Olivia Rodrigo (05.02.2026)

White House Press Conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monologue 

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

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

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

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

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

Edge Of Destiny

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

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

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

Midnight Matinee: My Room

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

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

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

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

Shop TV

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

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

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

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

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

Birthday Party (With My Ex)

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

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

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

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

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

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

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

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

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

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

Busted

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

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

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

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

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

White Rasta Guy

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

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

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

SafeGuard Security System

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

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

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

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

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

Overall Thoughts 

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

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

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

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

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

Closing Thoughts

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

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

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

• See you again real soon!

SNL UK: Aimee Lou Wood/Meek (05.02.2026)

Chuck & Camillas' Hijacked Flight Home

• I should've guessed that they'd do this sketch this week. I figured that they'd cast Larry & Emma as Charles & Camilla respectively. Those roles call for brits who are good at facial mugging and stuffy royal aristocratic accents which Emma (and to a lesser extent Larry) have shown that they can pull off in spades.

• Although I was hoping to get a bit of a break from Keir Starmer cold opens (I mean, it's not an impression I see myself getting sick of that easily or anything, but I like seeing them try something different every once in a while) I do like this new wrinkle to Georges' Keir Starmer character in that he's suddenly daring and courageous but only in the name of keeping himself in power because he's so damned ineffectual that redirecting the royals' plane is what he has to resort to.

• I did like the other sudden bursts of brief Austin Powers-like violence but I feel like I might have enjoyed this more had I any idea who Celeste was supposed to be playing or what she might be planning. I did get a kick out of the dumb lisp she was speaking with, though. All I've been able to gather from some light Googling is that Angela Rayner is a member of the British Parliament (I found out more about her from one of Anias' jokes on Update, but more on that later.

• I did appreciate this sketch being written so that no one was supposed to know who Jack was playing (just a regular Brit who was "indoctrinated online by the radical center left"). I did like the visual of him tearing away his outfit to reveal an identical outfit. His character being "poisoned" by Camillas edibles wasn't much of a great ending, though. B-

Monologue 

• This feels the most like we'd get from any SNL US host out of all the SNL UK monologues we've gotten so far.

• I didn't get the Kim Cattral scatting reference but I did like the Sex Education/White Lotus joke. 

• My favorite part was when she just started speaking random gibberish. Very Eric Idle Rutland/Pythonesque.

• I also liked the conceit of the rest of this monologue being her trying to prove to the audience that she is, in fact, an unrelatable weirdo in an effort to break free of her bubble, relatable image...but she kind of lost me with the whole astrology/past lives rant.

• Most of all, I'm just glad she didn't bring up her feud with the American show from last year and left that to the mid week YouTube promo. C+

Dangerous Women

• So, the basic premise of this faux 80s synth vaporwave video is that the "dangerous" woman who is the subject of the song just turns out to be a dumb, accident prone klutz with little to no self awareness or safety awareness?

• This is one of those things that feels like it should've been done by some kind of sketch show years ago but somehow hasn't despite it being the simplest of ideas and yet at the same time also feels like something that only a show with a uniquely British sensibility would produce.

• Does anyone else see a slight resemblance between Aimee Lou Wood and Cecily Strong here? Maybe I only say this because this seems like something that SNL US would've done during her time there.

• Other than that, I feel like this was a solid premise that was lacking a little something in musical execution (although Celeste and Hammed turned in strong performances here. If Hammed can actually sing that well, it's a shame it took this long for him to get to show off his chops). C+

Doctor Who

• Anyone else wondering why they wouldn't...wait a couple of weeks to do this sketch? You know...when they have the ACTUAL current doctor hosting? We're they just afraid to pitch this to Ncuti or was this something Hammed wrote specifically for himself?

• Anyway, I liked the conceit of this sketch being that the doctor and his current companion are forced to interact with a visually nauseating mcguffin of a prop. I just wish they had the ability to go a bit further with it.

• There wasn't much else here. I suspect even if you were around real Doctor Who Superfan who was dialed in to this there wouldn't be much for you here either. Wasn't crazy about the ending either, but I'm at least glad that Dr. Who producer Russell T. Davies was pleased with it. C+

Marios' Got Marital Problems

• Interesting...accent choices here. George doing the classic Fr. Sarducci-esque Italian accented Mario we all knew and loved was an obvious correct choice (even if some of his lines weren't 100% distinguishable).

• Aimee playing her Princess Peach as an Amy Poehler/Rachel Dratch-esque Americanized Jersey Italian stereotype added a new wrinkle that...honestly dovetails well with this sketch. 

• I guess it works because Princess Peach was never portrayed with one specific idiosyncratic accent that Mario fans wouldn't accept her without?

• Hell, Aimees' pretty much doing the exact same voice for Princess Peach that Chris Pratt used to play Mario in those newer Mario movies. Could that alone be at least the partial inspiration for this?

• Anyway, no need to overthink this sketch any further. This sketch worked well as an exploration of what struggles a real Italian working class plumber and his girl friend/spouse would go through in a more real world setting...except, you know funneled through the lens of Mario & Princess Peach.

• This is such an obvious "parallel thinking" type of idea that I'm surprised no one else has done this exact thing before (by which I mean all the other Mario parodies I've ever seen take place in the world if the video game & cartoons rather than "the real world".

• This was very funny but due to its rapid fire pacing and the performers essentially breathlessly shouting their lines over the audience and each other to be heard (maybe it's a sound mixing issue?) so I'll just say I also liked Jacks' ending walk on as Toad and whoever ran in an out in the Yoshi costume gave me a bit of a laugh). B-

Famouz 5

• Yeah, I'm not familiar with the "Famous Five" and have no cultural context for them whatsoever. 

