SNL UK: Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Melania: Truth Or Dare

• Well, up until now SNL UK has only done it's topical cold opens directly about and depicting its own countries heads of state and pop cultural figures. It took them until their fourth episode to do a whole cold open where any member of the Trump family is depicted. By any modern SNL standards, home or abroad, this shows a great deal of restraint.

• It's a bit of a relief that the Trump they chose to depict as a character was Melania, but I'm a bit torn on this one. While I liked this sketch conceptually better than how SNL US chose to address the real Melanias' sudden press conference denouncing Epstein out of nowhere, I have to say I liked Chloe Finemans' impression better than Emma Sidis'.

• I mean, I can definitely see why the SNL UK writers and producers would give this impression to Emma. Out of all the women on this show, she is the one that always mugs the hardest for the camera and always makes the strongest and boldest choices with whatever accent she happens to be doing but still...something about Emmas' Melania Trump impression felt a bit "off" to me (and when I find myself comparing Chloe Fineman favorably to someone else, something may be seriously wrong).

• I will admit I did like Emma's forceful "charades" and "truth or dare/how DARE you accuse me.." bits but aside from that it felt like another well worn SNL US template filled in with a few odd disconnected and irrelevant British references to make up for the fact that this British sketch show has chosen to center its cold open around the American first lady.

• Of course, the well worn SNL US tropes I am referring to are "well known political figure suddenly barges in uninvited to some normal everyday people's hangout to everyone's confusion" which was has frequently been a staple of James Austin Johnsons' Donald Trump cold opens (especially this recent one) and can also be seen here and here.

• Plus, that brief reference to Ye getting booted from the wireless festival felt like something SNL US would've done back in 2017 (or something SNL UK just did do when Tina referenced the recent BAFTA scandal).

• Well, at least this cold open wassl much shorter and more tightened up than most SNL US cold opens as of late (in spite of feeling a little bit rushed and over truncated). C+

Monologue

• Well, I unironically appreciate Jacks' rip roaring enthusiasm for this shows' mere existence right off the bat and I genuinely like his shots fired at Love Island up top.

• Other than that, I'm just getting heavy "British John Mulaney" vibes from this dude (and that's probably because all his marriage/fiance talk reminds me quite a bit of Mulaneys' early stuff and their styles of slight self depreciation are a bit similar).

• His delivery (and absolutely NOTHING else about him) reminds me of another heavily, heavily watered down James Acaster (and that may be because he and Jack are probably the only up and coming British comedians I know of outside of...well, this show's cast).

• Still, I was expecting a bit of a "here's some stuff from my own standup act" type monologue" tonight and I'd say I enjoyed it. I'd hesitate to outright call him a hack but he's not exactly reinventing the wheel here either. This isn't the most inventive standup ever or anything but it's...palatable. C+

Gary Thomas Gets A Series Of Bigger And Bigger Shocks

• Hmm...going into this I had a feeling that this had to be based on some specific video (thanks to a certain someone in a certain Discord server for digging it up and sharing it with the rest of us) and this does work a little better for me with the full context behind it.

• So, I guess this takes the fairly recent SNL US trope of doing near shot for shot remakes of some old music video or piece of obscure viral footage that someone in the cast or writing staff was obsessed with or fixated on that week (as can be seen here, here, here and also here) and just mixed THAT with something uniquely British? Already I have some mixed feelings about it.

• At first, I was wondering why they essentially put Ayoade Bambogye in a bald cap and drag to have HER play the role of Ian Wright until I saw that they were basically just having Hammed Animashaun come in at some point to play Garys' dad (who might have been my favorite character in this piece and I loved that Hammed chose to play him as a secret Lenny Henry Fred Dred style Jamacian accented rasta).

• I did like how every character in this had an increasingly different and deranged backstory to the point where Jack's character was a jogger he hit but somehow didn't kill one night.

• Oh, come on. Really? A professional TV show still doing Harambe jokes in 2026? A whole damn decade too late? And with the cheapest, crappiest gooniest looking gorilla costume they could afford?

• Jesus Christ, wasn't two portrayals of Dobby the House Elf in one season of SNL US more than enough? Ah, I suppose the British show does have some sort of home field advantage here so I can let it slide just once more.

• I wasn't crazy about this sketch. It was fine. I just really didn't like the way it ended.

• Actually, the more I sit with this the more it reminds me of some early-to-mid period Lonely Island Digital Shorts since this also essentially takes one recurring gag and memes it to death. It was interesting to see SNL UK attempt something in that vein, but this wasn't as good. It felt too much like it was made specifically for a British audience to really work like that. C+

Soccer Kid Swap

• Speaking of things that felt like they were written specifically for a British audience only where Ayoade Bambogye apparently plays a male soccer player...

• So, this is an actual thing? British soccer...er, sorry "football" players actually walk out onto the field with random children as their unofficial "mascots"? And these kids are contest winners and it's not a part of their "Make A Wish" equivalent or anything but more like their equivalent of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at a World Series game? Also, why did Jack deliver his lines in a Mario like Italian accent?

• Yeah, sorry, I wanted to like this sketch more and feel like I got the basic underlying gag to it...but there was just too much to parse out if you don't follow British sports. Still, I can tell Jack and the cast were giving it their all. C+

Mastermind

• Ah, yes. No well known English sketch comedy show worth their salt can ever get away with NOT doing a Mastermind parody. It really is like a legal rite of passage over there.

• I absolutely loved how this was executed. They established a universally relatable concept and immediately follow it up with a string of silly nonsequitirs. 

• Who amongst us hasn't their own mother talk their early off unwillingly at some point about the regulars in their neighborhood and distant relatives THEY interact with in their own lives but WE don't?

• This is the type of basic sketch premises that could just as easily have been done on SNL US as SNL UK (in fact, I think SNL US may have already done something like this)

• The only part that didn't land with me was Hammeds' opening line saying he was good enough to host quiz shows but this other British TV presenter "couldn't read the news"? 

• I'm guessing Hammed was impersonating a man who either started out as a TV news anchor and later in his career moved on to hosting Mastermind or is currently still doing both gigs? Was this a subtle dig at the lack of, um...racial diversity among British TV presenters or are the only two black hosts on British television currently feuding with each other?

• Oh well. I did get a kick out of Hammeds last question being interrupted by the buzzer leading him to remark "I've started, so I'll finish" as well as Jacks' sideways glance when Hammed remarked "that's why you should always listen to mommy".

• I was wondering who those two extras were next to Jack and Celeste but they ended up being very inconsequential to this sketch as it cut itself off just as Celeste delivered what would be her only lines in the whole thing (it may have been a real non-ending but at least it didn't go on too long).

• I got a kick out if the guy with the bad hair transplant Jack's mom talked about being one of the contestants although if he even had one line, why not give even that to Al or any other male castmember? Oh well. Still a fun sketch. B-

DadSwap

• While I did get a kick out of Larry responding to Als' art school announcement with "what's that got to do with WWII?" I thought this pretape wasn't gonna have legs at first.

• The visuals of Jack and Hammed in their own little punk rock band were funny.

• Once Jack mentioned his own real dad struggling with his sexuality, I could immediately tell where this was going.

• Thankfully, this turned out to be more thoughtful and nuanced than I was expecting as they had George there to explore this premise by weighing its pros and cons and ruminating on the logistics and full consequences of what what he hath wrought on the world and attempt to completely wash his hands of it in real time as this unfolded.

• The parts of George's performance I liked the most were probably his increasingly frustrated "yeah, i know" responses to everyone pointing out how falling in love with their new swapped "dads" isn't illegal and his explaining to Celeste that using the app to get a guy her own age is just her getting a boyfriend and not a "dad."

• Speaking of the women in this cast, that WAS Annabel as the one who fell in love with her new "girl dad", right? The fact that they put whoever it really is in a wig that looks a lot like Emma's real hair threw me for a loop (and just when I thought I was able to tell those two apart from each other, too). Oh well, I didn't let that affect my enjoyment of this pretape that much. B+

Masters

• So, this one's just "what if Greenhilly or The Vogelchecks took place on a golf course with some millenial/Gen Z cringe mixed in" huh? Well, I didn't totally hate it.

• Yeah, with all the quick pecks on the mouth from the start this definitely reminded me more of a subtler, more tasteful and more gracefully presented version of The Vogelcgecks than Greenhilly upon rewatch.

• At least this moved on fairly quickly from just closed mouth kissing to everyone starting a polycule. The addition of Hammeds' delivery man at that point was a funny enough wrinkle (especially when the others kicked out Jack's character in favor of him).

• Jack's character deciding to get into a relationship with Als' caddy was pretty much the only logical way they could've ended this, so that's some solid sketch writing there. 

• The ending with Jack & George felt a little too telegraphed for my taste, but they made the most of it (especially with that line about not being invited to the upcoming Saudi Arabia).

