Matt Damon/Noah Kahan (05.09.2026)

Three A-Holes Walk Into A Bar In Washington, D.C.

• OK, a random bar scene...with just Kenan and Chloe. This has some promise.

• Wait...don't fucking tell me....

• Josts' Hegseth meets Damons' Kavanaugh. Wow. Unbelievable.

• I guess absolutely no one in the casts' mom's were available? 

• I didn't think Brett Kavanaugh was a relevant or notorious enough figure in 2026 as he was in 2018 for this or that Damon's impression of him was that popular or well remembered...but supreme court judgeships are lifetime appointments unless they retire...so what the hell.

• Hey, there's Aziz' Patel again. At least that's an impression that I was expecting them to setup and reveal (although Matts' "male loneliness" line was kind of an awkward introduction)...and at least Aziz is the only one capable of putting in overtime to sell the sleazy, slimy bro-tastic frattiness of this sketch.

• At first and second glance, this is mostly just playing as lifeless word salad that just washes over me. 

• I did like Matt's line about Trump having written the word "PSYCHE!" on the original constitution and the Chumbawumba Tubthumping ending was a nice energy boost to end this on...but that's about it. Still better than another JAJ Trump sketch. C+

Monologue

• Huh, I genuinely wondered what Matt was plugging. I did like the "Odyssey opens nine weekends from now" line and the callback to it later.

• Who the hell was that random dude asking where Marcellos' mom was? Were we supposed to recognize him?

• Oh, apparently we WERE supposed to recognize him because that was rookie SNL writer Jack Bensinger...who I believe is also Sarah Shermans' boyfriend.

• Oh, well at least Marcellos' mom did show up for a callback after the most unambitious and telegraphed monologue Matt Damon has done on this show so far. C-

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters 2

• Oh, come on. I don't think "Spittakes On Mikey: The Sketch" needs this elaborate of a set up.

• Is this just a reworking of the "delights" sketch Mikey did during Finn Wolfhards' show? 

• Was this something Mikey & Streeter wrote for Jack Black last month that didn't make it knowing he was in a sketch that was pretty much exactly like this but with wine back in 2003?

• Well, I at least do like how varied, sudden and precise the spittakes were...and how quick the ending was. C+

Mom: The Movie

• Well, as much as this reminds me of the "Mommys' Little Scotty" trailer from Comedy Bang Bang...at least this is going for something.

• I liked how well this used Ashley, Veronika & Jeremy. He had what might have been my favorite line in this about liking how his mom told him the race of everyone involved in her story.

• Even as much as Matts' part felt an unnecessary extension of the last third of his monologue, it worked better here (probably because they wrote it, like, four or five days before they wrote the monologue anyway). I did like his line about noticing Ashley's giant necklace from the stage of the theater when he was giving an audience Q&A for one of his movies.

• My biggest criticism of this sketch is that it went on a little too long. Maybe at least some of the Jane/Squirm/Chloe segment could've been cut or tightened? I don't know if I buy Jane as your average middle aged mom anyway. As great as Veronika was in this maybe one of her parts could've been cut? Either the part with the puffy pink purse or the part where she tearfully tells Ashley her friend she doesn't like dies? B-

Tough Guy Barbecue

• Huh, at least Damon, Marcello and Kenan playing Goombah Jersey Italians is...something different and unexpected.

• OK, this is pretty much the same gag as the "McManus & Sons Bar" sketch from 1993 with Chris Farley & Miranda Richardson, isn't it?

• Who the hells' phone keeps vibrating offscreen?

• Yeah, this was really lumbering along and going nowhere but I like Marcellos' story about being caged like a dog and fed gummy bears and the "quarter check" boy showing up to yell at Kenan. D+

Tidy Care Kitty Litter

• OK, FINALLY something with a semi out there premise.

• This did remind me of the ketchup factory sketch with Taran Killam and Martin Freeman from December 2014, but I liked how this escalated.