• I do have PLENTY of cultural context for just the concepts of endless IP reboots and rehashes coming out of Hollywood and just how generally irritating it is when any new piece of media is when it's creators just blindly attempt to reach out to the generation after mine with just a casserole of now formerly hip new slang abd buzzwords.

• So yeah, I do get what this was going for...but even if I didn't feel something was missing this would still be an idea I've seen mined to death over and over again so I still wouldn't be into it. The fakes reviews were the only part of this that hit for me...which is very sad. D+

Lost Luggage

• So...this is just another "Jack plays a girls' gay woke best friend" sketch with Aimee in the role that probably would've gone to Annabel on the week there was a male host...but Aimee is trying to blatantly sneak a bomb that actually turns out to be a George Foreman Grill past security?

• Honestly, one could rewatch this sketch to examine how it explores the dynamics of this type of platonic male/female relationship (especially since Jack's character seems to regret coming out to Aimee at the wrong moment) because there seems to be more than one layer to this. Still, the ending reveal is the only thing that came close to working for me. C-

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Melania Meets Charles, Clog Dancing, Heroin In Southport

• Anias' Best Jokes: Royal Visit, WHCD Gunman, Nigel Farage

• Oh boy, I don't know about this "professional lip reader" premise. As much as I like getting to see Hammed make his Update debut, the last time I saw an SNL sketch centered around reading famous people's lips was in the infamous Jacob Elordi/Renee Rapp episode from two and a half years ago.

• OK, Hammed is clearly making this work much better than the Elordi sketch and he had the audience on his side...but then again he had a low bar to clear. I did chuckle at the Camilla/Melania and Camilla/Charles portion of this bit.

• Great to see Larry get his first Update commentary as himself. I really like his range and accent work. As an American, I did appreciate his bit on how our northern blue state liberals talk vs how southern red state conservatives talk. I also liked his bits on green party voters and how he deftly avoided falling into the "how do they vote in China?" trap Paddy set up for him.

• I didn't quite get Anias Angela Rayner joke but at least I was able to gather that Ms. Rayner us another English career politician who's blatantly angling to take Keir Starmers' job as Prime Minister.

• I did get a kick out of Paddy shouting at his underground pit of tortured writers as well as how he turned that into a recurring callback to the point that he invited Ania to climb in with him at the end.

• Ayoade played such an Ego Nwodim in season 46 of SNL US coded character here that I kind of wished Paddy hadn't introduced her by her actual name as that kind of took something away from it at first.

• Upon rewatch, I discovered that this works because it's actually just Ayoade genuinely speaking her mind doing a standup like bit from her own personal experience rather than just doing the type of specific niche character piece that Ego would've done. Overall, I'd say it was a very fun bit. B+

Posh Gits

• The title of this sketch alone has me intrigued. I hope it doesn't bear TOO much resemblance to a certain Kroll Show sketch beyond its title.

• Apparently, this is based on an actual British reality show called "Made In Chelsea". Haven't seen that one, but I will say what this reminds me of the most is MADtvs' parody of MTVs' Laguna Beach from 20 years ago.

• This sketch was clearly trying to have some fun with how dumb it was. I will say that Hammed, Jack and Larry pretty much made this for me.

• Hey, look! Paddy and Ania make their live sketch debuts! I mean, they're basically extras, but still. B-

How British Pork Got The Lot

• OK, I know I spoke against either SNL cast just recreating old, obscure viral clips in a previous review and that's part of what this was but I did like this sketch.

• As much as this reminds me of the old Polaner All Fruit/Aspic Beef Jelly bit from Family Guy, I did like that this had the extra layer of "we're going to deconstruct this obscure 1984 British Pork Commercial just to show you how it could look more normal and friendly instead of terrifying".

• Also, as slightly questionable as it seemed at first to see Hammed with pieces of bone sticking out of either side of his nose, I did get a kick out of the insane visuals of the "pork council" scenes.

• Who was that in the bald cap sitting next to Emma? Was that Jack or an extra? I wouldn't put it past them to put Jack in this sketch with no lines since they pretty much just did that to Emma.

• I don't blame George for breaking at all having to deal with Al's director character bringing down the insanity of this premise and also the mistimed camera filter glitch possibly throwing him off. Plus, I have seen George's Instagram post about how he had been obsessed with this ad for years and I assume that he, Al and Hanned may have cowritten this together...so, good for them that they could bond over this and have a sketch labor of love come out of it. B+

Ranking SNL UKs First Series From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
3. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
4. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
5. Aimee Lou Wood/Meek (05.02.2026)
6. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts 

• This was one of the more uneven episodes of SNL UK. I don't quite know what to make of it. On the one hand, the writing and performances were quite strong from all involved. On the other hand, this episode was front loaded with sketches that I wanted to like but couldn't quite get into because they just lacked a certain appeal.

• One thing this episode does have going for it is that the writing made it feel more and more like a uniquely British/European comedy show with it's own identity. SNL UK is continuing to step out of the shadow of SNL US. I mostly say that because there was very little about these sketches that made want to point out a specific SNL US sketch from the past that they reminded me of.

• Really, the only way this episode resembled an SNL US episode is that most of the weaker sketches were up front and most of the more odd niche sketches that I found myself actually liking were buried near the end. Weekend Update was a strong highlight of thus episode though as was MEEK who turned in some strong performances even if her type of music isn't exactly my cup of tea lyrically.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, SNL UK will have Ted Lassos' Hannah Waddingham as host. I know she was also in Sex Education with Aimee Lou Wood. I'm not terribly familiar with the rest of her work (which I can also say about much of the previous SNL UK hosts), but she seems to be in good company having worked with this episodes host as well as an alumni of SNL US, so she'll be able to get some good advice on how to succeed on this show even for just a week.