• Well, I was pretty ambivalent toward that sketch but I have to say it came across as fairly socially progressive and modern minded. Too bad it wasn't particularly funny. C+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Peter Mandleson, Planter, Chico In Court, Ferry Cuts

• Anias' Best Jokes: Kier Starmer In Saudi Arabia, Moon Mission, AI Fat Tool, Shroud Of Turin

• Al & Celestes' horse & jockey commentary may have been the funniest moment of the show for me. It's nice to see this show try out some new pairings with its cast and have them play off each other with expert chemistry.

• I love how Paddy not only bought back his BTS runner this week but also upped the ante with it by delivering most of it in Korean.

• Not sure what to make of Jack & Annabels' Gen Z commentary. I mean, I liked the sound effects and impressions they did, but that was about it. The rest of it felt like they dug up some old Twitter meme from about 2019 or so and turned it into an Update commentary. I did get a kick out of the sudden cut to Paddys' confused expression when Jack called him a "rude old bitch".

• It reminded me a bit too much of the type of overly hammy Update pieces Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman would do together on SNL US until Bowen left (and considering the first one of those that I thought of was this one which I pretty much panned in my review of it...I think the less said about this, the better). C+

Drunk Peter Pan

• Hey, another Al & Celeste pairing! Even as the straight men of the sketch, I liked getting to see this again so soon.

• Any other MSTies out there who've watched certain parts of season 13 getting heavy Emily Marsh vibes from Celeste in that wig?

• This may have actually been my favorite sketch of the night. My biggest laugh came from how blatantly visible Jacks' wires were and how they were just in service of smashing him into candy glass and breakaway furniture.

• Some of Jack's casual insults to Als' character were pretty funny too like "absolute mood hoover" and "shut your mouth, you piece of virgin" as well as his whole rant about all the different ways "Neverland sucks now".

• I wasn't too crazy about the ending though. Once Al's character said something about how "we've all got weird exes" I was expecting a reveal that his "weird ex" was Tinkerbell or something more creative than just "everyone suddenly comes around on the idea of a three-way".

• Still, even this was a bit more entertaining than the few "drunk and/or depressed jilted Peter Pan or Tonkerbell Tinkerbell barges into Wendy Darlings' house and behaves inappropriately" sketches that SNL US has done with the likes of Ed Asner, Claire Daines, Jim Parsons or even Robert Deniro". B-

Falling Down A Hill w/Helen Birch

• This was a fun, near black out length piece of condensed quiet physical comedy. It reminded me quite a bit of Phil Hartmans' "Robot Repair" from SNL US. 

• I'm not quite sure if Celeste is impersonating the actual UK artist & author Helen Birch but if she is, this would be a very sympathetic and understanding portrayal of her....if she actually did fall down a hill while filming her own British TV show. B+

Robert & Judith & Henry & Ethel

• Hmm...Jack Shep as an Ed Wynn-esque 1930s flapper drag queen seems like it's going to be a bit much. This also feels like the type of hammy Bowen Yang centric sketch that I didn't care much for (mainly because I'm not the target audience for).

• Still, as literally cartoonish and purposely stereotypical as this seems, I can appreciate the way he's absolutely throwing himself into this character. I did like him saying he slept in a graveyard and his shoes were filled with blood and the sheer boldness of his line about "stepping quickly into each other's holes".

• The twist with Celeste actually taking a liking to Sheps' character felt a little predictable but I liked how she made her slapsticky entrance hitting Jack with the door causing his cake to go slightly into his face.

• I liked Emma's character as well because she's the only one who made this over-the-top, transatlantic accented, old timey style of acting work for her and not add to the sheer sensory overload of this sketch. Plus, her being in the same sketch as Annabel made me realize that it WAS Annabel in DadSwap and that I CAN still tell the two of them apart. C+

Ranking SNL UKs First Series From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
3. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
4. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, as much as I hate to say it...this might have been the weakest of SNL UKs' initial run so far (it still easily wipes the floor with the episode of SNL US that aired mere hours after it, but that goes without saying).

• It might be due to the fact that this is the fourth of four episodes in a row (it's rare SNL US does that many in a row but these kids are just starting out) but this felt like the most wildly uneven episode of SNL UK yet to me.

• Writing wise, the show has made great progress in maintaining its unique British identity which I appreciate seeing (even if it comes at the slight cost of making some sketches feel that much less accessible to an American audience)

• Unfortunately, the portions of this episode that DID feel accessible to me as an American viewer were just the basic tropes and elements that I could distinctly trace back to what I have seen numerous times on SNL US (which this episode of SNL UK had the most of out of any of them so far).

• One thing I did like about this episode is that they gave a lot more screen time to Celeste Dring (who I felt has been a bit underused to this point and has the previous sketch experience with her group "Lazy Susan" to have earned some of her own showcases on this show).

• They seem to not only continue to be pushing Jack Shep as the star for viral clicks but also pushing Jack and Annabel together as a duo in a way I find a little obnoxious.

• They also seem to have pulled back on George Fouracres a bit but I have heard one of his close friends has died within the past week or so so that might have been his choice and if so, it's conmendable he even showed up at all. 

Closing Thoughts

• This coming weekend, SNL UK will return with a new episode hosted by Nicola Coughlan and musical guests The Foo Fighters.

• I liked what Nicola bought to Tina's episode so I'm glad they got her back as an actual host so quickly. 

• Although I'd much rather discover a new British act I've never heard before, good on SNL UK for now having had both a well known American host AND a well known American musical guest!

• Hopefully, I'll have the time and energy to get my review of that one out sooner rather than later so you can all read it in a timely fashion but you'll probably see my review of the Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood SNL US episode from 2007 well before then. See you again real soon!

Colman Domingo/Anitta (04.11.2026)

Oval Office Calls

• Huh, this is just a regular oval office scene with Ashley as Karoline Leavitt. At least this is a little different.

• I liked how JAJ/Trump broke the fourth wall with that Ashley comment and then did a double misdirect back away from one of those tableau cold opens.

• A series of phone calls? Uh oh, this is starting to feel like the type of cold open we'd get in 2017/18 at the height of the "Baldwin as Trump" era.

• Uh oh, the last time the show did a sketch involving Kenan as Tiger Woods they got a lot of flak for it in the press...but at least this one can't possible be misconstrued as making light of domestic violence and is just a brief comment on Tigers' DUI arrest, so it's perfectly OK. 

• At least they didn't spend a whole lot of time on this part. I actually did like the "DUI/Dewey" joke from JAJ.

• Chloes' Melania cameo was OK (as much as I'm sure a large swath of the audience may not want to see or hear from her anymore at this point). I did like that Reagan joke, too.

• Ok, they're spending way too much time on Jost as Hegseth, but...y'know, it's the Iran of it all. I think they've officially run out of anything resembling a fresh angle on this character so it may be time to retire it. C+

Monologue

• I figured with Colmans' vast, VAST acting resume we'd get something poking fun at the sheer variety of things he's been in. 

• There doesn't seem to be a lot of material here for him TO carry but he is carrying this on sheer charisma alone.

• Thank God the band, the lighting/camera crews and Jeremy kicked in to add some variety to this before I started to tune out.

• I feel like I should have a lot more confidence that the show isn't going to completely do Colman dirty at this point, but...I dunno something feels a little bit off right now. C+

Bank Robbery

• Ok, this fits the vibe of Colman I was hoping they'd tap into more. I'm glad it's less "dirty names" and Matt Shatt and more like the Burger King sketch with Emily Blunt from 2016.

• Chloe, Mikey, Ashley, Marcello, Jane and JAJ were pretty good here. I'll admit the line "be on the lookout for a mess" and "mama raised a dumbass" got me. C+

Black Barbershop

• Ok, is every sketch tonight going to be built around Colman just "reading" people?

• Anyone else get the vibe from this that Tommy could pull off a decent John Mulaney impression? (yeah right, like we need more of those in comedy)

• Kudos to Kam for scoring the strongest moment in this sketch. My biggest laugh in this came from the sudden cut to him just saying "cheat" and following that up with "what you gay or something?"

• I liked Janes' cameo. Kenan and Colman were great in it, too. 

• One thing this episode (and this sketch in particular) did a fine job of is using Colman in sketches that they would need a more diverse cast to actually pull off without him as a host. Still,I think this felt a little long and could've used some cuts (if you'll pardon the expression. C+

Artemis II Video Log

• Well, at least this sketch taps into Colmans' dramatic chops in a decent way.

• When your biggest laughs in a sketch involve Marcello Hernandez either pushing Mikey away over some Pringles (don't make me say which certain animated series "did it"), saying "Canada slaps" or just getting his dick stuck in some kind of tube, something may be seriously wrong. Sadly, Sarah seemed to add nothing. C-

The Knowledge Hour

• What if I told you...this might be my favorite sketch of the night by default? What if I told you...that yes, I too know that isn't saying much?

• Yes, this was just the exact dose of whimsical absurdity the show needed at this point?

• I liked how Colman played off what seemed to be a genuine gaffe between him, Kam and Jeremy (literally) and hoe everyone suddenly exited  the scene before Dismukes entered?