• Ashley & Matt played off each other perfectly. JAJ and Dismukes jumped in at the perfect times to make this work, giving it just the right "That's Not Yogurt/Almost Pizza" vibes it needed to work.

• I ended up liking this sketch so much I didn't even mind that this was the third sketch tonight with a sudden non-ending. B+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Hantavirus, Bus Driver (that's gotta be the most Norm MacDonald ass joke Colin had ever landed)

• Che's Best Jokes: Gas Prices, RFK Caught Bird At Airport

• Boy, these two had a lot of rough jokes tonight. Che especially.

• I'm guessing that those Marco/Rubio callbacks weren't totally planned or scripted?

• Hell yes! Nice to see Jeremy's Tucker Carlson after it got cut from dress recently.

• This narrowly achieved the recurring SNL character/impression feat of being better than the original (in spite of its length but this may be the exception rather than the rule).

• Hmm...is this Mikey/Marcello kamikaze dolphin commentary just a reworked version of their emoji commentary from a while ago?

• Nope, it's just them screaming bad sexual puns at us and each other.

• I did get a kick out of Mikey making Marcello break and the meta ending referencing Colins' Ferry worked for me.

• Hey, a new Jane Wickline song! I'm not crazy about the "chronically late" setup but let's see where this goes.

• OK, this is just classic blunt atonal Jane absurdity. This is nice. The backup dancers were a nice touch. C+

Substitute Teacher

• So...this whole sketch was just Matt Damon playing off everyones' non- reactions to his dancing...and being willfully ignorant of no one else rightfully wanting to dance with him?

• It is rare that we see a sketch structured essentially like a one man show on SNL. It feels familiar, but other than the gay porn star sketch with Sam Rockwell, I can't quite place where I've seen the basic elements of this sketch before.

• Chloe damn near ruined this by being the only one breaking. I did like Damons' "Amber Alert" and "shake your booty with the substitutey" line.

• This really worked best when absolutely no one was reacting to Matt...so they should've just ended it when he left the room. We didn't need to hear the students hacky "well...that just happened" level lines or the reveal that Dismukes' character is Damons' son. C+

Scene From A Crumbling Marriage Of Two Auctioneers

• OK, from the title card...I'm interested in seeing how this plays out.

• I'm assuming this is loosely (and I mean VERY loosely) adapted from some if Sarah's standup? She is pulling off the Southern Dame look (and voice) quite well.

• Aside from a minor line flub from Damon, this is being executed flawlessly (even if it seems like Sarah & JAJ were picking up some slack from Damon).

• Adding Marcello, Dismukes, Tommy and Jeremy as prepubescent children and JAJ as a horny neighbor were nice touches.

• This is playing out more wholesome and sweet than I expected. Maybe Sarah's leaving next week (I mean, it us her fifth season and she seems like she's got plenty of irons in the fire) and this is something she's been wanting to get on the air? Maybe she wanted to go out on a high note by showing us the softer side of Squirm? 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. Olivia Rodrigo (05.02.2026)
6. Matt Damon/Noah Kahan (05.09.2026)
7. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
8. Jack Black/Jack White (04.04.2026)
9. Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (03.07.2026)
10. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
11. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
12. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
13. Colman Domingo/Anitta (04.11.2026)
14. Harry Styles (03.14.2026)
15. Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (02.28.2026)
16. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
17. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
18. Teyana Taylor/Geese (01.24.2026)
19. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, like most mothers' day/second episode of a three week May run/last episode before the season finale shows, there was a sense of palpable burn out with this one. Still, the show managed to quietly redeem itself with some unique moments near the end.

• Matt Damon may not have had his most memorable or most energetic performances as host tonight, but...he is getting older and his very first outing as host was nearly 25 years ago at this point. I wouldn't go as far as saying he was the weak link of this episode, but he was almost sleepwalking through much of it.

• This was far from the weakest of the season, but may have been the weakest of Damon's three episodes so far.

• As far as cast usage goes, nobody got entirely shut out. Tommy and Kam came pretty close, but got to do some decent support work in a couple of things.