• Speaking of SNL US, my review if their latest Olivia Rodrigo double duty episode is up for all to read. I was fortunate enough to be able to time them so that they could both be published simultaneously. Who knows if I'll be able to pull that off again next week or the week after?

• What I do know is that the next blog I will be working on is a review of the Elliot Page/Wilco episode from SNL US season 33 which I hope to have finished writing by next Wednesday when Deej & I are supposed to be recording a whole new episode of the We Heart Hader podcast on that one. That blog and podcast should be published in two weeks when that podcast episode is released but, boy am I glad to have an extra week to work on that one because it's gonna be a tough one to get through. Hell, that one's probably gonna be one of our shorter podcasts for reasons that will seem obvious by the time it comes out.

• You'll probably be able to read my reviews of next week's SNL US and UK episodes before you get to read or listen to that one, but anyway that's what I'll be working on. See you soon!

SNL UK: Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)

Who Wants To Remain A Millionaire?

• Huh, is "Millionaire" really this relevant in Britain in 2026? I do remember it at its Y2K era peak here in the states when Regis Philbin hosted it and SNL parodied it with Darrell Hammond in the host's role.

• Even MADtv parodied OG "Millionaire" during that time with sketches like this one which this sketch reminds me of more than anything (even this one from SNL US)

• Al Nashs' Jeremy Clarkson impression is a nice touch here. I had no idea this was Mr. Clarksons' current gig or what that "real farmer" comment was alluding to.

• See, I've only ever known Jeremy Clarkson from his old show "Top Gear" that would sometimes be run on BBC America...so, I've only ever known him to be a fake car guy in addition to being a real ass hole (hey, there's another word you can say on SNL US that you can't say on SNL UK!)

• This was a nice twist on the usual Fouracres/Starmer cold opens they usually do every other episode. I liked that these get increasingly harsher and more pointedly angry toward him and his sheer spineless incompetence each time.

• I also liked how they balanced out the barely concealed anger in this cold open with the sheer silly stupidity of Sir Keir using all of his lifelines on one question and still failing to answer the simplest of questions (especially one concerning whether or not one should ever hire a career politician who was not only friends with Epstein post conviction but also sold him sensitive government secrets).

• I liked the evil, creepy touch Larry's Peter Mandleson impression gave to this as well. It's one of those impressions I can't really gague the accuracy of, but it seemed pretty minimalist and character focused so it just gets the job done. B+

Monologue 

• Aside from the "SNL UK & Ireland/shouting at a female comedian on TV" joke and the other joke about paying homage to the original 70s SNL US by doing staggering amounts of cocaine, I wasn't crazy about the jokes Nicola was given for this monologue. Still, she did all she could to elevate this material.

• Nicolas' brief turn to camera for that brief Jack & Emma gossip reminded me a bit of SNL US monologues I've seen from Anna Faris, Kerry Washington and Margot Robbie.

• Sadly, Jimmy Fallons' cameo added very little of value here and we really could've done without him. 

• I mean, it is nice to see a sprawling backstage monologue on SNL every once in a while and kudos to SNL UK for just having done their first one and showing us around their own London studio a bit more Jimmy has shown he's adept at making these work better than most...but at the same time I feel like Nicola could've handled this one all on her own.

• I guess whenever SNL UK shows us their backstage in the future the extras in Napoleon/beefeater/ABBA costumes will be their equivalent of our backstage llamas, Lincolns and Vegas style showgirls as the go to, clock punch, background gags?

• I did enjoy Nicolas interactions with Paddy, Ania & George (even if it was like the fourth or fifth gratuitous callback to Nicolas' cameos in the first episode).

• Anyway, for all of it's minor flaws, this monologue didn't a fine job of keeping up the energy at the top of the show and making the viewers feel confident that the host would be a strong sketch performer. B-

Yo! Nicola Raps!

• Wow, the fake "Hot Streak" poster in the background. I guess that's six callbacks to the first episode at this point?

• Anyway, yeah...I definitely saw the same parallels between both of Natalie's Raps that everyone else did (including Celeste, George and the writers since they actually called it out mid-sketch).

• Still, I saw more parallels between this Please Don't Destroys' "Three Sad Virgins" (particularly the parts that were just about Dune, the pauses mid-video to explain what isn't working and subsequent attempts to misunderstand and overcorrect).

• I can't say this hold up on rewatch but it was fun at first to see Nicola throw herself into a hard-core gangsta rap about some children's book fairy tale gibberish...but I've seen this trope get pulverized into tge cold, cold ground by way too many different people over the course of the last 25 years in SNL UK and this felt like an even more watered down version of that.

• Plus, Jimmy didn't really need to be here as his part could've been played by any of the male castmembers. C+

What A Life! (Paula From Accounts Has)

• You know, before I actually got to watch any of this episode, I saw some strong buzz online surrounding Nicolas' general performance as host. Some even went so far as to say she should be SNL UKs' first ever five timer. From this sketch alone, I can definitely see why one would say that about her immediately.

• I mean, right out the gate Nicolas' first actual sketch sees her playing much the same gruff, dumpy, slightly socially inappropriate character that previous SNL US Five Timers like Melissa McCarthy and Emma Stone have crushed before (hell, even SNL US two timer Kristen Stewart had a good handle on how to play this type of character in her first try).

• Anyway, I liked seeing Nicola really committed to this character and how she threw herself into it, just straight up barking out all of the deranged and bizarre details of her truly insane life. B+ 

Big Horrid Clump

• Wow, barely two minutes in and Annabel has already entered to slam Emmas face into a table Roadhouse style and call her a bitch. We're off to the races, folks.