• I wasn't crazy about the ending with Dismukes though. It felt a little forced. Plus, I feel like some of the stuff about Colmans' character wanting to impress some random chick he hasn't seen since college 40 years ago could've been cut. B-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Iranian Peace Talks, J.D. Vance, Sam Altman, New Jersey

• Che's Best Jokes: Netanyahu, RFK Podcast, King Charles, Cornhole Champ, Hemorrhoid Cure

• I liked both of the commentaries this week. Kam and Marcellos' "back of the school bus kids" might seem like something designed to enrage some, but I really needed the boost of juvenile stupidity right now.

• Still, I think Colins' "deez nuts" beat at the end could've been cut so this didn't go too long and ended on one beat that wasn't completely telegraphed.

• I'm glad Janes' commentary was packed with enough abstract absurdity to misdirect us from the most obvious punchline. B-

Grandpas' Funeral

• So, the entire premise of this sketch seems to be "what if a group of pimps showed up at your grandpas funeral and also you find out for the first time they all turned him out at one point"?

• Well, when Kenan showed up I was a little worried that this wasn't going to go anywhere. Ashley, Jeremy and Marcello were fine in this but they didn't exactly do a whole lot to assuage those worries for me.

• I will say I did like Sarah and Veronikas' walk ons. In fact, I'd say I liked their performances here more than most of what I've seen each of them in this season.

• Jane's walk on was decent and I'm glad they found a way to work Mikeys' "crazy background Waffle House guy" into a live sketch.

• I even liked the sight twist of JAJ and Jost as white pimps as tacked on as they seemed (especially the latter...did he and Che cowrite this?). The ending didn't quite work for me though. C+

Boarding School

• I'd like to think this was a very underwritten "Farewell, Mr Bunting" prequel and not just "what if numbers were random gibberish" or "synesthesia: the sketch".

• I appreciate the committed performances in this (especially Dismukes, Kam and Colman) but this felt like too long a walk with too many glaring pacing problems for me. Plus, I felt Dismukes kinda botched his window fall. C+

Beastomorphs

• I feel like this was something that got cut from dress until I saw Colman in it.

• This felt like a typical Sarah idea that somehow got away from her.

• Again, I do appreciate the committed performances from everybody but the idea alone didn't quite hit for me. It was just a little too juvenile in every way imaginable and I just couldn't get into it. 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. 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. Colman Domingo/Anitta (04.11.2026)
12. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
13. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
14. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
15. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
16. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
17. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, that episode was just as disappointing as I was expecting. There were enough fun moments there that I would just call it "uneven" rather than just plain "bad", though.

• Obviously, they biggest problem with this episode was that Colman as a host was much better than the material he was being given so I hope everyone was more self conscious of that than they were letting on.

• When the best parts of the show were what was cut for time and put up online later, something is seriously wrong (of course I'm referring to Bens' Jack Harlow thing and the full length goodnights where Colmam gave a lovely and heartfelt speech that most of this episode sadly didn't deserve).

• On the plus side, Jane and Kam had decent nights, so...there's that.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, SNL US makes its return in two weeks with Olivia Rodrigo making her double duty hosting debut. Given how the episodes hosted by other current pop stars like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and, one of Olivias' contemporaries I hear, Sabrina Carpenter turned out...this is one I'm going to be a bit wary of. 

• My biggest fear is that the show will go all in on Gen Z pandering pop culture chasing that those previous episodes gave us and just try to force another viral moment but beyond that Olivia is another pop star who seems in control of her own image and isn't as blatantly risque as others of her ilk so I'll keep an open mind.

• I'll have a review of that one posted in a few weeks. The week before that is when I should have my full review of the Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood episode from season 33 published around that since Deej and I will be covering it on the We Heart Hader podcast around that time.

• The very next blog post you should see published from me is probably going to be my review if SNL UKs' newest episode featuring Jack Whitehall and Jorja Smith. Even though I am giving myself an actual deadline to write the Fey/Underwood review (this coming Wednesday when as far as I know we'll be recording that one), I'd like to get that one out as soon as possible while the most recent episodes of both SNLs are still relevant and fresh in people's minds because I was really slacking on a couple of them. See you guys again real soon!

SNL UK: Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.04.2026)

Starmers' Address

• Hmm..still not too crazy about opening the show with sudden applause but it didn't exactly detract from this opening or seem completely out of place so I'm not too bothered by it this time.

• I can't say that this was the worst SNL UK cold open thus far, but it does feel the most like any "typical" SNL US cold open that we could've seen them do stateside in the past 15 years (especially about four or five years ago during the brief window of time when James Austin Johnson played then President Joe Biden...so yeah, it felt the most like these two specifically).

• Yes, this really does combine SNL US' approach to commenting on the politics of Obama and Biden administration's with their "line of cast members each coming on to deliver a few lines and then leave" structure of cold opens (like this one in particular) except this one is more straight forward and direct in their calling out of Sir Keir Starmers' faults.

• Good to see Fouracres bring this back. His Keir Starmer is a fun impression to start the show off with as proven in the premiere (well, as "fun" as you can have with any type of political humor these days). I do also like how purely British this cold open is in that they only address England's troubles without dragging any of America's numerous problems into it (aside from a vague reference to our troubles with Iran and Israel here and there).

• Als' Harry Kane is a fun character, too. I'll admit it is the one British cultural reference I have no context for here so I can't say much about the impersonation itself. 

• I do get that the basic characterization here is just "big lunkhead athlete gives your standard, media trained post game interview that clearly requires all the innate charisma he can muster" and I did chuckle seeing that element get shoehorned in here.

• I do like Emma's Olivia Coleman impression, though. I mean, it might not be as accurate as Cecily Strongs' impression (seen here) but I am familiar with Olivia mostly through her work on Mitchell & Webb adjacent sketch shows (which is ironic since this sketch does assume US audiences mostly know her from performances the Cornetto film trilogy and Oscar bait dramas like "The Favourite") and I do see that Emmas' doing this impression out of affection and admiration, just playing off Olivia's personas from the likes of "Bruiser" and "Hot Fuzz".

• Annabels' Peppa Pig was a nice bit of light absurdity to end this cold open with. I liked their very minimalist, light on nightmarish prosthetics approach to bringing this kiddie cartoon character to life.

• The group "Live From London..." didn't bother me here either but I wish just once they could try just a segue into a solo version of that. C+

Monologue 

• Hmm...I admire Riz Ahmeds' ability and eagerness to poke fun at his own background the types of roles he always gets, but on the other hand...that's the very thing that makes this feel too much like any typical SNL US monologue done by an actor not known for their comedic roles in the past eight years.

• I do like how he tied his own identity crisis rant into a meta comment on how SNL UK hasn't even had one genuinely British host yet (but I can at least tell they're taking baby steps in that direction). 

• Riz is a very confident host which sets a great tone for the rest of the show. I like how he tied this whole monologue together with his "we Brits like it when things are a little bit crap" speech. As much as I could unpack and parse, this was a very rousing and fun monologue to start the show off with. B+

Why Are Phones?

• Immediately, I got heavy Lonely Island vibes from this pretape. It seemed like a direct cross between their "Rescue Dogs 3D" digital short and their "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions" song from the Andy Samberg hosted 2009 MTV VMAs (in that this also seems like it would've worked better as a movie awards show segment than on a sketch show what with all the clips from actual modern smart phone scenes from TV and movies that they must have had to pay for clearance to air...which I'm just now realizing may be the thing keeping this off YouTube as a standalone clip).

• Putting that aside, I do appreciate how thoroughly and intricately they deconstructed the tropes of how movie characters use smart phones (particularly the "fictional apps only" thing) and how seamlessly they transitioned into doing tge same for the similar trope of why cops seem to only socialize with other cops evdn when they're off duty.

• Interesting way for them to work in Ayoade Bambogye into this sketch and give her some screen time.

• I did see someone say that it's funny that both versions of SNL did their own country songs this week and that SNL US' was better. I might honestly call it a draw on that one myself. 

• I mean, the SNL US "Words To Live By" felt like it was modeled after actual (modern) country pop music and this felt like it was more...trying to parody square dances or bluegrass by comparison? Plus, this one felt like it had less reason or justification to be framed specifically as a country song.

• Anyway, fun pretape to follow the monologue even if, like the monologue, it felt maybe a little too dense and briskly paced for its own good. C+

Great Big Crab Man

• Ok, I gotta get this out if the way right up top. Before I actually watched this sketch, I noticed the title of the YouTube upload was "Traitors: A Very Confident Mistake". Weird way to describe the sketch, first of all. They must've been chasing YouTube views with that title.

• Secondly, I wasn't quite sure how this was supposed to be a "Traitors" parody as I haven't watched "Traitors" enough to be familiar with it outside of the fact that Alan Cumming is the host and no one appeared to be doing an impression of him. 

• Then, I remembered that "Traitors" is yet another show adapted from a European reality show and skimmed over enough "Traitors UK" promo material to see that Celeste was actually doing an uncanny (well, at least visually) impression of actual "Traitors UK" host Claudia Winkleman. I'm guessing Emma must've been impersonating a specific contestant based on the strong choice she made with that accent.

