never been anything wrong with him as a host. He's always seemed like an enthusiastic and game comedic performer. 

• He's established himself as a friend/fan of the show but he's just had the slight misfortune of always ending up hosting during rough periods in the show's run. He's hosted during some pretty mediocre seasons but none of those episodes have ever been a real bottoming out point in any of them, so...I'll pretty much be going into that one with the same expectations as I did this one.

• Anyway, you can probably expect to read my review of that one a week from now. In the meantime, you'll probably be able to read my review of the latest SNL UK with Amiee Lou Wood and MEEK since this weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to time their releases simultaneously. This should give me more time to work on my review of the Elliot Page/Wilco episode from season 33 which Deej & I will be reviewing in an upcoming episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast. Thank God I got an extra week and a half to get that one finished because...it's a bit of a slog.

• See you again real soon!

Jack Black/Jack White (04.04.2026)

NCAA Final Four Post Game Show

• Hey, an off the beaten path cold open choice!

• Nice to see they're using Kam in something, but that Chappel Roan...oof.

• Always nice to see Kenans' Charles Barkley. I don't know if I'm that crazy about the direction this is taking though.

• Ok, the Kalshi/Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Kristi Noem thing was funny.

• All right, Ashleys' Pam Bondi was nice to see, too.

• I did like Kenans' joke about Pam Bondi looking like "a womens' basketball coach who got fired for pulling on a girls' braid"and his LFNY segue.

• Not the best cold open of this season but far from the worst. Just...an odd mishmash of various things.. Sounded like the audience didn't know what to make of this or how to respond either. Very weird energy already. C-

Monologue 

• Well, I know Jack Black has always been a bombastic rock & roll/song and dance guy and he's always tried to bring that energy to his monologues on this show...so, seeing an actual five timers club sketch would feel quite odd. Let's see what they do here.

• Ugh, a bearded Jonah Hill in 2026 being the first cameo in this means this might automatically be the weakest monologue Jack Black has ever done on this show.

• I will admit I did like the creepy/spooky vibe of this one among other things. I appreciate the show getting Candace, Melissa and Tina to cameo. 

• I especially liked what Tina bought to this one with the meta "this is my fifth five timers club sketch" joke and the "SNL UK One Timers club jacket made from Paddington" jokes.

• I wasn't crazy about adding Domingo to this either (especially since I was half expecting him next week...yes, along with that other Domingo I already heard we were getting...you know, that Colman fella?) but bringing in Jack White just to wang Domingo over the head with a frying pan might have been my second favorite part of this.

• Hey, there IS a "musical guests only" wing of the five timers club! Jack White just confirmed it! You hear that, Jon and Bill? I am vindicated!

• I love how they actually did end this with an actual musical number as well. This was a very fun way to sneak in our musical guests' biggest hit "Seven Nation Army". That was my favorite part of this one. B-

Kathy

• I liked Jacks' "gym" adlib upon entering this sketch.

• I guess I was a fool to expect a sequel to that "One-Uppers" sketch from last year, but I automatically like this better.

• I immediately liked all the odd little details Ashley added to this character (especially her medication and the "numbers"game on her phone). This feels like a character Cheri Oteri would've played about 25-30 years ago.

• I also love the Andy Kaufman/Great Gadsby-esque "extreme testing the patience of the audience" nature of this. B-

Words To Live By

• Ok, I liked the reveal of JAJ doing a country song and the reveal of Jack White playing a half forgotten guitar solo more than I liked the reveal of what this turned out to be. 

• This also feels like one of those things that could've been done with any host because Jack Black isn't the most convincing at playing a country singer. Hell, I barely buy him hiking down a mountain let alone up one but I get the writers wanting him to play a guy who is told the meaning of life by Kenan's ancient mystic.

• This felt like a premise that I should've seen done before on SNL or elsewhere. Hell, even the twist of the guys remembering the name of the Men In Black memory erasing device seemed completely telegraphed. Jack Black didn't add much to it but I did like the ending with Dismkues just belittling his child. C-

Ultimate Dojo

• Well, I liked JAJs' anecdote at the very beginning.

• Is this going to just be a Marcello acting class sketch but with a weirder more indiscriminate eastern European accent and replacing acting with self-defense?

• It sure looks that way. Well, I'm liking this a tiny bit more than I feel I should.

• I will admit that having Jack Black play a martial arts teacher is a deceny use of his age defying physicality.

• Oh my god. Kenan is playing a character that is the exact same age as me. 

• Well, I DON'T like what Ben is adding to this sketch, but I am getting a kick out of the constant chanting of "estopit, estopit, estopit" during their silly slap fights leading up to the move they're supposed to be demonstrating. Too bad they're far funnier than the reveal of what the moves are supposed to be.

• The comedic highlight of this sketch may be the final reveal of Jane being the toughest, most badass "poo-pil" Jack and Marcello have ever taught and her back and forth with Jeremy. C+

Carry On My Wayward...Husband?

• Ok, yeah...this looked like it was going to be another tired ass "been there, done that" 30 year old premise but I ended up REALLY liking the execution and sheer pageantry of this. 

• Great way to work in Jack Blacks classic rock singing talents. I also got a kick out of JAJs explanation for why his tighty whites were suddenly visible.

• Sarah and Chloe had some good back and forths with each other and once again Jane Wickline comes in clutch. B+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Pam Bondi/Esptein Files, Healthcare Attacks, Canadian Pizza Hut

• Ches' Best Jokes: Trump Presidential Library, Chicago, New Jersey

• Sarah Sherman as Kristi Noems' husband. Why? Seriously, why?

• At least this feels like something Sarah came up with on her own and not something Lorne ordered her to do...but when the genuinely funniest parts of this bit are another tired "remember when Kristi Noem shot that dog?" joke and a sudden cut to Jost air-motorboating, something may be seriously wrong.

• ...and Che's back to those damn WBNA jokes again. Great.

• Hey! Kam as Black Snape! This could be good!

• Yeah, Kams' really crushing this! Decent ending to a very uneven Update. C+

The 300

• Automatically, this is much better than the other 300 parodies that SNL did when 300 actually came out...almost 20 years ago (especially the one they did in 2009 when Gerard Butler actually hosted).

• Still, it kinda dragged until we got to Jack Black being cussed out by child. I did like Dismukes taking an entire day to list off various reasons why he wasn't picked, though. C+

Spring Break AirBnB

• This seemed like another very thing premise that feels like it should've been done before but wasn't yet. Still, it's really the type of thing only a paring of Jack Black and Melissa McCarthy could make this entertaining.

• I definitely ended up enjoying the bits of physical business between Melissa, Jeremy, the Jurgens and the doorknob than I thought I would. B+

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Jack Black/Jack White (04.04.2026)
7. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
8. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
9. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
10. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
11. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
12. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
13. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
14. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
15. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
16. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this was a fun one. I'd say it's a lot like Jack Blacks' episode from last year in that it feels like a much better episode than it really is at the time just because his manic energy helps put things over more and most of the season that just preceded this was was just dull and disappointing. This episode felt a little more sparse and empty from a writing standpoint sadly.

• At this point, I don't know if I've been more spoiled by SNL UK or have just gotten burnt out on a combination of SNL US and both my work and family lives, but all I have left to say about this episode is that I enjoyed it more than my lack of anything at all to constructively or critically say anything about it would indicate.