• Anyway, I wasn't too crazy about the reveal of what this was going to be premise wise but it picked up some steam  with everyone listing the horrid items in their own clumps (especially Nicola and Ayoade) and really kicked into high gear with the reveal that each clump will gain sentience and come to life, moving on its own the second you even think about the distinct possibility that you may actually need an item from the mass once a now gauzed up Emma bought up the possibility.

• I liked how this took the part of my brain that immediately calls up a previous SNL sketch to compare a current one to from "Closet Organizer? Nah" to "Oh, Big Dumb Hat/Cup" to "Hey, Almost Pizza!"

• By the way, am I the only person who could easily get this sketches' title sung to the tune of Chappel Roans' "Pink Pony Club" stuck in their head? Oh, what's that, reader? You've never even heard that song nor do you know who even sings it? Well, whoop de fuckin' doo, bud. Good for you. C+

QVC: The Jewelry Store

• Huh, is it me or is it a bit of an odd coincidence that SNL UK does a QVC sketch when their biggest sponsor appears to be eBay live? Hell, I'm starting to think that eBay live paid for this particular QVC product placement (just as much as I'm starting to hope none of this show's writers happened to have watched Scary Movie 2 on their week off).

• Anyway, there might not have been much to this at first besides the fact that Emma's character was a hand model/jewelry saleswoman who suddenly grew an Arsenio Hall length right index finger...but what really makes this work is the "show don't tell" mystery & lack of lore to it (especially if you want to distract from how Mikey Day-ish some of the dialogue is).

• For example, Emma's character has absolutely zero explanation for her hand situation besides "it grew" for the right one...and the left one she has no idea what the fucks' going on there because she is just now finding out about it for the first time herself.

• Hell, they even leave the audience guessing as to whether her left hand is a necrotic zombie hand that is just starting to rot off her wrist or if it's...like, a deer or a dog type or LOTR ent type hand? Is Emma about to be arrested by The Dog Police?

• I liked how this ended with Emma literally just passing out but then coming back to strangle Nicola. It's always best to leave your audience wanting a bit more than to try to punch above your weight. B+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Robbins Fired, Condom Shortage, Russell Brand, Jackson Film

• Anias' Best Jokes: Mandelson & Starmer, Tribute To Queen Elizabeth 2, Piers Morgan Interview, Woman Of The Week, Leaving UK, Meghan Retreat

• Anyone else getting heavy Norm MacDonald vibes from a lot of the jokes tonight? Specifically, the Queen Elizabeth/King Charles/Russell Brand/Piers Morgan stuff (not JUST the Michael Jackson biopic/Phone ban stuff or Anias' "Woman Of The Week" and Meghan Markle joke...y'know, the obvious Norm comparisons).

• OK, Anias' Japanese Earthquake joke definitely felt like something Michael Che would tell.

• I think maybe Paddy should back off doing that patented "sheepishly shirking and shying away from the camera" move he does for a bit. He did it after nearly every joke tonight and it really only worked after the BTS runner (which he didn't do tonight). It's not something I want to see myself getting sick of or anything. I hope that's not his ONLY move.

• I wasn't too crazy about Emma's commentary (and not just because she wasn't just doing a Glenn Close impression when Paddy introduced her as "the woman who won't be ignored"). Her character reminded me of the type of aimless, pointless one shot characters Kristen Wiig and Heidi Gardner would do on Update in their heyday (with some of Kate McKinnons' movements worked in for good measure).

• I liked that they finally have Larry his own Update commentary. Part of me was a bit bummed it was at such a blackout length but part of me felt that we didn't need to spend a ton of time on it.

• I didn't think we really needed to see Jimmy here either. Hell, calling ANY SNL US alumni as "Weekend Update legend" is a bit of a stretch in my mind. I will admit I did get a kick out of the Lily Allen jokes and Epstein pronunciations.

• So, now that we know that Paddy does a decent Trump impression...would we be correct to assume that was him who growled "hello?" over the phone in the first ever cold open from Tina's episode?

• All in all, not the best Update for guests or commentaries but this was perhaps Paddy & Anias' strongest showing all season. B-

Landing A Plane

• OK, I know for sure I've seen this exact setup on SNL US numerous times in recent years (and I'm sure Dave Grohl was in one of them)...but it's such a vague, general area of things to write sketches about it could be anything.

• This appears to be poking fun at male ego and bravado which, at this point, I'm positive SNL UK is better equipped to handle.

• George did a great job leading this sketch and yet somehow Hammed had most of the best lines but I did like how Larry was the jumping off point for the mini top gun themed rant 

• Emma played her role well and the whole thing was well acted...but everything about its conclusion (yes, even including Emmas' final speech) felt incredibly telegraphed.

• I feel like we could've lost the Dave Grohl cameo and not have it effect the sketch at all (especially since he had to jog over to the musical guest stage for his second performance...they seem to have had some trouble timing all of those "running off to the next sketch/song performance" moments all night.). B-

Late Girl

• Huh...a live sketch framed as the conclusion to a modern "Cabin In The Woods" type slasher film. This should be interesting.

• OK, now Nicola has entered the scene as the bitchy, self centered, oblivious self victimizing one.

• Yeah, this feels like something I could have seen SNL US pull off but it mostly feels like something that would've better been done in a video from one of those Instagram/TikTok fashion/nostalgia influences. Still, Nicola is elevating this as well she can.

• Jack and Annabel were a bit much here (I've come to realize I like them much better when they're seperated on screen then when they are paired together) but I did like how they eventually dropped their whole "we just survived a bloody massacre that took all our friends" conceit just to be sparky to Nicola.