• Ashley Padilla wasn't in any live sketches but she made a strong enough impression in the pretapes she was in to have a presence in this episode. Kenan and Mikey continue to both be used in ways that suggest next week might be their last episodes. Everyone else we saw plenty of.

Closing Thoughts

• Next week is SNLs' season 51 finale with host Will Ferrell (who also would make enough sense as a host for Sarah's final show if you think about it) and musical guest Paul McCartney.

• Even after having to tell myself to tamp down any potential excitement I could have for another Ferrell hosted episode (I mean, the guy's a five timer who's hosted two standout episodes and three duds) I'm still quietly looking forward to this the most out of all three May shows (probably because it's the season finale and I get to take a break from blogging for a few months after this). Let's hope this evens out Wills' hosting record a bit and lets the season go out on at least a high, positive note if not a bittersweet blowout sendoff for whoever could be leaving soon.

• The big thing with Ferrells' episodes when he hosts is to not expect him to bring back any old characters from his era. He's pretty far removed from that time and has probably retired said characters and moved on.

• Still, I'd say in this political climate that another Dubya cold open wouldn't be too big a stretch of the imagination. Plus, Cheri Oteri is gonna be in Scary Movie 6 coming out next month, so...she could legitimately make a cameo. I don't think they could do another Spartan Cheerleaders sketch today (just for the reason that it's been 25-30 years since the last one they did together) but maaaaybee another "Morning Latte" could work?

• If Ana's available they could also do another Culps BUT they last did that a year ago at the SNL50 Homecoming Concert, so that might be considered overkill and there aren't any other recent pop songs they'd need to get caught up with in the past year.

• Oh well. Hey, while you're here, please feel free to listen to the newest episode of We Heart Hader that just came out this past Friday. Deej & I cover part one of the two part "Blue Jean Committee" episode of Documentary Now. Our review of part two of that will be coming out next month. In the meantime, we're set to record our episode covering the Elliot Page/Wilco episode of SNL from season 33. That should be out in two weeks along with my accompanying blog post about it. 

• Also, my review of the latest episode of SNL UK hosted by Hannah Waddingham is coming real soon before either of those. Now, as of this writing, I have not yet even SEEN any part of that episode let along taken any notes on it....so yeah, they won't be published simultaneously this week. Anyway, 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!

Harry Styles (03.14.2026)

Gas Prices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monologue

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Jersey V. Donovan

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

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

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

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

MAHAspital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sparkle Of The Sea

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

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

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

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

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

Best Buy

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

• Anyone getting inverted Leon Phelps vibes from this sketch?

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

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

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

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

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

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

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

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

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

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

White Castle

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

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

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

She's A Dancer

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

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

Harry For Him

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

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

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Closing Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexander Skarsgard/Cardi B (01.31.2026)

ICE Meeting

• What the absolute fuck?

• A diffie opening text crawl followed by an even DIFFIER political impression.

• I don't know how far down the list of "People Who Should Play Tom Homan On This Show" fucking Pete Davidson was, but I'm pretty disappointed that the guy who would've been my first choice if they absolutely HAD to stunt cast this (John Goodman, of course...I mean, he's gotta have a good handle on the voice) was obviously unavailable.

• Hell, I'd have a slightly easier time buying Pete in this role if he used the same voice and facial prosthetics that he was using to play Andrew Cuomo a few years ago.

• I'll say Kenan, Dismukes, Ben, Mikey, JAJ and Jeremy as the ICE agents Pete is addressing are picking up the slack from Pete and just BARELY making this work for me...and it is at least mice to get a break from another JAJ/Trump centered cold open...and this is probably preferable to a sudden cameo from Cardi as Nicki as a few people online were suggesting.

• Is this reminding anyone else of the Airport Security sketch from the season 32 premiere back in '06?

• It seems like there's not a lot here just because of the slow pacing of this (well, not JUST because of that), but there are some actually funny and decent lines here to pick out that were delivered well.