• Maybe I'm subconsciously holding back a bit with the critical thinking part of my brain because I know in addition to the blog you just read I also have to review the third episode of SNL UK this week along with composing a review of the Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood episode both for this blog AND the podcast (the latter of which my cohost Deej had been encouraging me to "hold back" on for production and editing reasons) but I know I gotta make a conscious effort to not spread myself too thin creatively over the next couple of months, so I'll just wrap this up here.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week on SNL US, Colman Domingo makes his hosting debut. Seeing as he is an acclaimed, Oscar nominated actor at this point in his career, this is a big get for SNL. Plus, he has sketch experience with Kate from "The Big Gay Sketch Show", so they better not do him dirty.

• I will have a review of that episode posted here around this time next week. The very next blog post you'll see from me on this blog will be a full length review of the Riz Amed/Kasabian episode of SNL UK which as of this writing/posting I have gotten to watch in full on Peacock but haven't gotten to take any notes on whatsoever yet (but spoiler alert: I may or may not compare it favorably to this one and post it on Tuesday at the earliest).

• Also, coming this weekend will be a new episode of the We Heart Hader podcast where Deej & I continue with Documentary Now Season One and "The Eye Doesn't Lie". Two weeks after that will be our review of the SNL US Fey/Underwood episode from February 2008 which, of course, I will also review on my blog.

• Boy, the timing of this is quite fortuitous since both Deej and I will have reviewed Tina's first hosting stints on both SNL US AND SNL UK by that point! See you all again real soon!

Harry Styles (03.14.2026)

Gas Prices

• Huh...a generic family road trip cold open set at a gas station? This could be interesting.

• God, I can't even remember the last time a cold open began with random unwarranted applause for no reason? Can you?

• I got a kick out of Ashleys' "we're gonna have to leave one of you behind" line.

• Well, at least this is a nice departure from the typical Trump/Hegseth cold opens we've been getting lately...AW FUCK, we're back to THESE again. Boy, the writers must've been gassed out on political stuff this week.

• Well, I got a kick out of JAJs' Troy McClure reference and his jabs at Harry and 1Ds' musical catalog, but wow...I'm surprised they cheered at that and booed more at the Timothee Chalamet/ballet jab.

• I wasn't even into the meta background cast gags in this one.

• ...and just when even I was starting to get sick of Josts' Hegseth they find an admittedly fun way to Trojan horse him in to this one. I don't know what it says about this cold open that one of my favorite lines was "as I live and struggle to breathe" though. Nothing good, right?

• This wasn't some of Josts' best work (even he seemed a bit gassed out on doing these as he wasn't exactly disappearing into character here) but I did chuckle at the "DUI checkpoint/close your eyes and gun it" joke. C-

Monologue

• ...and there's Harrys' trademark sleepy ass energy that plagued his last episode.

• I mean, I liked that sudden "you don't know everything about me, dad!" line.

• Hey, he admitted to talking slowly and being just straight up boring. At least he's self aware to some degree.

• Boy, that "Italian GPT/Mario" joke couldn't be saved no matter who delivered it the way Harry did.

• Hmm...not quite sure what he was going for with that Prince Andrew joke but his delivery didn't help that one either.

• I liked Chloe and (especially) Sarah's walk ons but Bens' bought this to a screeching halt for me.

• At least the crowd was hyped. That must've been Lorne and the shows' main concern for this week.

• God, I sure hope the rest of this episode is much less of a slog. D-

New Jersey V. Donovan

• Marcello Hernandez IS Sebastian Maniscalco IN "Sebastian Maniscalco, Defense Attorney". That's it.

• Well, I suppose this isn't the worst possible choice for first post monologue sketch. I actually didn't mind the one from Glenn Powells' episode in November. I wouldn't say this one is the better of the two necessarily but it might be the thing I like most in THIS episode so far.

• I liked Chloes' courtroom sketch of him and I liked how Marcello is throwing himself much more into this physically (not crazy about him breaking though)

• Harry Styles attempt at a Maniscalco impression was just...odd and not a great ending to this. B-

MAHAspital

• This seemed like too much of an abstract concept rather than a fully fledged sketch. I felt like I was watching a sketch literally decide as it went along that it wanted more to be a RFK/MAHA commentary than a parody of "The Pitt" (maybe that's why it went on so long).

• I don't know if it was the right choice to have Ben featured so prominently in this (he...probably wrote a great deal of this, didn't he?) but I did chuckle at his line about shooting his parents after finding out they got the Covid vaccine, pulling the plug on that old woman after finding out she was a vegan and the Tylenol gag.

• I also liked the line "From The Facebook Group 'Beach Moms Against Vaccine Tyranny" and Kams' reaction to getting that weird infrared heat mask put on him so suddenly.

• Ashley seems to be making some very specific character choices in this. Is she supposed to be doing an impression of a specific "Pitt" cast member? They put more makeup and prosthetics on her than I'm used to seeing on Ashley in any role so this must be a specific impression.

• JAJ as RFK Jr is something that I could see seeming like a good idea on paper and it mostly worked in execution...but it also proved to be something that only works with the exact right angle. 

• Hell, as adept at impressions as he is even JAJ seemed like he was still figuring out the voice. He was almost there. He just needed to make it a lost raspier.

• I'll just say Iiked JAJ as RFK just fine...I don't really need to see it again (especially not with those goofy ass rubber muscles). C+

Sparkle Of The Sea

• This reminds me so much of the type of two hander live commercial sketches that we would get with Kate and Aidy around 2019 that I'm convinced that this was an old script that was submitted for Harrys' first double duty episode from that year and didn't get picked because that episode already had the lamaze class sketch with Heidi and that Lorne thought that two "indiscriminate European accent" sketches in the same show would cancel each other out.

• I did like Jeremy and Janes Devo-ish duo as well as JAJs' singer. Who was Mikeys' assistant though? Was she someone we were supposed to recognize? That definitely wasn't Ashley, Sarah or Veronika.

• I was pleasantly surprised at how they managed to have Kenan sneak Jean K Jean in here at least 15 years after his last Update appearance (even if I was pretty ambivalent about this character and I was pretty sure he already did the exact same routine on Update already)

• Usually, I like Veronika and Tommy being paired together...but I could've done without this though.

• I did like Harrys' line about how "a cruise is just like being in a hotel except you could drown." C+

Best Buy

• Has...Kenan done this exact character before? In a sketch with Devon perhaps?

• Anyone getting inverted Leon Phelps vibes from this sketch?

• I can see Kenan is trying his damndest to put this over and I don't totally hate it...but I can't get too into it...and it seems like it is going on far too long for its own liking.

• At least they only counted on Harry to carry the "ending" rather than the whole sketch.

• I mean, I liked Kenans' line about his wife dying in a two foot deep fountain, but...the rest of this sketch was pure white noise. I mean, it was pleasant, goofy, unobjectionable white noise, but still. C-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: RFK shoulder surgery, Michael B Jordan, 

• Che's Best Jokes: Assembly of experts, Make Iran Great Again, Trump Elementary, MTG

• I dunno...something about the rest of this episode and they Jost and Che are adlibbing and audience riffing in a way that works that isn't "it's the 90s" level obnoxious makes their portions of this Update hit harder than they should. Still, this was one of those Updates that was ALL about the commentaries.