• Anyway, that being said, this was also a very fun sketch (even if it feels like it heavily borrows from the template of this fairly recent SNL US sketch). The sights and sounds of (who I assume was) Fouracres in the big red crab costume played well against the rest of this sketch. Plus, it does actually confront a lot of blatant racism you hear about going on a lot in England and it does feel shorter and more direct on rewatch. Riz and Ayoade in particular were also pretty great here. B-

Operation

• This sketch was a real roller coaster, but I loved how thoroughly they committed to this from a writing and performance stand point of taking the viewer along all these different turns along the way

• I do appreciate how this wasn't solely focused on Rizs' singular obsession with clean pulls in the Operation game (because ot was starting to feel just like this SNL US sketch) and that the writers showed us Riz and Celeste reconciling their relationship RIGHT as she is about to leave him.

• I also liked the visual of Al made up as a real life version of the Operation patient followed by the additional "twist" of Riz not realizing his operation skills don't translate to real lifesaving abilities as he is baffled by all the blood and internal organs he has to pull out of Als' character with cooking tools.

• By the way, I also appreciate how this sketchs' inevitable vomit by Jack was tastefully done into a bucket as invisibly as possible and I got a kick out of the police accidentally setting off Als' light up nose buzzer when they accidentally hit his stretcher against the doorway.

• Once again, props to the writers for making this sketch as grounded and realistically, consequentially absurd as possible. This may have been the most Pythonesque sketch SNL UK has done yet insofar as they were able to stop themselves from getting "too silly" before the actual ending. B-

OG FM

• Ok, this is definitely just a refined and reskinned SNL US sketch. Specifically, it's Jimmy Fallons' Z-105/Joey Mack sketches mixed with "The Shout Out Show" from early 2002 with Hammed, Ayoade and (hilariously) Al playing their parts as basically Kyle Mooneys' "REAL HIP HOP" character.

• Still, all the cast members and Riz performed this extremely well. Each of their lines were very funny and I liked how this built to an actual well executed climax with Riz just straight spitting fire at the end. I'm sure they wrote this sketch specifically to play to his strengths since he did mention being a rapper in the monologue. B-

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Navy Jibe/Yellow Submarine, Easter, New Online Subscription Laws

• Anias' Best Jokes: Bridge Bombed, Navy Jibe #1, Zuckerberg Bunker, Police Guns Found

• Emma as "Generic Love Island Bimbo" definitely felt like a Colin Jost/Cecily Strong Update two-hander from the FIRST Trump presidency (or like something from the actual Love Island parody SNL did in 2019 with Phoebe Waller-Bridge). 

• Sadly, while I liked her performance I have to say this is the one time in the entire run of SNL UK so far that they didn't manage to automatically improve on a pre-existing SNL US formula. I only say that because any comedy show could do this and it would only really land with people who actually watch and keep up with Love Island or any other reality show (which I do not so this was just a bit if cute, cockney white noise to me).

• I think this goes without saying how troubling it is that now even SNL UK is doing Update characters in big animal costumes. 

• Seriously though, Jack's adorable doormouse does feel like a more palatable version of something Lorne would've made Bowen, Sarah, Marcello, Kenan or Michael Longfellow would do.

• Still, I'm grateful that Jack found a way to do this without going too garishly over the top with it.

• Al and George's "skin on skin contact father and large adult son" commentary may have been the comedic high point of this Update. Much like Jack earlier, I love how committedly they both sold the absurdity of this premise without trying too hard. B-

The Bastard Seagull 

• Did...this sketch open with canned applause fading out?

• Anyway, this might have been my favorite live sketch of the night and my singular favorite performance from George Fouracres in the entire run of this show at this point. He pretty much owned this sketch and made a meal out of his role, especially near the end.

• Riz also played quite well off of him and did a great job of matching his energy. Hammed gave a very fun Kenan Thompson-coded performance in this as well.

• I don't want to sound like a broken record but I feel like there's truly an insane number of modern SNL sketches from tge past decade or so that fit this format of "group of people jump all over one main characters blowing their single minded obsession with an incredibly minor personal issue out of proportion where most enabling them by pressing for more information while one or two others just urge them to move on" but I had too much fun with this to really care enough to even try and remember a previous example of this". 

• I appreciated how it ended just before they belabored the joke but just shoving a Seagull puppet in front of the camera and just segueing into the second musical guest performance just felt a little too tacked on to me. Otherwise, a near perfect sketch. A-

Bunny Lamaze

• Yeah, SNL US has done a few "strange lamaze classes" in the past few years but this felt a bit closer to the "outlandish gay couple trying for a baby in a physically impossible way" sketches that Bowen Yang did in recent years with Adam Driver and Jon Hamm. 

• Still, this at least added an additional layer of absurdity to this with the implication that the Easter bunny is unaware that the chocolate eggs he half lays/half defeated every year are 100% chocolate and thus edible and thus they can't be raised like children.

• Hammed and Riz played their roles well and certainly elevated this material. It must've taken some incredible restraint on the show's part to not cast Jack in Hammeds' role but I guess...Hammed just looked more realistic as a giant bunny rabbit? C+

Ranking SNL UKs First Series From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
3. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• While I very much appreciate how committed the writers were to fully fleshing out all the premises and concepts they had this week, I feel like there was some major backsliding in terms of this show establishing its own unique British style and identity.

• I only say this because nearly every sketch in tonight's episode felt like a major punch up on a sketch SNL US would've done or has done already.

• For this reason, I had to rank this episode as only the second best of this first series so far. That isn't to say the debut with Tina was the worst episode so far. This is just saying that while the show has established itself, they didn't quite take as many risks as they did last week with Jamie.

• Riz was a very strong host and I feel that cast balance has improved. They seem to be using George, Al and all the women more this week although they're holding back a bit more on Hammed and Larry.

• They seem to be using Jack a bit less but since they obviously want to lean into him as someone who draws in a younger audience, at least they're using him just enough to not have him feel like he's dominating the show...so that's good.

Closing Thoughts 

• The next episode of SNL UK (which will probably air tonight or tomorrow depending on when and where you're reading this at this point) will be hosted by English comic Jack Whitehall. He's a bit divisive and a bit posh from what I've heard (and he apparently played at the Riyadh comedy festival last fall) but not totally hated. I'm unfamiliar with him myself so I have no idea what to expect. I'm sure he'll do portions of his own act for his monologue but I just hope he doesn't give us an insane Ben Elton style rant.

• At this point, it's probably a safe bet that you'll see my review of the upcoming Colman Domingo/Anita episode of SNL US before you get to see my review of that one. One thing you may get to hear before you read that is the upcoming new episode of We Heart Hader podcast (which should hopefully also be out as you're reading this) where Deej and I continue to review Documentary Now Season One with "The Eye Doesn't Lie". 

• After that, we'll return to reviewing season 33 of SNL US with the Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood episode for which I will also post a review of on thus blog which you can read while SNL US at least will be on a break (great timing on that one, huh? I'm not totally sure if SNL UK will also be on a break or not by then). Anyway, see you real soon kids!

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!

SNL UK: Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (04.28.2026)

Prince Andrew Meets With MI5

• Hey, they didn't open the show with sudden, screaming out-of-nowhere applause this week! Instead decided to...hold off on that until after the historical opening voice over...that doesn't have an opening text crawl. That's still an improvement. Now, if only they could do something about those pesky group shootings of "Live From London" and do a solo one just once...

• Speaking of, was that Fouracres doing the opening voiceover? Sounded like it could've been him. Plus, it's nice of this show to give us some variety with its cold opens and not give us George as Kier Starmer for two weeks in a row.

• Still, this "secret plan meeting" format does feel like something modern SNL has done both in the recent past and distant past (see the two Charlie's Angels parodies they did in 1979 and 1987) but with a "royal scandal" twist this time. I think they pulled off executed this quite well (moreso than SNL US did whenever they tried something like this in recent years).

• OK, I get them wanting to push Jack Shep as...well, maybe not the "star" or "face" of SNL UK and I understand his Princess Diana impression got the show a lot of positive buzz online recently but...that was a rather odd way to work in him holding a picture of his Diana impression just to remind us that he was the one who did it.

• Celestes' Cunk-like deadpan on all of her lines was the icing on the cake for me. I particularly liked her jab at Prince William. I also liked Ayoades reply of "turn to page 72, it will" to Jack's Andrew saying this news would "kill mummy" if it came out.

• I wasn't clued all the way into what was going on with Larrys' Peter Mandleson (had to do a bit of Googling to remind myself of exactly which part of the Epstein scandal was being referenced there) but hey, that just speaks to this show further establishing its own unique British comic identity.

• Emma Sidis' Fergie may have been the comedic high point of this for me. She may be the hidden gem of this show. From what I've seen so far she's shown quite a bit of range and an ability to sink into different characters well. B-

Monologue 

• Hmm...Jamie's pretty stiff in delivering this monologue (although I did get a kick out of the "following broadcast guidelines" joke).