• I think what actually worked the most for me was Al and Larry suddenly popping up in the end as the crazed killers just to chastise Nicola for being late. C+

Another 45 Seconds With Fouracres 

• Well, I AM glad that this is becoming a recurring segment...but I didn't quite like this as much as the first one...but it might be growing on my after some repeat views

• Still, I'm even more glad that George got much more than this 45 seconds of screen time in the show...and that he appears to be doing well in general. B-

Ranking SNL UKs First Series From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
3. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
4. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
5. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts 

• This one showed a great deal of improvement from the previous episode. As a host, Nicola really yelled with the cast and writers and they really keyed in on her strengths as a comedic performer.

• They also really sharpened up their own writing for the most part in that most if the show's resemblance to its stateside counterpart came from it's choice of musical guest and alumni cameo.

• What few elements in the writing of the sketches that reminded me of previous sketches from SNL US and other shows  actually managed to work in the shows' favor rather than against it.

• As far as cast use, there seems to be more of a focused on George, Emma and Annabel this week. Celeste seems scaled back a bit. She, Al and Ayoade seemed more relegated to support roles. Jack and Hammed seemed a bit scaled back this week.

Closing Thoughts

• The next episode of SNL UK will be airing this weekend and will be hosted by Aimee Lou Wood. From what I've seen of her, she seems like she has enough comedic experience to do well on this show. 

• She's previously had some choice words about Sarah Shermans' portrayal of her White Lotus character on SNL US. I'm glad those two have worked it out amongst themselves personally.

• While I am still a bit annoyed myself that the online promos for this SNL UK episode have indeed referenced it...they did so in a way I actually found funny and I hope that they just...leave it at that.

• Also, this same weekend SNL US will return to our airwaves to enter it's home stretch of the season with an new double duty episode with host (and musical guest) Olivia Rodrigo. You'll probably get to read my review of that one before you read my SNL UK Aimee Lou Wood review, but see you then!

Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood (02.23.2008)

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?

CNN Univision Democratic Debate

CNNs' Campbell Brown (Wiig), John King (Sudeikis), Univisions' Jorge Ramos (Forte) and Obama Girl (Amber Lee Ettinger) make absolutely no effort to hide their fawning, stalkerish favoritism toward Senator Barack Obama (Armisen) as they lob him softball questions and question and question Senator Hillary Clinton (Poehler) on how she could've fallen so drastically behind him in the polls

• Oof, here we go. Time to start officially discussing a much maligned political impression that would permeate this show for the next four years.

• First, let's just start at the beginning and discuss how the show even viewed Fred Armisen as an acceptable option to play Obama. As we've covered, Maya didn't have a workable, non awkward impression and was about to leave anyway. 

• As for Kenan, there was serious talk of putting him on an insane crash program to lose weight until it was determined it would be impossible and unhealthy for him to lose that much weight just over the course of one summer.

• Now, during the strike, the show did hold auditions specifically for black male performers who had Obama impressions including The Daily Shows' Wyatt Cenac, Donald "Childish Gambino" Glover and Jordan Peele, who the show actually liked and wanted to hire but unfortunately he was still in the cast of MADtv at the time and FOX wouldn't let him out of his  contract with them to join SNL so...this show had no choice to say "ah, fuck", look at Fred and just say to themselves "well, I guess he could work?"

• In particular, I could see the show thinking they could get away with this as they realized both Fred Armisen and Barack Obama are mixed race individuals...which shouldn't make it exactly right because  they are both mixes of completely different races from each other which becomes problematic if you're looking at this purely as a representation issue.

• Also, having Will Forte play Hispanic Univision reporter Jorge Ramos isn't exactly great either, but along with Fred's Obama (and Darrell Hammonds' Jesse Jackson) I would just chalk them all up to being naggingly questionable yet begrudgingly acceptable portrayals of ethnic figures by performers who don't exactly match the ethnicity of who they are portraying. 

• I say that simply because I don't quite see any hard evidence that the makeup department tried to actually darken or bronze Fred or Wills' skin for these parts like they obviously did with Darrell for his Jesse Jackson (in Fred's case it is mostly just an "ethnic wig" as Tom Hanks would call it 17 years later) but from what I can tell the way these portrayals were written ranges from "semi-funny" to just "not appearing to be written with any hateful or malicious intent".

• Speaking of the writing, it really doesn't matter all that much who is playing Obama here because he's barely given any dialogue here aside from his small "yes we can" speech at the very end. Even if they could have managed to get Jordan Peele to join the show just for this, his Obama wouldn't have been served NEARLY as well by SNLs' writing for him as a character as much as what how he would actually go on to do with his own Obama character on "Key & Peele".

• When you get right down to it, SNL just found it next to impossible to find a real "hook" for any of their portrayals of Obama on the show throughout his time as president so...they just had Fred play him as a rather goony, milquetoast kind of guy at first because when you get right down to it, that's who Obama really was as president for his first two years.

• Vocally, Fred sounds a lot like he would when he halter figured out his handle on what Obamas' voice would be. He doesn't quite have that odd mix between Goofy and Yogi Bear sound and seems like he's focusing more on cadence and rhythms rather than tone and vocals at this point.

• Aside from all of that, it seems like we've just gone from one member of the media admitting privately backstage to other candidates that they are totally in the tank for Hillary to a few members of the media basically admitting to the entire country that they are now totally in the tank for Obama. I do have to say that if you were around in 2008 that the sheer Obama-mania this sketch depicts feels...pretty accurate to the time and still does today looking back.

• As strange as it is to hear Amy's Hillary explain how losing to Obama was all "part of the plan", it feels a bit par for the course for the political writing of this era and her line about having support from "White women over 80" was pretty funny. Amy and Jason did a solid job of holding down the rest of this sketch with how small her part was.