• Already, I like Jeremys' take nonsensical take on Tucker Carlson (it seems like he worked some Ben Shapiro in there to the point where I wonder if he did so intentionally)

• Not crazy about heavily costumed commentaries in any form (and if Marcellos' involved, all bets are off) but I liked the weird abstract specificity of Mikey as "the arial tramway emoji" so...this MIGHT work for me.

• Ok, somehow Mikey listing more obscure, unused emojis in full on "Wild N' Out" mode is giving me my biggest laugh of the night. This is so weird I get Marcello breaking here because it seems genuine on a very Mulaney/Stefon level. I even liked the ending more than I thought I would. B-

White Castle

• Well, I have liked Jane and Veronikas' previous two collaborations (and a few of the things they've done separately from each other this season as well) so I guess I just had to give this a chance.

• Even though this was yet another sketch in service of this episodes' whole theme of "let's just gush over how hot our host is this week", I liked how increasingly strange Jane and Veronika made this even for how formulaic this was and how "safe" the ending felt.

• I liked how Ashley anchored this too but honestly, I could've done without Kenans' motorcycle guy though. B+

She's A Dancer

• Even though THIS was the obligatory vehicle for our double duty host to sing outside of their designated musical guest spots, I did like the sudden tonal shift from "generic late 2000s club banger" to "Celtic Woman/Riverdance". 

• I even liked the harp scene with Jane and JAJ. I wasn't crazy about how this kind of just fell apart with the ending. C+

Harry For Him

• Even though this was another (literal) Harry vanity piece with more hints of "queerbaiting" that involved Ben Marshall, I liked how this was built and crafted in a way that each line from the next cast member was genuinely funnier than the last and made this more absurd.

• I also liked how this gave some much needed live airtime to Dismukes, Kam and Sarah. It felt a little long though. Kenan had the most lines in this, so maybe some of his and Harrys' lines could've been cut to tighten this up? B+

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
7. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
8. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
9. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
10. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
11. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
12. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
13. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
14. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
15. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this was just as much like Harrys' 2019 episode as I was dreading it would be since he displayed the exact same energy that appeals to no one outside his own established fan base. I wouldn't say this was better or worse, though. I'd say it was pretty much the same. There were moments I liked, moments I didn't care for, Harry was there and he was responsible for most of the latter moments.

• Sure, Harry had a lot of very vocal fans in the audience to support him (like most attractive male hosts do)....but they didn't exactly help put the episode over for those of us that aren't that big into Harry to begin with. They just made this episode feel much more like an exercise in vanity and highlighted how much of a limited appeal he still has.

• Still, the moments I did like hit harder for me as they were basically life rafts adrift in a sea of crushing dullness and the show felt a bit more stable and less uneven.

• Cast usage was all over the place, though. We didn't see much of Sarah, Kam, Tommy or Dismukes, but Chloe, Kenan, JAJ, Jeremy, Mikey, Ben, Jane and Veronika each scored in individual roles. No one cast member really "dominated" the night (except MAYBE you could make a case for Ben?)

Closing Thoughts

• Well, I'm glad this season of SNL is finally past it's three episode late winter run of "over hyped pretty boy" episodes that tried to get by on sheer fangirl energy and cuteness alone.

• Next week, NBCs' original SNL takes a two week vacation here in the states but on the other side of the pond where our most recent host hails from, Englands' Sky TV debuts their own adaptation "Saturday Night Live UK". Since this will be available for next day streaming on Peacock here in the states, I'm thinking I'll definitely write SOMETHING about it on this blog. 

• I don't know if it will be a full sketch by sketch breakdown like I usually do or a series of stray observations and comparisons but the temptation to analyze how this show compares to its' counterpart and put it in writing will be too strong to resist for sure.

• After that, you can expect a review of the Brian Williams/Feist episode from season 33 on this blog as a companion piece to an upcoming episode of the We Heart Hader podcast.

• Speaking of which, Deej and I just released a new episode just the other day reviewing the Kunuk Uncovered episode of Documentary Now! It may be our shortest episode to date, but I still encourage you to give it a listen. 

• After that, SNLUS comes back in early April with host Jack White and musical guest Jack Black. While I'm all for this combo just for the "what's in a name?" factor alone and I'm open to the idea of Jack Black becoming an official five timer...something about this feels a little "too soon" for me.

• Still, I remember genuinely liking Jacks' episode from last season quite a bit based on how starkly it stood out from the pack at that time. Of course, most of that was due to Jacks' sheer energy making it stand out by season 50 standards but it's clear he boosted morale and inspired some creative shift. 

• He elevated his episode just enough to make it feel and his infectious energy may be just what season 51 needs right now to prove its' still wanting to do something different and less complacent in its own status quo.

• Anyway, hope you guys all enjoy this output from me when you get a chance to see it!

Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)

Trump/Hegseth Iran Briefing

• Ugh, here we go, I guess.

• Well, this is easier for me to picture than a SOTU cold open at this point.

• At least I kinda liked the "allowed to do one war/year 5000/Forrest Gump jokes/SNL writers room jok...HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!"

• OK,Jost as Hegseth MIGHT hold my attention (even if he doesn't seem to have his heart in it this time, I did like the "knuckle tats" and "Game Cube" jokes)

• At least that was mercifully short (it had to be under these circumstances). C-

Monologue

• Well, Connor isn't giving off a lot of energy but I do like how he IS giving us a sincere genuine look at his own acting background with a vibe that screams "wow, it's like Bowen Yang never even left".

• I guess the stiff cameo from the Mens' Olympic Hockey Team players (which I honestly forgot was happening until I suddenly saw it on screen) wasn't as awkward as I was expecting and its' nice that they could get the womens' hockey team to balance this out. The constant applause breaks didn't help the timing or pacing of this, though. C+

Farewell Mr. Fronzi

• Ok...seriously, what the actual CHRIST am I watching here?

• ...and I thought the obligatory Trump/JAJ cold open was meaningless, nonsensical word salad.

• I have to admit though, as much as I don't like whatever the fuck Marcello is doing here...it's still preferable to more of Connors stiff flat, meaningless line readings.

• ...and now, Marcello is walking in on Connor doing an impression of his character. A neat, if not unexpected twist, but MAN...this sketch feels like a long walk off a short pier.

• Now, everyone is joining in. Ok, yeah...sure. I'm afraid this might be that same irreversible tipping point for me with Marcello that the first "Surprised Sue" was for me with Kristen Wiig or Fred Armisens' first appearance as Barack Obama was for me with him,

• I did like Kams' sudden line about not knowing what subject this class is. 

• Is it just me or does this sketch seem like Marcello himself wrote it when HE was in high school? 

• This sketch seems like it would've been a one-and-done character piece meant for Jay Pharroh 10 years ago (or even Devon Walker three years ago) D+

Gentlemens' Code

• Well, this pretape seems to fit Connors acting style a bit more (it certainly fits Mikeys' acting style...a little too well).

• Ok, this just seemed like it was "Rookie Cop" but with hand-slapping instead of badly timed sleeve-puking but thankfully Kenan added the minor twist of being able to beat these motherfuckers so hard he launches them into the air.