• He seems pretty nervous...and I'm betting this is real because it seems too odd to be made up.

• He should have enough charm to put over the "lol ain't I secretly quirky?" vibes of this monologue but he looks like he's having way too late second thoughts about revealing this part of himself on a new English comedy show that critics are struggling to hate as much as they wanted to.

• I guess I missed the broadcast glitch that took place here. It would've probably been the most interesting part of this monologue, sadly.

• Part of me wishes I could've seen this "live" live so I could've actually Googled "Jamie Dornan Potato Rocks" BEFORE the actual results would've been SEO'd into just being various fluff write-ups of this very monologue.

• Hey, Chris O'Dowd! Smart of them to get an actual proven funny person to make a cameo in this monologue! Unfortunately, he couldn't save this.

• This reminds me a little of another SNL US monologue. Specifically, Elliott Goulds' 1980 monologue from the ill fated season six premiere where he shows off his collection of women's panties. They both have the same "is this the best thing for a host to be doing for an audience with an unestablished brand new SNL cast as the only ones supporting him?" vibes.

• Yeah, this monologue didn't quite fill me with confidence that the rest of the show would be great. C-

British Themed Pub

• OK, now this is DEFINITELY an old SNL format (and more proof that they're pushing Jack Shep as the show's Pete/Marcello/Bowen type main draw for young people with a rap video that sounds like it's designed for online virality)

• Al and Jack definitely had the best verses in this but I liked Hammeds' too. God, even lyrically this is much better than the type of modern rap videos SNL would do.

• It's nice to know that traveling to vastly diverse foreign lands just to spend most of your time reveling in their simulations of you own culture isn't ENTIRELY an American (maybe it's just a white thing or an English speaking thing or a colonizer thing?)

• I liked Emma suddenly bringing some sad self awareness to this. Even though the twist of Jamie suddenly showing up just to take them to an Irish themed pub felt pretty telegraphed, I liked how they pulled it off because even Mr. Grey was spitting bars here and seemed much more in his element than he did in his monologue. B-

Hostage Situationship

• Smart of them to put this after the monologue with the pub song as a buffer. Jamie actually did work here because he was much more dialed in. He's definitely more in his comfort zone parodying a Taken-style kidnapping scene in an action/thriller type film. Plus, he switched from "intense and menacing villain" to "light and girly bestie" back and forth with ease.

• Nice to see this episode showcase the female cast more by giving Annabel her own lead off sketch. She also seems to have the ability to slip in and out if different types of characters given how different this performance was from what she did in the pub song.

• A kidnapping victim getting bogged down in her relationship status with her guy friend does seem like something I could see both modern SNL US and BVSS doing. Thankfully, the way they executed this was closer to the latter than the former.

• Jacks' video response was pretty "meh" but it did serve as a nice transition into the real ending with Annabel having taken Jamie's gun and running off with it (but leaving him with her phone for some reason?) once he threatens to kill her. B-

Night Time Incident

• It was a little hard for me to get keyed into this but it made more sense on rewatch. I do know Jools Holland as a talk show host/music presenter/interviewer in British TV but I didn't know he also regularly hosts New Year's Eve specials in England (or that their Daylight Savings Time is about three weeks after ours...or how/why he would just steal peoples hours from clocks not pushed forward but I guess that's just the absurdity of it all).

• Still, I enjoyed the impressions of Mr. Holland from George, Paddy and Al (because "they don't call (him) 'Jool' Holland). Emma's Jessie J was a fun impression, too but odd to see in 2026 as I thought she had to give up live performing for much of the same reasons Huey Lewis did.

• Ironically, I usually remember to set the clocks on my stove and microwave each daylight savings time because they're two of the only three devices with clocks in my house that don't set themselves back ir forward automatically due to them not being connected to the internet in any way (and since when has any DVD player had a clock that tells the time?)

• Usually, ending buttons on these types of sketches are pretty dammed annoying but this worked because it was just a government PSA and it didn't turn out to be for some wildly unrelated bullshit.

• Anyway, it's good to see SNL UK is already getting a handle on SNL US' old "making a horror movie/psychological thriller trailer out of some banal real life situation" trope and easily figuring out how to do that better, too! B+

The Battle Within 

• Oh, look. It's SNL UKs first ever "host is hot" sketch. I was wondering if they'd even bother with THAT particular well worn SNL US trope this week.

• Well, at least it's nice to see them give Celeste her first showcase sketch in a non-supporting role, but sadly there wasn't anything remarkable about this sketch (aside from how they transitioned it into the first Wolf Alice performance...who were a much more interstellar choice of musical guest than Wet Leg, by the way).

• This reminds me of another specific SNL US sketch from 1998 where Molly Shannon played a children's clown visiting a sick girl played by Alec Baldwin...as himself because his character "Cassidy" had a condition that makes a six year old girl resemble a handsome middle aged man and she can only sleep on satin sheets with satin pajamas. You'd have to see it to make sense of it. Unfortunately, there's no video of it online and my description of it doesn't quite do it any justice.

• Anyway, that was kind of a boring sketch with a premise that they couldn't go anywhere with. D+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Nazi Scandal, Fergie, OnlyFans, Clavicular Arrest, Chelsea, BTS

• Anias' Best Jokes: Houthi Missle, Energy Bills, Tube Manners,

• I really liked the "hand in hand" segment. Both Paddy and Ania delivered great dark jokes in a unique straight to camera segment. I especially liked Ania and her hand sanitizer at the end. Hell, it even reminded me if something Jost & Che did in their first US Weekend Update from 2014 back when they seemed fresh.

• Jesus, you can even say "cumming so hard you drop your poppers" on British TV after 9pm GMT?

• I do like that they're making Paddys' BTS analysis/obsession a recurring theme

• Hey, nice to see Ayoade get her own big showcase after being pretty much left on the sidelines last week.

• She was fine here, but her segment seemed like it was weirdly cut down or something because it seemed a little rushed and didn't have a conclusion.

• Ayoade roasting Paddy was still pretty funny though. At this point, I'd rather see one of Paddys' cast mates roast him for being an scruffy, schlubby loser then see one of Colin Josts castmates roast him for...being an imagined creep behind the scenes or just being a low key dork who somehow married and had a kid with an actress who's way out of his league. Still, the back and forth between her and Ania should've been rewritten to make more sense. B-

Gluing Wraps

• Huh, a minor fast food related annoyance gets blown up into an Oliver Twist-like musical number set in a Dickensian work house. As challenging as this was to parse at times, this turned out to be a lot of fun! I found it quite reminiscent of the types of mini-epic sketches with big musical numbers that the show Fridays would regularly open with during their early 80s run.

• Annabel was great as the dynamic lead here. I'm impressed with the sheer variety of different roles she's handled with ease. Jamie played the villain well. Emma and George were great here, too. George pulled off his Pythonesque pepperpot drag role quite seamlessly here.

• Sadly, we may not have gotten another "45 Seconds With Fouracres" this week but as long as they're giving him enough parts in other sketches that his total airtime spread across the entire show totals up to at least 45 seconds (if not more), I'd be fine with that. A-

Beanz Bros

• I loved all the deranged and twisted details crammed into this sketch about this familys' checkered past. 

• I also liked how it also functioned as a showcase for Larry (who had the funniest line in this sketch). I liked that we're finally starting to get a bead on what his comedic style is.

• This was definitely my favorite pretape of this episode. A+

Rugby Player

• WHOA HOLY SHIT!!! 

• Just when I think this episode couldn't possibly get more deranged or bugnuts crazy (if you'll pardon the expression) they give us visually implied castration (well, more than just "implied") in an attempt to impress a former rugby player.

• This show is truly doing things that it's US counterpart TRULY could not get away with in their wildest dreams (even with Sarah Squirm as a full time staffer)

• I mean, I heard Great Britain had much more relaxed TV censorship laws than we do here in the states but JESUS!

• ...and of course they have to transition directly from this into the good nights because how else are they going to top themselves tonight? A+

Ranking SNL UKs First Series From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• This episode was a bit more uneven than lasts weeks, but the back half was filled with a lot of wild surprises that really hyped me up. Sure, there were a few sketches that I wasn't crazy about but most of them grew on me on rewatch and what actually did hit with me really hit much more strongly compared to last week.

• I initially struggled with how to rank these two episodes against each other because this episodes' monologue and movie set sketch drag it down a little but it's last three sketches made up for that just by working much better than most of last week's entire show did.

• Jamie Dornan seemed a little shaky at first, but he actually surprised me and showed he was into it. I guess I wouldn't have been surprised had I seen him in "Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar".

• Cast usage seemed a little more balanced since they focused more on the exact cost members that weren't featured as much last week (especially the women). It's great to see this show getting a good handle on how best to use it's own much more manageable cast.

Closing Thoughts 

• Well, that was fun. Next week, Riz Ahmed makes his SNL UK hosting debut. He's definitely one of those actors whose name I've heard but I know I haven't gotten around to seeing anything he's been in yet. It will be nice going into one of these completely blind with no preset expectations.