• The cameo from "Obama Girl" was cute and Amy and Kristen scored some laughs off her but I doubt anyone still remembers her actual "I Got A Crush On Obama" YouTube video from around this time (especially since her entire cameo seems to have been edited out of the Peacock version. I can't imagine what rights issues got in the way there). C+

Montage

• Maya Rudolph has officially left the cast. Casey Wilson has just joined.

Monologue 

Tina discusses the fine print details on the streaming revenue deal that got worked out during the strike. Steve Martin (Himself) makes a cameo to make Tina see herself as more of a performer than a writer.

• Tina was as charming as ever here even if this monologue dates itself with its idea of how online streaming video was supposed to be monetized back in early '08. I did like the boom mic gags when she mentioned the crew missing out on work during the strike.

• Steve Martin was a genuinely unexpected cameo, but it was a pleasant surprise as it was pretty nice to see him again. I got a kick out of hin saying he "was just sitting at home watching the show" as he is just now making an appearance on it to comment on the last thing Tina just said three seconds ago.

• I got a kick out of seeing the brief shot of then current writers Rob Klein, Marika Sawyer and Simon Rich looking a bit dumpy and pathetic after Steve shaded them.

• I think we could've done without the slaps but most of the "I can do its" were fun (I dunno about the drunk Chinese one though).

• The theme of this monologue is quite interesting as it does mark an pivotal turning point in Tinas' career. She had left SNL to start producing her own sitcom which was fast becoming a critical darling (ratings would follow soon after a certain other impression she contributed to this seasons' election cycle) so she was becoming less of a "writer on SNL who made it big once she was given an opportunity to fill her own niche on camera" and more of a "performer and influential producer", so it's interesting to see Tina hang a bit of a lampshade on this point in her career as it was really happening. B-

Annuale

A 44 week supply hormone pills that allows women to have one big, destructive mega-period rampage once a year instead of one normal one every month.

• Apparently, this is a parody of a real medication from the time called "Seasonale" which was designed to reduce women's periods from 12 times a year to just four. 

• Bills' first appearance in this episode is in this sketch. He and Andy are seen ducking and running away from Tina as she swings a big pink ax at them.

• This has become a well remembered semi-classic in this era. It may have been shown in various "best of commercials" and "Women of SNL" compilations over the years

• Great use of all the women in the cast. As a cis male, I guess I'm...not equipped to fully appreciate why this is so funny but at least I can laugh as at the scenes of chaotic violence in this like Tina with the axe and Amy just ruthlessly beating the shit out of Fred.

• Casey devouring and entire cake at a kids birthday party and Kristen happily making out with a dog were very funny.

• For a fake ad, this had a very distinct visual style to it like it wasn't shot with the same type of "cinematic" cameras they usually use for fake ads or digital shorts. This felt very "fluid" (if you'll pardon the expression).

• This definitely felt very Tina/30 Rock coded, not just for the obvious reasons but this was thoroughly coated with a layer of 30 Rock level hyper specific absurdity to it (which can especially be seen or heard in the list of side effects at the end). B+

Rock Of Love 2

Bret Michaels (Sudeikis) eliminates one legged Amber (Poehler) from the competition and allows Kristy Jo (Wilson), Daisy (Fey), and Peyton (Wiig) despite how unattractive he finds her.

• Huh, this had potential to be just interesting and funny enough when it looked like it was going to be just a direct Rock Of Love parody...and then Amber shows up and I remembered that this is pretty much the only way SNL could ever parody trashy reality/dating TV shows from the 2000s.

• Jason asking Bret had some decent lines deconstructing this show. Tina and Caseys' impressions of...whoever they were playing were pretty funny (especially when they "made out" with Jason).

• Kristen's character wasn't my favorite. She wasn't too obnoxious, though. I liked her line about how she has seen Bret Michaels make out with a pair of sweatpants but he still refuses to make out with her.

• Part of me just wishes this didn't have to be an Amy Poehler "Amber" sketch, even though it is legitimately the last one until Amy hosts in a couple years. This wouldn't have been my first choice for first post monologue sketch. C+

Digital Short: Grandkids In The Movies

An elderly man advertises bootleg DVDs of the newest Hollywood movies his wife copied for him featuring walk-ons and cameos from his two grandsons Kevin (Hader) and Thomas (Samberg) who are there to keep him from getting confused and scared by all the intense action scenes, new slang and other strangers in the films.

• Well, as strange and haunting as it feels to witness an elderly man (who, strangely enough, neither SNL Archives OR iMDB have a credit for, by the way) slowly succumb to the icy grip of either dementia or Alzheimers', this was actually pretty funny and might have been my favorite Bill segment of the night (or at least my favorite pretape anyway).

• This is a unique digital short in that it's one of only a select few that are framed as some kind of ad or infomercial.

• This is Bills' second appearance of the night and right out of the gate we see him and Andy silently mouthing the words their grandfather is reading off the cue cards. I like how they chose to sneak in that cute detail.

• I love how this whole thing is just Bill and Andy's characters just cheaply green screened into each movie (and wearing the same shirts as whichever characters' they're replacing onscreen).

• I got a kick out of him saying how much he loves his wife "even though (they) sleep in seperate beds".

• I especially liked the scenes with the grandsons playing "themselves" in their supposedly normal clothes just telling their grandpa not to answer the ringing phone during the "Michael Clayton" scene as it's not his phone and it's only in the movie and when they tell grandpa to turn the TV off during the big battle scene in "The Transforming Robots" rather than just change the channel or hit the "input" button or whichever one switches from his DVD player to his regular linear TV channels.