• Dismukes kicking his child into the air Charlie Brown and Lucy style was a fun touch, too and this actually wrapped itself up nicely into a neat little package. C+

Ice Skating Rink

• If nothing else, this was an OK showcase for Veronikas' acting chops. Tommy was...OK here. Hell, he plays off these Mikey day roles a little bit better and with more subtlety than Mikey seems capable of these days.

• At first, this came off like an experiment on the shows part on a production level to see if they could pull off the "Background Chaos" style of pretape in a live sketch format, but once Tommy started commenting on what these grown men were up to behind him, it started reminding me a lot more of the "SWAT Recon" sketch  from Chris Pines' episode in 2017 and I began to wonder which writers from season 42 are still on staff and I was like "ooohhh, right".

• Wow, this crowd is going FUCKING NUTS for this Hudson dude who's Connors costar on his show. Seriously, he's getting the most screaming applause breaks out of anyone or anything on the show. He is single handedly making this sketch much longer than it should be and may be solely responsible for those excellent Jane/Veronika "Car Door" and "Tourettes"" sketches being cut.

• Anyway, this was all right in spite of its' length and pacing. I appreciate them adding little extraneous little details to this but of the two sketches that did this tonight...the other one did it better for me. C+

Tutoring The Cool Kid

• Well, Connors' acting style fits this sketch well (mostly because he can play off the awkward moments)

• Ben, Ashley and JAJs intentionally odd keyboard playing were the highlight of this sketch for me.

• Ashley and JAJ as Bens' parents played off the "long cold" bit really well but...I kind of wish they had come up with something different for that particular beat

• The ending was...heartwarming. C+ 

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Prince Andrew, Nasal Spray

• Che's Best Jokes: Somali Pirates, Smart Mattress

• Hey, Colin...speaking of "nasal spray", are you also just getting over a cold? You sound a little congested, bro.

• Hey, Veronika finally gets a new Update character!

• Should...someone ask Vanessa Bayer if Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy or child actress Laura Parsons were MEANT to have an older sister or cousin who was recently made a bridesmaid?

• Well, I didn't like how they suddenly forced topicality on that commentary...but I do really appreciate Veronika giving us something unique with a fun energy.

• I did like Colins' Stephen Hawking "Hear Me Out" commentary.

• Ok, Lorne forced Sarah to put on a slutty ass monkey costume, didn't he?

• I don't like the framing of this being "Punchs' mom as a trashy Jerry Springer/Maury Povich guest" but it's not exactly the worst costumed Sarah Update piece I've seen.

• Marcello as Punch himself was...a surprisingly enjoyable and wholesome way to end this. C+

Griff Of The Magi

• So, Marcello just walks around on stilts uncomfortably with crunchy sound effects and all while the rest of the cast debates his height...and that's the sketch?

• I mean, I didn't HATE this...but I didn't like it enough to say it redeemed Marcello in my eyes after that first post monologue sketch.

• Connor played into this premise pretty well (or at least in the exact way I would've imagined Bowen playing into this if they did this, like, a year ago when he was still in the cast).

• This was the other sketch of the night that added various little extraneous little details I was referring to. Upon rewatch, most of these details actually served this sketch well due to the sheer thinness of its premise as pointlessly random as they seemed at the time.

• Specifically, the details I liked were Sarahs' line about the suicide of Marcellos' girlfriend and Marcello suddenly sticking his tongue out and asking "would I be able to to this?"

• I didn't much care for any of Mikeys' lines but I liked seeing hi briefly break for the first time ever. C+

Raising Office Morale

• Well, Sarah's first line and Dismukes "Severance-style" speech followed by him falling back in his chair were the only things that got me so far (aside from the oddness of this being Kenans' only live sketch appearance in the entire episode)

• Other than that, this feels like the same sketch template as the "BurrSweeto" thing from Quinta Brunsons second episode or the HR thing from Shane Gillis' first...but Connor Storrie is pitching his coworkers on the concept of a dance

• God, this has the most trouble staying focused on its one lane out of any SNL sketch I've seen in recent memory...and it's going on WAY too long.

• Well, I can't say the Mumford & Sons cameo was UNnecessary or UNcalled for. Still didn't care much for it though. C-

Bachelorette Party

• Oh, OK. So, THIS is that "stripper who just got hit by a car" sketch" that Connor talked about in an interview he did about his early performing background in sketch/clowning.

• Even though, this premise doesn't feel that unique to SNL or sketch comedy in general (it feels like a sketch template we've seen before on both SNL and MADtv) I can tell it definitely feels unique and special to Connor and I was hoping something from that part of his life made it on air so in a way...I AM glad to have gotten to see this.

• The way this cast and Connor executed this made it feel just as avant garde as Connor described it in that interview.

• Jane, Ashley, Sarah and Veronika each got great lines in and played off Connor extremely well (especially when he asked Sarah to wrap his belt around his bloody thigh like a tourniquet). B-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
6. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
7. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
8. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
9. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
10. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
11. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
12. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
13. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• To call this episode uneven would be the understatement of the year. This episode was a wild goddamn roller coaster. I had it pegged for possibly one of the worst of the season pretty early on but it had a few redeeming qualities to it as it went on (I mean, not enough to keep it out of my personal bottom five of the season so far, but still)

• Connor Storrie wasn't exactly a bad host. He was certainly a "game" host, no doubt about that but at times being a passively "game" host seemed to be his only trick. By this I mean that aside from the very last sketch (which he clearly had a big part in conceptualizing and getting on air) he exhibited a very low key, laid back Harry Styles/Bowen Yang type energy all night except for when the sketch called for him to imitate a specific characters one quirk or goofy shtick and suddenly he snapped himself out of it.

• He reminds me of the type of male SNL host who professes to be a big fan of the show and clearly gives it HIS all but somehow none of his energy translates into making the show that much entertaining to anyone outside of his specific fan base because he's clearly using his good looks and charm to put over some very "mid"material. I want to say that Jason Momoa is this exact type of host but that's not quite a fair comparison because he and Connor Storrie are clearly very different types of actors.

• Still, I have to say this episode gave me a bit more than the basic level of what I was expecting from an episode where they were clearly planning to get by on the sheer manic energy of the shrieking young rabid fanbase the host was going to bring with them.

• Cast usage was just as uneven. It was expected that we'd get a lot of Ben, Marcello, Ashley and Sarah tonight but Veronika may have had the best night of her entire tenure thus far and she truly deserves it. Chloe was absent and Jeremy was almost shut out (well, if you blinked you may have missed him). Kenan was surprisingly light tonight which makes me wonder how much he is actually considering leaving this season. Mikey, Jane, Tommy, Andrew and Kam were just as peripheral as they always are.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was certainly a show I STILL may have to chew on even after all I just wrote about it!

• Next week, Ryan Gosling returns to host. I gotta say, his last episode may have seemed just as fun and high energy as parts of this one did but it ultimately annoyed the hell out of me because Ryan literally spent the whole show after he finished his monologue breaking. It was like he was trying to break on old Guinness World Record or something.

• Knowing how Ryan usually is when he hosts, I don't expect anything different from him but let's hope they actually new ways to make this episode starkly different from his last three.