• Next week may be a little crowded since SNL US makes its return from this two week break it's been on with host Jack Black and musical guest Jack White. The following week, Colman Domingo makes his hosting debut. 

• I liked Jack's previous episode from last year and Colmans' undoubtedly a huge get for the show right now so I'm hoping they can bring a fresh, renewed energy to the show that can compete with SNL UK, being filled with young and hungry writers and performers eager to prove themselves as they are vs. SNL US being filled with some if the same voices that have been hanging around for the last 5-20 years leaving others fighting for scraps.

• Also, please listen to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast where we review the Brian Williams/Feist episode from season 33. After that, we'll be reviewing Documentary Now Season One with "The Eye Doesn't Lie".

• See you again real soon, kids!

Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)

The following blog post is a companion piece to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast. Give us a listen, won't you?

Halloween Party

In the name of democratic party unity Bill (Hammond) and Hillary Clinton (Poehler) throw a Halloween party for themselves and Hillarys' upcoming presidential primary opponents including Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Simon Rich) and his wife Elizabeth (Wiig), Governor Bill Richardson (Horatio Sanz) Senators John Edwards (Forte), Joe Biden (Sudeikis), Christopher Dodd (Hader), Mike Gravel (Armisen), Barack Obama (Himself)

• This is certainly a famous and well remembered sketch as it would be repeated and included in numerous prime time SNL Halloween specials for years to come after it aired (possibly because it does feature an actual cameo from the real candidate who would go on to win this election cycle a year out from this sketch airing and its' not often that the show could score a cameo from a current let alone future sitting president...more on that in a bit).

• Putting aside the idea that they are opening their November 3rd, 2007 episode with a Halloween sketch, the idea that most of the people at this party are angling to be Hillarys' vice president is an interesting angle. It makes this sketch a real time capsule which manages to date itself by the end of the sketch given how drastically the trajectory of this presidential election shifts by the time of this shows next new episode (and the person whose in whose favor it shifts toward being in the building and in this very sketch).

• Forte is John Edwards dressed as...an old time hobo? Well, he and Amy still do a great job setting up this sketch. Hammond as Bill Clinton dressed as Mystery, the pickup artist (you remember him, right? the guy who invented "peacocking"and "negging"?) is...a little on the nose, but still pretty spot on for its time. 

• The bit with people mistaking Hillarys' "bride" dress for a "witch" costume was a bit hacky but I like the idea of Bill immediately abandoning the idea of "dressing as bride and groom for Halloween" because "everyone knows we're married". Also, isn't the idea of "bride and groom costumes" for Halloween the lamest, most "out of touch with the way real everyday people think and act" thing you've ever heard of in your life? After all, it certainly does reflect the mindset of the woman who gave us the immortal phrase "Pokemon Go to the polls". SNL would give us a lot of jokes about Hillary Clinton being another self aggrandizing career politician who has no idea how to relate to any regular voter but this one really subtly hits the nail on the had without belaboring the point.

• Strange time for a Horatio Sanz cameo but I can understand them not having anyone else still in the cast at that time who could legitimately play the half-Mexican Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson dressed as Al Gore.

• Bills' first appearance in this episode is in this sketch, playing Senator Chris Dodd alongside the debut of Sudeikis' Joe Biden (another notable impression in SNLs' history of political sketches although it would take some time for him to work out the "affable, fun loving, goofball" angle). Both of these men are wearing Spongebob costumes and commenting on how both of their presences together in the same place "cancel each other out" as only one of them can make a strong impression at a time. This must've been sort of a weird meta commentary on...something? The actual democratic primary debate that occurred earlier this week...or just the state of the presidential race in general at this point? 

• Or maybe this is just a meta commentary on how SNL has too many white guys in this cast and they all seem pretty interchangable? The fact that a couple of these impressions get switched around later in the show in a completely different sketch revolving around these same democratic candidates seems to support this theory (speaking of which, I think I really could've done without the thing with Kucinich and his wife here). Either way this strikes me as one of those things you really had to be around at the time for it to hit the right way (and once that time has passed and you're chronologically removed from that period you're completely lost). As for Fred Armisens' portrayal of Senator Mike Gravel as a literal mental patient...well, I can only hope that is a reference to this video and not this one.

• ...and here he is folks! The actual next President of the United States enters the scene wearing a mask of himself. I found Baracks' appearance here to be...serviceable. Looking back, there was nothing too earth shattering or ground breaking about this appearance. He doesn't really have any laugh lines (but he did smile a little as not to appear too stiff) and this does seem like a brief campaign appearance from a candidate looking to loosen up his image by just agreeing to appear on the show. At this point, no one really knew how much of a chance he really had or how much he had to lose by doing this so when you remove yourself from the mindset that you are just watching "Senator Obama" or "Candidate Obama" and not "Future President Obama" (especially if you are watching this episode in a rerun or Halloween special from when he actually WAS President) then...there's not a whole lot to write home about.

• Honestly, the most interesting thing about this sketch may be Maya Rudolphs' story about how one of the first times she MET Obama was when she played him in the dress rehearsal version of this sketch (just before he was set to come out and tap her on the shoulder before removing his mask...which you can read about here in EWs' write up of Mayas' appearance on Amys' "Good Hang" podcast) or even a story I heard Seth Meyers tell about this sketch when I saw him to standup in the fall of 2011 (which you'll have to listen to MY podcast to hear me tell) but anyway, this was a decent cold open that has lost a bit of its luster with age. 

• Now, obviously...Maya didn't go on to play Barack Obama on this show for reasons beyond this ending up being her last episode as a cast member. As for who DID go on to play Obama on this show...well, we'll talk about that when I review THAT episode, OK? B- 

Monologue

Brian Williams publicly shares his doubts about even doing the show to the audience but concedes that since NBC research shows that people find him to be quite stiff, it would be good for his image to have fun, be loose and pull himself out of 'anchorman mode" if only for one night.

• Brian certainly presented himself well here. I did like his jokes about finding out other esteemed news anchors have only been impersonated by other cast members on this show rather than having hosted, admitting that Tom Brokaw may not know who he is and the graphic displayed next to him at the end. 

• Pretty crazy that he had just moderated an MSNBC debate between the democratic candidates that week and was still able to do this show. Honestly, that might be the type of thing I would expect to have an effect on the show itself but then again, Brian Williams isn't the type of host I would expect to be heavily involved with any of the writing anyway.

• Even at this point in time, there shouldn't have been doubts in anyones' mind that he would do well on this show since he'd successfully cameo'd in the previous seasons' premiere and made the rounds on other late night shows. Most importantly, he'd done "The Colbert Report" and 'The Daily Show w/Jon Stewart" by this time. 

• The latter of whom made it clear that Brian was perhaps the only "real" news anchor with integrity who didn't actively deceive the American people...until early 2015 when he had to admit that he did NOT actually get shot at with an RPG in a helicopter while covering the war in Iraq (although he does actually mention that he was "shot in Iraq" in this monologue, which...hoo boy).

• Fortunately for him, this was a minor scandal from that time that would blow over with him being demoted from "NBC Nightly News" anchor to host of MSNBCs' "The Eleventh Hour w/Brian Williams".

• Anyway, strong monologue that sets a confident tone for the rest of the show. B+

Maybelline For Men

Now, guys (Armisen, Forte, Hader, Samberg, Sudeikis) can wear cosmetic makeup simply because Maybelline is now producing a special brand of makeup that is clearly just for them because the box it comes in says its' "for men only" and that it's "not noticeable".

• Bills' second appearance of the night is in this sketch as one of Armisens' buddies in this who he convinces to wear makeup. Amy appear briefly as Bills' wife.

• I literally don't know what else to say about this. It appears to be forced low level absurdity based on absolutely nothing but I will point out what a strange coincidence it is that Deej and I have now done two consecutive podcasts where we review scenes involving Fred wearing full,womanly makeup...and that at least this was neat blackout length. D+

Bronx Beat

Betty Caruso (Poehler) and Jodi Deitz (Rudolph) welcome Bronx firefighter Paul Dooley (Williams) as a guest to discuss fire safety but keep coming back to their own musings and prattlings about their families, Halloween, Jodis' recent IBS diagnosis and hinting at the vague idea of drinking some wine and going to a store that sells vibrators

• Well, I run typically hot and cold on these sketches and with their rapid fire pacing it's damn near impossible to pick out any particular lines that stood out...but out of all of these sketches this one does stick out in my memory more than most of the others.

• Really, the most notable thing about this sketch is it's Mayas' last one as a full cast member and because of this one of the last moments of he last episode involves her telling Amy that they should drink a glass of wine and vaguely hinting that they should also go to a store that sells vibrators. That plus the IBS lines does mark a turning point where these Bronx Beat sketches get a little bit "edgier" and more risque.

• You know, I've mentioned this before but That Week In SNL and The Saturday Night Network were two of my biggest inspirations to get into podcasting about SNL in the first place so without them We Heart Hader certainly wouldn't exist (what with Deej and I both being SNN patrons and all). I happen to know that both Andy and Timmy covered this episode on That Week with Jon Schneider as a guest about four and a half years ago with Jon as a guest so it means quite a bit to me to that WHH has come across its first SNL episode that all of us have mutually covered on our own respective podcasts. I say that partly just to say it but partly to segue into my next point.