• I got a pretty big kick out of the grandsons simply walking across the screen and waving during Daniel Day Lewis' big closeup in "There Will Be Blood".

• I also got a big kick out of the ending shots of Bill and Andy's faces just cut and pasted over those of each of the actors on each DVDs' cover followed by a shot of Grandpa holding a blank DVD with the caption "Available At The Store".

• Another reason this is a unique digital short is it doesn't totally feel like it's an SNL sketch from this era. It also feels like it could be a bit they wrote for the MTV Movie Awards or The Oscar's (with all the editing of real movie footage). 

• This especially feels like it could also be a piece from Will Ferrels' era as that was the golden age of "fake ads from unreliable narrators who may only be advertising an imagined product just to themselves" like his fake album ad he did with Dwayne Johnson of fake duets between Neil Diamond & Bigfoot, the two part "Wayne Porter vs Kim Plunkett" desert island campaign ads he did with Chris Parnell or even the Lux 420 XL "car for crazy people" ad (where Cliff Robertson was the actual pitchman and Ferrell was the crazy person in question...also, that one apparently had Stephen Colbert as Dr. Zaius...who knew?)

• Anyway, before we get too off topic...it was great getting to rediscover another forgotten gem of an early Digital Short. B+

What's That Bitch Talking About?

Host Gregory Dubois (Thompson) makes two contestants Katherine Bagwell (Fey) and Richard Dinwiddie (Hader) guess the full context of complete strangers (Poehler, Wiig, Wilson) semi-private conversations based on random out of context snippets. Only Katherine gets to move on to the "Who Does That Bitch Think She Is?" bonus round. Richard only gets to leave with the home game.

• Hey, Kenan in what I believe to be his first game show host role! There's the debut if something new and notable that would become a show staple decades later!

• I do love the detail of this show's grand prize being a 1992 Canary Yellow Mazda Protégé.

• Out of all the "bitches" presented, I liked Casey's performance the most. I liked how little they gave Kristen for her part. Amy was fine but I feel like I've seen her play that specific type of character before.

• Bill played his sheer bewilderment at Tinas' ability to make extremely specific and always some how exactly correct niche guesses about the lives of these random strangers very well here.

• I have read some notable reviews of this episode from notable online reviewers state that this sketch could've used some explanation as how Tinas' character was always able to make these absolutely correct guesses about the lives of total strangers, but for me this works better the more unexplained, mysterious absurdity there is behind every little detail. B-

Carrie Underwood Performs "All American Girl" and "Flat On The Floor"

• Eh, I really don't have much I WANT to say about Carrie Underwood here. Typical corny country pop from this era so let's move on.

Weekend Update w/Poehler and Meyers 

Governor Mike Huckabee (Himself) explains his refusal to drop out of the Republican primary despite his victory now being mathematically impossible

Tina Fey delivers a "Womens' News" update which, among many other topics, delivers a case for Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Presidential Nominee

• Seth's Best Jokes: Castro Resigns, Satellite Destroyed

• Amy's Best Jokes: Kosovo Independence, Toad Discovery, Kitten Survival

• Ugh, Mike Huckabee. Well, at least SNLs' writing staff could make him appear palatable as they weren't complete out of touch, right wing hacks like he gradually revealed himself to be once he finally got on Twitter a decade later but seriously fuck this guy.

• Tina's "womens' news" segment was kind of all over the place but ultimately it was decent. A lot of her opening one liners felt like left over season 30/31 update jokes that got cut but the Hillary stuff was decent so it was smart of her to make this the center piece of this. 

• Hmm...I don't quite know how well her take on Hillary being the right candidate because "she's a bitch" and "bitches get stuff done" ages today, but again, the rest of this was solid.

• Seriously though, Tina actually delivers a fair, rational and well thought out take on why Hillary should've been president and I do respect her for standing by her own personal convictions here.

• I actually did like the Rush Limbaugh/Ronald Reagan/Jeb & George W Bush jabs here.

• One thing that does age this very awkwardly is Tina ending this by saying "bitch is the new black". Hell, in my mind calling anything "the new black" is...just incredibly awkward and sounds wrong. Like, who the hell even came up with that phrase? It barely means anything...but that's really my only minor complaint about Tinas pro-Hillary screed (which kudos to her for delivering this in an episode that opened with a sketch about how the "real" news media is just as in the tank for Obama as she is for Hillary and providing some as much political balance as the show could've hoped to have had at the time. C+

Celebrity Apprentice

A promo for various spinoffs of the new "Celebrity Apprentice" hosted by Donald Trump (Hammond) and featuring new contestants Jennifer Tilly (Wiig), "Queer Eyes'" Ted Allen (Sudeikis), Rachel Ray (Wilson), Charles Barkley (Thompson), Mary Jo Buttafucco (Fey), John Mark Karr (Hader), Matthew Lesko (Samberg), and the dancing old man from the Six Flags commercials (Poehler) with special guest judges Gene Simmons (Armisen) and Judge Lance Ito (Forte)

• Ah, fuckin' christ...

• Well, once again, you have to remind yourself that you're only watching Darrell Hammonds Trump from the time when he was ONLY doing "The Apprentice" so...in theory this should be much easier to laugh at with the stakes much lower and a better performer for the role.

• ...and you may have to not think about the writers' strike from around this time probably being the thing that led NBC to order more episodes of Celebrity Apprentice thereby giving you-know-who that much more media exposure, but, well...here we are.

• Hammond did a fine job anchoring this. The opening bit with Wiig and Sudeikis was weird and absurd enough to work.

• Always nice to see Kenan's Charles Barkley again. Casey is making some strong choices, but hey...I guess there's only so much you can do with a Rachel Ray impression.