• Also, feel free to listen to the latest episode of We Heart Hader where Deej and I review the Jon Bon Jovi/Foo FIghters episode as part of our SNL Season 33 coverage and read the blog post I published just hours before this one to go along with it. I think I can safely say that episode was better than this one.

• Deej and I are about to record another episode of We Heart Hader reviewing the "Kunuk Uncovered" epsiode of Documentary Now! as part of our coverage of the first two seasons of that show.

• Speaking of podcasts that Deej Barens and I have both been on, check us each out on our own separate episodes of "Cover Wars". I talk about The Turtles' "Happy Together" in mine and Deej talks about Billy Joels' "New York State Of Mind" in hers.

• See you guys real soon!

Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)

White House Press Briefing

• Huh, Karoline Leavitt. Quite a role for Ashley. She's killing it as usual and even playing off the rest of the cast well.

• Hey, there he is. At least he just suddenly pops in to frame instead of doing the whole "freeze frame/tableau" thing. Better use of JAJs Trump to have him actually interact directly with the press corps instead of doing another semi-soliliquy.

• Hey, they managed to sneak in the obligatory "Putin has photos of Trump blowing Bubba" reference everyone was expecting.

• Nothing really stood out to me about that cold open but writing-wise it's a substantial improvement over most of the last three seasons of Trump related cold opens (especially in terms of length). B-

Monologue 

• I gotta say, Glenn Powell is doing extremely well as a first time host. He exudes an effortless charm without seeming to detached from the show.

• Perhaps the biggest kick I got out of this monologue was his setting up a 20 yr old clip of him lip syncing to Fall Out Boys first big hit as having a French art house influence.

• What I liked most about this monologue was how Glenn talked about how much the show meant to him without talking more about the show itself (aside from that quick Lorne impression he snuck in) and his connections to it than he did about a random UPS driver he happened to take a selfie with. 

• Considering the episode Glenn was originally supposed to host was literally canceled due to Covid, maybe it's for the best for him that he had to wait four years. B+

A.I. Photos

• Hey, Ashley playing the grandma and Sarah playing the young daughter! There's a switch!

• Another switch, Marcello isn't chewing scenery and he has the best lines in this.

• It was pretty smart to have Glenn play the guy in the old timey photos in this. I remember someone tweeting a couple years ago when "Anyone But You" came out that he and Sydney Sweeney have names that make them sound like actors from the 1940s so it's nice to see he, Veronika and Mikey can pull off the LOOK of that time, too.

• I do like how the entire premise if this was just pointing out how most A.I. generated content is so visually fucked up that no one could possibly mistake it for being real and how it functions as a commentary on how it contributes to making the boomers generations' rampant Fox News brainrot even worse than ever in ways we never previously thought possible.

• This function well as a companion piece to the A.I. classroom podcast sketch from Chalamets' episode from January and even expands further on the idea behind that.

• Perhaps the biggest laugh I got out of this was Mikeys' fake Ken doll smooth crotch popping up. B-

Missing My Exes' Dad

• Ok, they're just taking full advantage of Tommys' sheer "aw shucks" midwesternness and Bens'...ability to...convincingly play a generic male country pop singer at this point, aren't they?

• Wait...a country trap beat? Well, we did get Pete back in the building. Did he bring "Big Wet" with him and introduce them to Ben & Tommy?

• I liked the premise behind this music video and how evergreen it was with the twist NOT being that SNL tried to tie in another pretape to whatever the hell this month's tired ass viral trend is. Song is pretty catchy too.

• Glenn didn't quite pull off the role of "middle aged ponytailed guy" as convincingly as I had hoped but he made up for it with his singing and dramatic acting when falsely accusing Jeremy's character of trying to kiss him multiple times.

• I liked Sarah's reactions to just being blown off the whole time. I do think Kenan should've gotten a bigger part though because it felt kind of odd to see him get washed off the screen so easily.

• Hmm...I wonder if that was Bens' actual dad playing...his actual dad? After all, we know his dad never actually worked on this show before. B-

Sebastian Maniscalco

• Huh...so I guess Marcello was just dead set on getting his Sebastian Maniscalco impression on the air this season?

• I mean, I've seen just enough real clips of Sebastians' real standup to know that Marcello...has the voice and physical movements down decently without exaggerating them too much.

• Hell, I even liked his "Twister" bit and Glenns' sudden "Your Body Is A Wonderland" shout out.

• Still, this makes me a bit bummed that we never got to see Melissa Villaseñors' impression of this guy make it to air.

• Did Marcello audition with this impression or something? Did he and Glenn bond over a shared ability to do...passable impressions of this guy?

• Hey, we get Chloes' Jennifer Coolidge as the obligatory Bachelorette party stripper! That's...an ending I'm genuinely OK with. C-

Scent Of A Marriage 

• So, I guess Chloe is giving us a more grounded version of her "Ooli" character in a more cerebral setting?

• I wonder if this is an idea Glenn himself pitched? The premise of actors being overly hyped up in between takes of even the most dramatic, ennui-drenched Bergmann-esque art house films seems like something that would've come from the mind of someone who's spent most of their life on big movie sets

• ...and out of this sketches casts I'd say Glenn must've spent the most time on actual movie shoots with JAJ coming in a distant second and Chloe a distant third.

• I'm glad that this turned out to be the main "gag" of the sketch instead of the same take being ruined multiple times. I'm also glad Jane gave us the wackiest accent in this. 

• Perhaps most of all, I'm glad that Jeremy and JAJ added some variance to this sketch. Even when Chloe's doing something that works well for me, there's only so much I can take of JUST Chloe bring the main focus of something. B-

MacGruber?!?

• What...the...HELL?!? 

• Ok, the fact that this is completely unexpected (so unexpected that Chloe has to take the place of Kristen Wiig) automatically makes me WANT to place this slightly above the MacGruber from the episode Will actually hosted around the last time tonight's host was almost booked.

• Yeah, MacGruber being in the Epstein files isn't the most creative twist right now (and certainly feels a bit more out of character than him being an anti-mask/anti vaxx/J6 insurrectionist) but any unexpected Will Forte cameo is always a welcome surprise. C+

Slay Division

• Huh, were Bowen and Sarah watching Spice World at some point this week?

• Ok, I gotta say...for a sketch that seems designed in a lab or by some A.I. for me and others to hate...the performances from pretty much everyone in the cast (and Glenn) are actually saving this for me. Hell, even Tommy and JAJ somehow fit into the vibe of this sketch surprisingly well.

• I liked Bowens' "get the manager" line and Sarahs' quip about how they like to "listen to Tate McRae and do poppers until they pass out". Plus, another dolled up Sarah look. Not bad there.

• I didn't even mind the button on the end of this since I liked the performances so much and I still don't even know if "Zara Midtown" is even a real place.

• Yeah, the writing of this sketch seems to have "James Anderson" stamped all over it in big red letters...but really, it's like an old first draft of a James Anderson sketch was punched up by a much more competent and engaging sketch writer.