• Naturally, upon re-listening to Andy, Timmy and Jons' review of this episode before this writing I noticed that they bring up an interesting point about this sketch in that it is the first "Bronx Beat" where the host plays a character rather than just playing their part as a slightly more befuddled version of themselves. I thought about this myself and came to the conclusion that this is the first Bronx Beat where the host is given the ROOM to do a character because Amy and Maya pretty much dominated these by speeding over the hosts' role with rapid fire repetitive dialogue (this one does make a meal out of the "sweater weather" catchphrase that seemed to have spawned from Bronx Beat in general) but in this one and later installments when Amy and/or Maya would come back and do these as hosts they let the host at least do some kind of accent that fits these sketches. 

• After this one, you'll notice the ones with Timberlake, Samberg, Tina Fey and even the one from SNL50 with Mike Meyers as Linda Richman focus more on letting the guests get their words and accents in edgewise. The ones with Hugh Laurie and Katy Perry might be the only exceptions to this rule, but then again...Katy barely needed to talk at all in hers and she and the writers seemed to recognize that. 

• Hey, I just remembered what Brians' accent in this sketch reminds me of. Steve Carrells' Ray Romano impression from the episode Deej and I covered in our own very first podcast. C+ 

Rileys' Way

While shooting the series finale of CW high school teen drama "Rileys' Way", the former Quantum Leap alum who plays Principal Jefferies (Williams) suddenly becomes irate upon finding out from his younger cast mates (Poehler, Samberg, Thompson) and the director (Sudeikis) that he has been excluded from the upcoming spin-off "Rileys' Way: The College Years" until everyone helps him cope with this fact. 

• This might be my favorite sketch of the night. It seemed tailor made for Brian an he played his part perfectly (especially opposite Sudeikis in his role as the Mike Underballs-lite director).

• Kenan, Amy and Andy were pretty much straight men here but they channeled teen melodrama actors well and did solid work setting up the scene for Brian to sell the hopelessly out of touch delusion and desperation of his character perfectly (without overselling it since only one of the two "bad takes"he did involved him claiming he never got his degree and thus has to go back to school at the same college as his students).

• One question I do have though is why were the actual high school student characters sitting on a swing set? High schools don't have playgrounds, but I guess I could see it if their graduation ceremony or party took place at a public park (or maybe their cap-and-gown fitting place was near one).

• The slow, sad cover of Rhiannas' "Umbrella" playing in the background was a nice touch (not sure who that ones' by but I THINK it's Mandy Moore since I remember hearing she did a cover of this song around this time?) I even liked it starting to cue up when Brian gave his dramatic speech and Jason asking to kill it suddenly.

• The only thing I think detracted from this sketch was that Brians' speech at the end felt a little rushed and underwritten (unless that was part of the joke).

• Oh, and before I forget, Bills' third appearance in this episode is as the marker of each scene who quickly becomes an actor in the role of "the guy who killed principal Jefferies" after a quick "rewrite". Very funny ending. A-

Publishers Clearing House Giveaway

Presenter Cheryl Bryant (Wiig) has some serious trouble garnering as much excitement from new $15 million prize winner Carl Bacon (Williams) as she has from past prize winners (Forte, Poehler, Rudolph) or even as much as a Dominos delivery driver (Armisen) does when offering him free cheesy bread with his pizza

• While this was another sketch that was dovetailed well with Brians' image, it was pretty one note and stretched pretty thin. Plus, it was another one of those sketches that gave you a heads up on where Kristen Wiigs' trajectory on the show was headed as far as what types of characters she would start playing on a regular basis...for better or worse.

• Still, I didn't mind it at the time (or now) because it was only the first of three times we'd see this semi recurring character from Wiig over the course of the next four years. Plus, Brians' subtly delighted reaction to the bonus free cheesy bread was funny. Speaking of, the reactions from previous Publishers' Clearing House winners didn't do a whole lot for me but I liked Amy tearing through a screen door and a potted plant. C-

Digital Short: Brian Diaries

Brian Williams presents a video of his day to day routine as anchor of NBC Nightly News.

• This was a fun, unique segment where Brian poked a little bit more fun at himself and his own image than he got around to doing in the monologue. Plus, it's one of the rare early Digital Shorts that's not entirely done in the Lonely Islands signature house style and those are always nice to see.

• I do wonder who wrote this? Seems like it could've been Seth or maybe Jorma/Akiva pitched in on this? I'm certainly not saying its bland but I am saying that its a bit hard to get a bead on this since it's a little outside of SNLs' usual style from this time and seems like it could've been written by an outside writer?

• I liked the opening where Brian is standing outside 30 Rock waiting for someone to recognize him and decided that someone calling him Stone Phillips is "close enough" as well as his "fitness routine" being him standing on a treadmill in his suit with a newspaper while wearing the same suit. Him being roped off with body guards in the NBC commissary was also a nice touch.

• Brian tossing pennies out of his window at Al Roker and (especially) Matt Lauer...definitely ages better than it was intended to. Maybe Brian and a few people at SNL knew something about Matt that the rest of the world wouldn't find out for another ten years?

• Speaking of, a Bono cameo being used as a barometer of "coolness" is something else that may have aged this noticeably but the idea of Brian imagining Bono as a guy who wishes he was as cool as Brian still holds up surprisingly well today.

• The only bad thing I could say about this short is that the gags with Brians' narcissism (watching his own footage and leaving himself a voicemail) felt a little telegraphed but he still managed to elevate them a little. B- 

Feist Performs "1234" and "I Feel It All"

• Well, if you're like me, I'm sure you remember this song from the iPhone commercial it was in that got played to death around this time. I don't have too much else to say about this song or this style of music that I didn't already say about the Spoons performances when I reviewed Seth Rogens' episode a month ago

• ...but I will say that Feists music sounds like a much more aggressively "Twee" version of Florence + The Machine than your average "Stomp clap hey" fare from around this time (so much so that I like to imagine this is the type of career Zooey Deschannel would have if she decided to pursue music full time instead of acting)

Weekend Update w/Poehler and Meyers

Studio head Roger A Travanti (Armisen) delivers a commentary on how the looming WGA strike will affect the industry and him personally

Update Nanny Barbara Birmingham (Thompson) delivers a commentary on this years inappropriate Halloween costumes for young girls

• Seth's Best jokes: Biden/Guiliani, sex on plane, dog shoots hunter, worlds' oldest paraglider

• Amy's Best jokes: lost FEMA promotion, cocaine accusation, Applebees'/IHOP, new meth detector

• Surprisingly, Freds' piece worked better than it had any right to. He played up the clueless, self-righteous arrogance of his role expertly in a way that only he could pull off and it commented on the excesses of late 2000s wealth inequality in a funny way.

• As far as Kenans' commentary goes, it's sadly indistinguishable from his other drag characters from his early SNL tenure, but I like his line about how "the only costumes we had growing up were 'milkman' and 'SLAVE'!" as well as his lunging at Seth from across the desk. Plus, Seths' adlibs after he found his top shirt button was undone and his tie was nearly undone as well were fun to see. C+

Larry King Live

After having recently revealed that the character of Dumbledore (Hader) from the Harry Potter books is gay, author J.K. Rowling (Poehler) presents to Larry King (Armisen) deleted scenes from the Harry Potter film series where Dumbledores' sexuality and close friendship with Professor McGonagall (Wiig) comes into play as he pines for his ex-wizard, Jerry Shanks

• Boy, this one aged...weirdly. Plus, it seemed like it would've bee pretty damn hacky even by 2007 standards to begin with.

• I'm not a fan of Freds' awful Larry King impression so I'm at least glad to see how few lines he has in this as the second biggest thing hampering this sketch.

• As weird as it is to see J.K. Rowling portrayed as even vaguely, passively supportive of the LGBTQ community now...it is somewhat balanced out if you also decide to think about this as a portrayal of J.K. Rowling as a shameless opportunist, desperately clinging to relevance after her career as a beloved and well respected childrens' author had just come to a close without her giving a single thought to the idea that she may be permanently tarnishing her legacy.

• Beyond that, I'll just say that while Bill and Kristen are far from the worst parts of this sketch, their performances are elevating this as much as this material can be elevated (and i did get a chuckle out of the line about Dumbledore having received a "booty owl"). C-

iPhone Ads

Fred Armisen likes how much easier it is to cheat on his pregnant wife and get away with it using the new iPhone.

A small business owner with a hatred of authority (Sudeikis) likes how much easier the iPhone makes it to look for hiding spots and plan escape routes using Google Maps after punching cops while high on crystal meth

• I know this is the year the first iPhone came out and I vaguely remember the type of iPhone commercial these ads were spoofing.

• Only one of these ads aired during the live show and it was Freds'. The other one with Jason was cut for time (Seth's adlibs after Kenans' Update commentary made the show run a little long) and was added back in to the rerun after the fact. 