• Bill makes an appearance reprising his John Mark Karr impression from season 32 which Deej and I have previously talked about on the podcast. He has only one line here and I didn't quite like this as much as I liked this as an Update commentary from two seasons before this mainly because this impression works much better when the jokes isn't just "lol he's creepy...creepy enough to give Donald Trump 'the willies' if he ever made a sex tape...just shows you how much we all underestimated his sheer awfulness...such an innocent time". I just think the impression works much better when the actual joke is "he's falsely confessing to crimes he couldn't have possibly comitted". Plus, this being paired with the sheer skeevy awfulness of Tina and Freds' parts was...pretty offputting.

• Andy, Amy and Freds' parts were a nice, goofy enough way to end this, I suppose. C-

Wedding Toast

Best man Ed Mahoney (Sudeikis) gives an goofily inappropriate wedding toast that humiliates both bride (Fey) and groom (Forte)

• Ha! I loved this! Very funny, slightly abrasive character work from Jason here. Very funny underrated deep cut with this sketch.

• Once I saw Jason with that disheveled hair and saying Kristens' character "had more problems than a math book" after she chugged a glass of champagne and calling Forte "this ol' sack of potatotes" I knew I was in for a treat.

• Tina, Will and Kristen played their extreme disgust off him extremely well at the exact right moments.

• Jasons' other highlights were the whole "long and hard" jokes, the "Mario Brothers/mushrooms" rant and the comment "poop, drugs and gay stuff; every brides' dream". The "segue into an area he couldn't have anticipated" was the icing to the cake. A-

Virgania Horsens' Hot Air Balloon Rides

Virgania Horsen (Wiig) wants to take you on a personal hot air balloon ride and help you avoid long lines, security threats and other pitfalls that come with air travel.

• This was very brief but packed with just enough floating green screen absurdity to work for me.

• I liked her saying "see ya later, suckers" as she walked past the security line and punching and kicking various floating words (except "winner" of course)

• It's nice to see some Tim and Eric level absurdity on SNL that doesn't go as far as being as abrasively abstract as they were (although to be fair, a lot of late aughts viral comedy was like this). B+

I Drink Your Milkshake 

Oilman Daniel Plainview (Hader) and his son H.W. (Poehler) travel to the best malt shops in town and annoy various patrons (Forte, Thompson, Wilson) to find the perfect milkshake with special guests Anton Chigurh (Armisen) and Juno (Fey)

• Gee, with this sketch working in actual parodies of "There Will Be Blood", "Juno" and "No Country For Old Men", I guess this and the digital short are really our big "this is what going to the movies was like in late 2007/early 2008" sketches tonight, huh?

• I have to admit that I still haven't gotten around to seeing "There Will Be Blood" yet but I like that this sketch was written so that you didn't have to have seen the actual film but rather have just been aware at the time that the whole "I Drink Your Milkshake" scene was the big catchphrase/meme that the young audience who saw it took away from it at the time.

• Forte sang a very funny theme song at the beginning and was great as the old man patron at the end. Armisen has the face but certainly not the voice to pull off the Javier Bardem/Anton Chigurh impression.

• Bill gives a very committed and commanding performance here and Kenan holds his own next to him. I liked how well he and Amy played off the "I've abandoned my boy!" bit.

• Tina as Juno was cute but a bit odd considering who next weeks' host will be. B+

Lady Business

A flashy new series in the vein of "Lipstick Jungle" and "Cashmiere Mafia" following another group of four strong glamorized business women including Nanette (Poehler), Ms St. George (Wiig) and their other friend Nan Winters Rodriguez (Fey)

• Gee, I feel kinda bad that this is the second sketch in a row Casey Wilson appeared in with no lines, but oh well...

• Bill and Jason can be seen as executives in the boardroom during Poehlers' opening scene

• Andy can be seen during Kristens' scene and Fred can be seen during the final scene with Tina

• I guess you may have to have been around at the time to have been aware of the new strain of "girlboss feminism" Ally McBeal knockoff dramas this was meant to be a spoof of but there were still plenty of funny lines in this such as Amys' "womandatory", Kristen' "Bitch in the boardroom/bore in the bedroom/bear on the toilet" line.

• I also like Tinas' character being just as flashy as the other women despite her job basically just being animal control/removal. C+

Goodnights

Tina announces on stage that this is Don Pardos' 90th birthday and has him blow out nearly as many candles on a cake.

• I just wanted to mention this because it's a real thing that happened in this episode and I would genuinely like to know how they thought it would be a good idea?

Ranking Season 33 From Best To Worst

1. Lebron James/Kanye West (09.29.2007)
2. Seth Rogen/Spoon (10.06.2007)
3. Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood (02.23.2008)
4. Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)
5. Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters (10.13.2007)

Overall Thoughts 

• A decent episode compared to some of the ones that preceded it. I'm sure having Tina around boosted morale after finally getting to get back to work because this episode had a lot of great energy

• Like with much of this season, most of what didn't work was just due to some things being very much products of their time. That didn't necessarily hurt this episode. It just made it a little bit uneven.

• Naturally, Amy and Kristen had surprisingly strong nights as did Bill, Jason and Fred. Casey Wilson seemed almost shut out of her first episode but hey...she is a new hire, so...there's that.

Closing Thoughts 

• Well, the next blog post you see from me will be a review of the Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters episode of SNL UK followed by a review of the Olivia Rodrigo episode of SNL US and then the Aimee Lou Wood/Meek episode of SNL UK...some time after that.

• The next episode of We Heart Hader will focus on part one if the Documentary Now two part season finale "Gentle And Soft: The Story Of The Blue Jean Comittee"...which Deej and I will also split into two parts when we cover it.

• See you again real soon!

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!