• Yeah, it also reminded me and others of that "It Girl Thanksgiving" sketch almost on it's exact one year anniversary but it seems more like whoever wrote that sketch rewrote it  to makes it roughly 1000x more accessible to the large swaths of SNLs audience who...didn't care for that sketch (and not just because it contained numerous references to people they don't know or care about). B-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che 

• I suspect this might just be my (and many others) favorite Weekend Update since the one Tina and Jimmy did back when Conan hosted in March 2001 due to it's sheer length alone more than the way Jost & Che were able to work an already hyped up crowd (with Che especially being able to play them like a fiddle)

• Josts' best jokes: "duh", Dahmer email, Dementia Dome

• Che's best jokes: Epstien/"take him down", Home Depot, Trump/BBC, Different World/HBCU, Pennies, Hitler DNA. B+

Taken

• The more I chew on this sketch the more it sinks in that Glenns' pretty decent Liam Neeson impression alone isn't enough to distract me from the fact that this is basically another "Dismukes plays another cucked, emasculated dork to Chloes' character who just so happens to be the dumbest, horniest bitch ever" sketch.

• Still, I will say that it's a much better version of what they were going for with the Jason Momoa cast away sketch from two years ago. 

• Hell, I'll just go ahead and say it. This is a slight improvement over the same basic formula that gave us fucking Domingo (just swipe out Marcello for for any handsome male hosts the show may happen to have and nobody will notice it's the same basic sketch!)

• Oh yeah, I am relieved that they buried the closest thing they had to an "obligatory host is hot" sketch in the post Update half of the show. C+

MacGruber?!? II

• I...guess Jorma just called up Forte &  Lorne and pitched him this idea this week and Glenn was just game enough to go along with it because he's just a fan of the show and of Fortes' era in general?

• I liked MacGrubers' threats to furlough Glenns character just before adding him and Chloes' character to the list with a marker.

• I did like the twist that for once the bomb DIDN’T go off but MacGruber actually tried to get it to go off anyway to destroy the Epstein files by any means necessary. B-

Haircut

• I LIKE IT!!!

• ...but seriously, it was great to see Ashley anchor yet another sketch that manages to invert and tweak each individual element of her office birthday/fart sketch from last month that didn't work and yet still is unafraid to be as unashamedly goofy and absurd as any obscure [adult swim] series you could name.

• I liked how Ashley entered this scene immediately trying to sell us on the same sense of barely repressed shame and embarrassment she did in the office/fart sketch, but even more subtly and how she named other random made up celebrities whose hair her hairdresser has done.

• I also liked Mikeys' brief outburst of "I HATE IT!!!" before suddenly promising to get them a new waiter. I also liked how the sketch ended with Kenan as the new waiter revealing himself to be supportive and he has a similar "skin square" to Ashley's character as they have the same terrible hairdresser. B+

MacGruber?!? III

• Ok, the twist of MacGruber only being a ground crew member on the plane who's only "crime" was selling cut-with-playgroujd-sand cocaine and meth to Epsteins' actual "clients" worked for me because does feel more "in character" for him.

• The song could've been cut and I wasn't crazy about the ending though. Seemed a little too out of left field for me. B-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Glenn Powell/Olivia Dean (11.15.2025)
3. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
4. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
5. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
6. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts 

• Somewhat surprisingly, this turned out to be the second best episode of the season. I know some of you reading this would be more inclined to give it the top spot in your rankings but I'm placing it second simply because while I was pleasantly surprised throughout the whole show, I felt the highs of this episode weren't as high as last week's with Nikki (but the lows were middle of the road enough that they were practically non-existent). Even Olivia Dean made for a solid musical guest!

• I went into this episode with a mix of high and low expectations. I had high expectations for Glenn as a host because with him being a first timer my only real hope was that he wouldn't be a complete stiff and would be a game host for anything. He certainly exceeded my expectations there to the point that I would like to see him host again either next year or whenever his next movie comes out.

• The only low expectation I had for this episode was that it was the last one before Thanksgiving break and those are usually kind of a wash when they're hosted by a regular actor (and when a Thanksgiving episode is hosted by a comedian or pop star all bets are off) but something about this episode made all of its individual parts come together in a way that exceeded that expectation as well.

• Even the high levels of energy and electricity from last week were still everywhere in the studio because it was evident they were still trying new things and taking some new chances with old formats that paid off.

• Hell, they even found ways to use Chloe and Marcello in ways that actually made them seem likable and professional!

• Speaking of cast usage, Ashley absolutely dominated tonight (as well she should) and most everyone else the show leans on (Bowen, Kenan, Chloe, Sarah, Marcello, Mikey & Veronika) felt like her supporting cast (even Glenn at certain points).

• Ben, Tommy & Jeremy continue to make their presence known as the show tries out different types of roles for them to see what sticks.

• JAJ & Dismukes feel like they took some hits this week but that's mostly because they were relegated back to just playing Trump and/or various cucked losers from being used in more prominent roles through the night.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, Melissa McCarthy returns to host for her sixth time Overall and her first appearance on the show in eight and a half years (not counting the odd cameo appearance here and there) with musical guest Dijon (who may or may not be the Chinese phrase for "Oh, brother" according to Aunt Linda)

• Hey, you can read my review of that sketch and the episode that callback comes from here and listen to my podcast about it here.

• Seriously though, Melissa McCarthy has always been a reliably stellar host so it will be intriguing to see her return in an era where the show is substantially different from her last appearance. Let's hope SNL can keep on this upward trajectory to close out 2025!

• Before that episode airs, my next blog entry will be my list of top five Bill Hader sketches and moments from SNL season 32 as this will be the subject of the next episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast. Both the podcast and the blog post will be coming out this Friday with special guest Demi Constantine from the SNN Patron Feedback Shows and the newest regular cohost of my WHH cohost Deej Barens' other podcast Saturday Night Ladies (where they graciously agreed to let me be their second ever guest to review last week's Nikki Glaser/Sombr episode)

• Speaking of which, the release of that episode was the main reason my personal review of that episode was as late as it was so in case you didn't get to read it...feel free to because it definitely exists.

• Happy turkey day, everyone!

Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)

The following regular blog post is also a companion piece to the newest episode of Saturday Night Ladies, whose cohosts have graciously allowed me to be a guest on this week.

Saturday Night Ladies is the sister podcast to We Heart Hader launched by my regular cohost Deej Barens along with Shari Fesko and Demi Constantine (whom you might also know from the Saturday Night Network Patron Feedback shows).

As you can probably tell, I timed this publishing so as to no spoil what I would say on the podcast.

Give us a listen, won't you?

White House Press Conference 

• Hmmm....very bold, very risky choice. Let's see how they actually tackle this.

• Apparently Marcello is Dr Oz instead of Mikey? Ok. Fine, sure.

• Great RFK Jr there, Mr. Dismukes.

• Apparently, they're doing this JUST like they've done pretty much 99% of the JAJ/Trump cold opens they've done the past three seasons. 

• Don't know why I should've expected this to be that drastically different, but there are a few small touches of slight variance from JAJ here that I do like such as him tripping over the collapsed man and the "MRI/punch card" line. C+

Monologue 

• Ok, HERE'S what's sure to be the highlight of this episode.

• I wasn't that into the Trump/spray tan stuff until she transitioned into the insane "tan lung" class action lawsuit commercial.

• While I like how Nikki demonstrates her ability to flawlessly command the room with this set, I feel like I might prefer one of her previous specials to this monologue for how "safe for TV" this material had to be.