• Freds' didn't work for me that much. Something about the sleaze and creepiness of his character he sold a little too well without even trying.

• Jasons' was tremendously funny for how casually he sold the sheer outrageous outlandishness of his character. I liked his line about using the iPhone to watch "pig punch" videos on YouTube and using iTunes to pick the perfect songs to listen to while coming down from a crystal meth high. 

• Man, it's weird to see how tiny and puny the first iPhone looked in a grown mans' hand compared to how big someof these Samsung Galaxy smartphones are now that barely fit in my own hand

• It's interesting to pick apart these iPhone ad parodies from around the time this product was first introduced because the one recurring theme or message behind them seems to be "the only people who would dare use such a ridiculous product are dangerous, idiot sociopaths who won't amount to anything other then being an active menace to society". 

• I mean, we've come to a point in society that the only people that this thesis really applies to the people who invent and mass market such technologies and the people who create and distribute their own homemade content with them leaving the rest of us as their victims who've all been brain damaged and heavily spiritually degraded by them to various degrees. What are you gonna do, huh? C-/B+

Before The Debate

After Brian Williams tells Senators Chris Dodd (Hammond), John Edwards (Forte), Joe Biden (Sudeikis), Governor Bill Richardson (Horatio Sanz) and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Poehler) what order their podiums will be in on stage in relation to Senators Clinton and Obama before their big debate at Drexel University (before the latter even arrives), Williams flat out admits to them that he and the rest of the media really want Hillary to become the Democratic nominee and get elected president. Senator Mike Gravel (Armisen) is also backstage for some reason....even though no one has told him he is not in the debate yet. Once Brian leaves, they all discuss potential plans to take down Hillary during the debate in a feeble attempt to boost their own chances...ranging from having Gov. Richardson accuse her of being "anti-Hispanic" to having Sen. Edwards sue her to even entertaining a potential kidnapping plot proposed by Senator Gravel. Ultimately, they agree to simply hammer her on her most vulnerable issues but suffer the consequence of being unfairly labeled as sexist bullies by the media.

• Bill is not in this sketch because the role played earlier in the evening is given to Darrell Hammond.

• You know, I seem to remember SNL getting a lot of flack from conservatives around this time for "being in the tank"for Obama and just the democratic party in general and you would think it would be because of all the sketches they did hammering John McCain, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush and Joe Biden without really having an effective comedic angle on Obama at all, but having an actual member of the actual media just straight up admitting that he and his fellow "journalists" are actually giving Hillary Clinton heavy preferential treatment because they want her to become the next president (even in jest in a comedy sketch which I'm sure they would conveniently ignore if it didn't escape them entirely) must've given them more ammunition than anyone realized at this time. Plus, that whole "half-Mexican" thing would probably feed into their confirmation bias in some way since that almost seemed like it was written from the modern rights' viewpoint on the modern left.

• Boy, it's easy enough to miss Fortes' "Obamas' on his way" line at the beginning because knowing Obama IS in the building tonight...this sketch feels like one LLLOOOOONNNNGGG set up to a second Obama cameo that never actually happens. 

• Speaking of, Jon Schneider actually did reveal on That Week that there was a planned TV Funhouse segment that cut from this episode that focused on racial profiling in airports. Standards and Practices wanted to nix it but Lorne fought for it so they eventually agreed to show this to Obama and if he said "no" to this they would cut it. Obviously, they said "no" and this lost TV Funhouse segment never saw the light of day. This makes me genuinely wonder if they told Obama about this sketch and he said "no" when asked if he wanted to make another cameo because I could definitely see him not wanting to be associated with this sketch in any way. 

• Hell, I'm surprised that even Brian said "yes" to this sketch...or that Lorne and enough other people responsible for such decision making at the show let this get on air because it's...certainly questionable and one of the most baffling bad sketches in SNL history. How DID this make it past dress rehearsal and get on the air?

• Seriously, this plays to almost LITERAL. DEAD. SILENCE. from the crowd. Amy Poehler portraying a small. elf like man who happened to be in the real debate this sketch was based on is the only thing getting any laughs or any kind or response from the audience.

• We do see the very beginning of Jasons' "goofball" Biden impression start to come into place with that whole "where's the beef?" bit but...that could've been cut entirely as it slowed down and already painful slog of a sketch. Still, it is interesting that they make Darrell utter the line about how neither him nor Joe Biden have a chance of becoming the nominee which, well...when you consider how the real Joe Bidens' political career went in the years after this sketch aired...do I need to say it.

• I also see that they seem to make reference to some actual comments Mike Gravel made about a wanting to prevent a potential war with Iran during that debate in one of the videos of him I linked above which...well, speaking of things that don't age well nearly 20 years later (yikes) just flat out makes Armisens' portrayal of him as a violent borderline psychopath just flat out unacceptable.

• I may have more to say about this sketch, but the more I sit with this the angrier and more disgusted with it I become, so I'll just move on. D-

The New Open

In a conference room with NBC executives (Poehler, Hader, Sudeikis), Brian Williams announces he has hired the team of Dunham and Kirk to come up with a hip new opening theme for the Nightly News in order to draw in an elusive younger audience. The group of musicians (Armisen, Forte, Samberg, Rudolph, Wiig) present everything from gritty 70s funk to modern gangsta rap to mellow folk tunes which don't feel like the right fit, so Brian insists on going with his own ridiculous James Bond style opening sequence that involves him punching bad guys in a tuxedo

• This sketch felt like just a mishmash of a few different types of band/musical act sketches that this cast liked to do around this time, but it had some kind of variety that kept it moving along at a snappy pace. It was all over the place, but in a fun way that didn't detract from the sketch at all.

• Hey, Brian says that "young people are getting their news from the internet and these PODCASTS!" I'm not sure if this is the second EVER mention of podcasts on SNL...but it will definitely be the second that Deej and I will have mentioned on OURS (here's the first in case you're at all curious). 

• What this tells me is that by early 2006 SNL had just learned that podcasts were even a thing and that anyone with at least a laptop and a microphone could make one and put it out on iTunes. By late 2007, SNL and the rest of traditional/legacy media knew what they were and were starting to figure out that they could be a source of news and political commentary and thus they were cutting into THEIR racket!

• This sketch may be most notable for featuring Mayas' final moment as a cast member (whether or not anyone knew it at the time, including Maya, is another story). Her gritty 70s funk song was OK, even if I couldn't understand a few lyrics.

• I got a chuckle from Samberg dressed as an 80s new wave musician with a Flock Of Seagulls haircut and a keytar chirping "busted" when Brian calls him out for simply presenting him with the old Fraiser theme. 

• Normally, Fred Armisen going from paying a glockenspiel to rapping would be just wrong but it vibes well enough with this sketch. I also liked Fortes' line "we got dignified coming out o our ass" and Wiigs song.

• The James Bond sequence at the end was the big comedic high point of this for me (especially the sudden image of him punching the Earth with a martini in his other hand as it rolls toward him).

• Bill actually has dual roles in this sketch if you can believe it. Sure, he's one of the ineffectual executives but if you look closely at the James Bond sequence you'll see him as the bald, eyepatched Dr. Evil like henchman with a machine gun Brian punches. C+ 

Ranking Season 33 From Best To Worst

1. Lebron James/Kanye West (09.29.2007)
2. Seth Rogen/Spoon (10.06.2007)
3. Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)
4. Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters (10.13.2007)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this episode wasn't quite as strong as I remembered. It was quite a bit more uneven, but that may mostly be due to some real baffling sketch choices and (or course) the brief spots of political humor (some of it a bit milquetoast, some of it quite strange and confounding) from a time before politics (and the culture around them) would shift drastically.

• Brian Williams was a bit more stiff as a host than I remembered, but he performed well or someone whose not a comedian by trade and has more of a background in broadcast journalism. I wouldn't say he showed limited range because "range" wasn't what was expected of him. I wouldn't say he mostly played himself all night because he didn't do that either. 

• When you get down to it, Brian maybe the biggest reason as to why this episode was remembered as being better than it was as most people who weren't familiar with him were impressed that he met the baseline expectation of being more than a stiff, serious new anchor and showing he had a sense of humor about his own image.

• He was a reliable host who gave off a warm, charming and likable presence and showed he was willing to have fun and go with the flow (within reason for a man in his position) and that's pretty much all that was asked of him. Since he cleared that bar easily, I'd say he was a successful host. 

• As far as cast usage, Amy, Maya and Kristen dominated the show (as expected especially in Mayas' case if they wanted to use her while they still had her). On the male side, Fred, Will, and Jason dominated the show. Bill and Darrell had decent nights in mostly supporting roles and Andy and Kenan would've been all but shut out if it weren't for two specific sketches for each of them.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was a minor shock to the system but I sure hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I hope you enjoyed listening to the podcast i recorded to go along with it.

• I hope you also enjoyed whatever I ended up writing about SNL UK on here and I hope you enjoy the review I post of SNLs upcoming Jack Black/Jack White episode a week from now. See you then!