• I'm more used to seeing her starting with the raunchy sex stuff before winding down and transitioning into relationship stuff so it feels a bit strange to see her do the complete opposite here but the plus side is it brings the energy going up going into the first post monologue sketch (which is a crucial element to the show that they need to realize applies to live viewers)

• My biggest laughs in this monologue were the nails/short boyfriend "they go inside him/gun on the top shelf" stuff. 

• The "showering with her nephew" stuff was the perfect thing to end this on. B+

Family Karaoke Night

• Yeah, I figured the entire joke here would be "lol oblivious incest vibes" once Nikki & Tommy got on stage.

• Having attended the taping of Nikkis' "Good Clean Filth" special where she talked about having kissed her dad on the lips until she was 26, I figure this must be a Nikki-centric idea she bought to the show. Knowing now that Tommy has gone on tour with Nikki, I can definitely see more how this got on.

• Speaking of, this might be the first Tommy-centric sketch so far in his tenure. He already seems to be a slightly divisive cast member, but...this really didn't sway my opinion of him either way. We've seen his standup on Update but I haven't really gotten to get a bead on him as a sketch performer yet.

• Ok, I think this would be as good a place as any to say I'm really not crazy about this fairly new trend of Sarah being relegated to "straight woman sitting at table reacting in shock and disgust at everything" roles in sketches (even as much as she sells the absolute shock and horror of it all here).

• I do like how hard the sketch ground to a halt after Sarah's "humping his sister" line (especially after that Boyz II Men needle drop felt a little too obvious).

• The bit about the brother and sister sleeping in the same room until Nikki went to college and getting separate beds at 17 definitely felt like a Nikki punchline.

• I did get a kick out of Dismukes' Dad character singing "Too Close" with Nikki and Tommy singing "You've Got A Friend In Me" to Sarah but it felt like it ran a couple of beats too long in between those moments.

• Ending with Nikki deeply tongue kissing Sarah? Ok, I don't have a huge problem with that. C+

Hudsacillin

• Hmm. "The Jennifer Hudson Spirit Tunnell"? This feels like something I don't quite know was a thing because I've only see one or two clips of this on social media completely removed from any real context.

• Hell, I didn't even remember Jennifer Hudson even still HAS a morning show until just now. Do Kelly Clarkson or Drew Barrymore still have either of theirs?

• The biggest kick I got out of this was Nikki listing various bad dancing styles she tried at home in front of the mirror that didn't work.

• The thing that makes this work is, again, how specific this idea feels to Nikkis' mind that only she could do this and would have to play herself in it (although if these "spirit tunnel" videos truly are enough of a viral phenomenon that an SNL pretape could be based around them, I find myself agreeing with Jon Schneiders' take that some other testimonials could have saved this. I truly wouldn't have minded some extra cameos here because I can't really see how a cast impression would've improved this...especially not one of Chloe's).

• Still, I guess that's one of two things that separate this from most SNL fake prescription ads with the other being that it's a pill that actually makes you sick (similar to "Flaritin" from season 38?) instead of helping you achieve your goal which...yeah, seems like a better ending than just having Nikki dance happily. Steve Higgins voice over at the end really hung a lampshade on what a cop out that would've been.

• Speaking of the ending, I did also like the meta twist with Marcello dancing on the tunnel because he really wants it. C+

Beauty & Mr. Beast

• Boy, this sure feels like a non idea someone blurted out when called on at the Monday pitch meeting who had no other ideas.

• Nikki, Kenan and Bowens' costumes looked as slapdash and thrown together as the writing of this whole sketch felt but I did get a kick out Kenans' line about realizing $2500 isn't a lot if money.

• I liked how they at least found an impression for Ben Marshall that he could legitimately pull off. I did get a kick out of Bens' line about his "top half being beast and his bottom half being completely smooth". 

• This almost seems like another case where a cast member has too much of a soul or just too much behind the eyes to play whoever they're impersonating but Ben pretty well captured Mr. Beasts' empty eyed, soulless, half rictus grin that I keep seeing on all these weird snack products he slaps his name and likeness on at every frigging store I've gone to in the past year and a half which due to my advanced age are the only thing I know him from and thus  the only cultural context I have for this fucking guy.

• I guess beyond that Mr. Beast is a YouTuber who makes videos where he has regular people undergo bizarre challenges for amounts of money that are still less than the obscene riches he makes off doing this? 

• Hmm...maybe my only takeaway from this sketch SHOULD just be that it's just another one of those pieces where they explain some YouTuber or social media influencers' whole "deal" just to point out how sadly ridiculous it is that they're worth billions of dollars? That premise alone is becoming the new "tale as old as time".

• This started off feeling like something that would've been RIGHT at home on the old "MAD" Cartoon Network show if Mr. Beast had been around 15 years ago. Once Kenan and Bowen began singing "You're Depressed" to "Be Our Guest" (which parsed about as well as the rest of this sketch...which is to say not very well), it started feeling like something out of a Family Guy cutaway gag (and apparently there's evidence out there that this exact premise was done by Studio C, produced as early as last year but only aired/uploaded as early as last week, which isn't a great look for either side. I'd chalk it up to "parallel thinking" if the timing didn't seem so wonky, but...this sketch seems like it was destined to catch a fair amount of shit from smug pissant GenZers on social media anyway...and if you are one who's managed to find this review and make it this far, congratulations)

• The "I Don't Get It" - Every Person Over 25" review gag was my biggest laugh in this. That really hit and may have been the only time that a fake review gag in an SNL sketch was legitimately funny. Also, I'm vaguely familiar enough with who Kai Cenat is to get a chuckle out of "Kai-sablanca". C+

American Girl XL

• I can't believe the sheer number of sketches SNL has done about creepy grown ass men behaving inappropriately inside an American Girl doll store in the past eight years. 

• Ok well, now that I think about it's only been three but still...it's pretty weird that SNL has mined that very specific idea for comedy that many times.

• Of course, the guys all sold the creep-tastic nature of this and the timing of Nikkis concerned sideways looks at each of them was flawless. Due to the rapid fire pacing of this pretape, there were too many individual moments to list as favorites but I will single out most of Bens' lines and Kams' "biracial" doll being made to look like his brothers' wife as favorites.

• JAJ just suddenly barging in to take over the spokesperson role from an increasingly creeped out Nikki got possibly the biggest laugh of the whole show from me here. A-

Runaway Mechanical Bull

• I was hoping we'd get some kind of fun Nikki & Sarah (!!!) collab and even though there seemed to be quite a lot going on here for a live sketch, this turned out to be quite fun for the sheer heights of detail heavy absurdity it reached. 

• JAJ singing an Arlo Guthrie type score to this was just the icing on the cake. He reminded me quote a lot of the "train traveling/riding the rails" song from MST3Ks' "Girl In Lovers Lane" episode.

• Even Janes' first lines before suddenly just bailing on the sketch made me laugh (even if that's something they did before too in last season's Timothee Chalamet Starbucks sketch, IIRC)

• This functions well as a white trash companion piece to the "Two Bitches Vs A Gorilla" sketch from last seasons' Quinta Brunson episode.

• I liked the fourth wall twist of Sarah being called by her real name and the unintentional one of a pair of errant panties lying on the platform Jeremy was supposed to lay himself across to make is appear that was floating through space. A-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Che's best jokes: Curtis Sliwa/squirrels, FOX News on Mamdani, GenZ/"paying w/cash is 'cringe'"

• Josts' best jokes: RFK Jr, Mexican President, SeaWorld

• I'm genuinely surprised the extended applause break at Josts' first mere mention of Mamdanis' victory didn't result in another quick band shot at the end of the show from something getting cut for time.

• Oof. Yeah, that "Trump doesn't have to pay SNAP benefits" joke should've been cut...and the "Michael Jackson biopic" joke should've been rewritten.

• This wasn't a great Update Joke-wise for Jost & Che but at least it's great to see them actually having fun doing this again.

• Wow. Genuinely wasn't expecting a Pete Davidson cameo this...or any week really (especially to talk about his Staten Island Ferry fiasco w/Jost) but in spite of his reminding us that he did, in fact, play the Riadyh Comedy Festival...I enjoyed this more than I thought I would (which...I can say about a lot of stuff Pete did, but nonetheless).

• With his jokes about his father's death, potential ICE run ins with Staten Islanders and him, Jost & Che being potential Epstein clients in an episode hosted by Nikki Glaser, it's nice to see an attempt at making gleefully dark humor a running theme throughout tonight's show.

• More specific things from Pete I liked were his Lorne/Tina joke and the Classic Pete/"New" Staten Island jokes. B-

Sorority Meeting

• I like how intensely specific and weird this premise was right from the get go. It felt like something modern SNL would otherwise never attempt.

• Am I the only one who legitimately couldn't tell whether that was Tommy or Mikey under that "Rocky Dennis in White Chicks" looking mask until it came all the way off? 

• Seriously, the face screamed Tommy but the voice gradually suggested this was Mikey.

• I liked how Ashley was just straight up shamed for being the only one genuinely catching on to Mikeys' ruse (for which no other explanation was seemingly given besides watching bikini car washes from inside a garage with towells on his lap) as he was literally peeling the mask off to eat a donut.

• I liked even more how the cast soldiered on with this sketch in the face of what appeared to be a crucial prop malfunction with the vape smoke not appearing through the eye holes as they were literally explaining how that was supposed to be happening and the tears just barely working or even being visible (and how they obviously put up the dress version of this on YouTube where the complete opposite of this happened).

• Fortunately, what made up for it was how flawlessly the cut to the pretaped segment of Nikki pulling off her "mask" and revealing herself to be Andrew Dismukes was. B+

SNL Animated Short: Brad & His Dad

• Of all the odd one off attempts at animated segments SNL has tried to get off the ground in the post TV Funhouse era, this one I definitely liked the most because it clearly had the most effort, thought and care put into it since any previous animated segment put on SNL since Robert Smigel was still regularly producing them.

• It felt different and a lot more heartfelt than anything we've seen on SNL since at least the Jack Handey era. In fact, it felt very noticeably and stylistically different from the previous animated segments Mikey & Streeter did for the show last season.

• Speaking of, I can definitely tell that's Mikey as Brad...but who did the voice of the father? Was that Streeter or Dismukes?

• Anyone else get legitimate Kids In The Hall vibes from this? It felt like a ditect cross between one of their filmed sketches and the [adult swim] shows "China, IL" and "Brad Neelys' Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio".

• Anyway, the best moments for me here were anytime the dad put on a video game headset (especially the brief "never say that to me because I'm white" rant) as well as the playground/drone scenes (especially the ending call back).

• I get how the football scene gave some people nice, warm Peyton Manning flashbacks but it didn't quite hit the same for me (pun unintended yet unavoidable). B-

Pilot Announcement

• Well, I have been wanting to see more JAJ character pieces or just more non-Trump sketches with JAJ as the main focus. This was definitely more the latter than the former but he did well with the role he was given here. Kam as his wilder copilot giving him sexting advice was a nice touch even if he didn't exactly steal the scene or anything.

• With as many sketches set on delayed flights with rambling pilots and sketches about dating apps and sexting in general the show has done in recent years, he really had the chops necessary to elevate this into something unique. 

• This also might have been Sarah's best performance all night. I know, she’s still just "reacting to something" but I liked how she at least showed she's capable of having a similar type of chemistry with Dismukes that he has shown he has with Ashley to the point where they can bring each other just barely noticeably close to breaking.

• I also liked Kenan and Bowen silently gesticulating at each other as JAJ described specifically what type of gay guy he wanted advice from.

• As much as I love Nikki, this is the one sketch she didn't particularly shine in but good on her for letting some underutilized cast members share the spotlight. B-

The Make Believe Meadow

• Not quite sure which specific children's book this is a loose parody of (I'm guessing a cross between Narnia, Alice In Wonderland & Winnie The Pooh?) but one thing I am certain if is that Mikey and Jeremy's obsession with pinwheels made this feel too much like a bad ten-to-one Fred Armisen sketch from sometime between 2008 and 2010.

• More specifically, I am thinking of Freds' "calculator" sketch with John Malkovich from December 2008 and his "sparkling apple juice" sketch with Bryan Cranston from October 2010.

• While I do appreciate everyone's commitment to this premise (especially Mikey and Bowen), I can't say they put this over because this fundamentally just wasn't for me. C-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Nikki Glaser/Sombr (11.08.2025)
2. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
3. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
4. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
5. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts 

• I think I can safely say without my person bias creeping in that this is the best episode of the season so far. It got off to a slightly uneven start but ended up being the least uneven episode of the season so far (which is probably the worst thing I can say about it).

• Nikki was an excellent host if not a slightly green live sketch performer and I definitely think she should return at some point.

• This episode delivered everything that I was hoping for from any episode hosted by a stand up comedian who is new to the show in that their unique presence delivers a creative spark in the process and encourages the show to try out ideas they wouldn't try any other week (even if some of those ideas don't quite have universal appeal).

• I'd even go as far as to say that with the way this season has been going, I got almost the same thing from this episode that I got from John Mulaney's first two episodes from 2018/19 (which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Nikki doesn't have the home field advantage of having written for the show for a number of years before her stand up career really took off).

• Cast usage was still a bit strange tonight, but I liked seeing a lot of Kam, Jeremy, Tommy, Dismukes & Sarah (as they slowly but surely figure out how to better use her), JAJ (being highlighted in non-Trump roles) and Mikey & Bowen (as long as they're playing to their better instincts as performers).

• I'm not quite as down on Marcello as some others are (like I definitely am with Chloe) but it's nice to see them being put on the back burner for a bit to give others a chance to shine along with Ashley & Veronika this week (and I'm NOT down on them at all but again, they've been doing a lot of solid work this season so it'll be nice to see them give others a chance to shine.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, Glenn Powell makes his hosting debut for the last show before Thanksgiving. These Thanksgiving adjacent episodes are typically a wash and I'm certain there won't be the same spark there was this week but I'm also sure that Glenn will be a game host who will bring some enthusiasm to the show.

• Hey, don't forget to listen to me in the newest episode of Saturday Night Ladies talking about this episode!

• Also, don't forget to listen to the latest episode of We Heart Hader where we continue our "No Small Roles" series and talk about Bill's guest spots on animated TV shows.

• In the coming weeks on We Heart Hader, Deej and I will be doing another "Impression Spotlight" episode focused on Bills' James Carville followed by the start of our SNL season 33 coverage with the LeBron James/Kanye West episode. See you then!