• Another reason there doesn't seem like much to go on here is that the main take seems to be reiterating what incompetent unqualified doofuses ICE agents are (a point that has been beaten to death by both "real" and "fake" news shows alike).

• Beyond that, having Pete Davidson of all people just barely gloss over what a corrupt evil bastard Tom Homan is and then have Pete Davidson of all people portray him as a mild mannered school marm is WAY the wrong thing for the show to be doing. In fact, this is almost MORE toothless and tone deaf than what they did LAST week.

• You know, this was one of many, many different moments in my life in the past 48 hours where I had to just sit in silence and ask myself...what the fuck am I even doing with my life right now? 

• Granted, I find myself doing this a lot for a plethora of deeply personal reasons that are entirely unrelated to this particular SNL cold open that i refuse to divulge on this goddamn fucking blog right now (it's supposed to be a distraction from that, obviously)...but I'm starting to wonder how many people involved in putting this show on the air have the capacity to even ask themselves this and that makes me sad...well, not as sad as some of that personal stuff I refuse to talk about here...but still. C-

Monologue

• Wow, an actual mention of the 1000th episode. I like how Alexander underplayed that.

• Hey, this dude's legitimately paying tribute to the band...AND letting them speak! All right!

• Hey, Lenny's got jokes!

• Alexanders' saxophone bit was fun and a great capper to this.

• That monologue may just be one big clock punch for those of us who listen to (and even some times record and release their own) podcasts about SNL but...already this is LIGHTYEARS better than three of the last five episodes of the show put together (which already makes this episode better than but just as uneven as last week's show). A-

Mom's Confession

• Already this reminds me of the "bad thing" sketch from Kristen Wiigs' last episode but with Ashley trying to do a better version of it.

• ...and it turns out that Sarah, Tommy, Dismukes and Jane are her kids who are exasperated that she didn't turn on Trump sooner or more drastically. 

• I liked Alexanders' line about how Ashley "gets a different internet" because her laptop is old and Jane's line about Ashley asking her if she "just liked hats" when she came out to her.

• I'll give the show this, the smartest thing they did all year so far was make this particular sketch an Ashley showcase and make it the first post monologue sketch. B+

Winter Olypmics Profile 

• Hey, another weird ass Jane thing but as a flashy pretape and she's killing it with this already! All right! Alexander is pretty great as her coach, too.

• The only thing negative I could say about this is that it does remind me a bit of that Patti Harrison Shark Tank sketch from ITYSL which will probably make the discourse around this sketch/episode a bit annoying...but other than that I'm glad we got to see this on air. B+

Stench Of A Family

• Already I can tell this is going to be a sequel to that Chloe movie shoot sketch from Glenn Powells' episode. 

• Smart move. That sketch did kill the first time and it does fit Alexander like a glove. Even Jane is scoring in this.

• This one seems to be going in a darker direction but making it work. It didn't have much of an out either but at least the Stellan cameo lent it some credibility...but not an actual ending or a non-rushed out, it seems. B-

Immigrant Dad Talk Show III

• This was a pleasant surprise. I genuinely wasn't expecting this to return any time soon, but I suppose Alexander playing up the repressed Nordic stoicism his homeland is known for works here just as well.

• This felt a bit more rushed but that's probably because they didn't need to establish as much with this being the third one and the focus shifting from sons amd daughters to wives.

• I don't think we needed to see the exact same beat with Mikey amd Dismukes as the father and son who kiss but the Stellan cameo that moment spawned worked even better.

• ...and if Cardi was going to cameo in a sketch, I guess this would be the one for her to be in. B-

Viking Raid

• Hmm, this seems to be the "obligatory host sketch" of the night.

• Huh, this turned into more of a "host plays against type" as it became more focused on Alexander overcoming his own insecurity. 

• I liked how they played that against a backdrop of modern manufactured SNL pretape gore set during the crusades. That made for some interesting juxtaposition and this was well acted by all the cast members involved.

• I did like the various gags that involved vikings just casually holding severed limbs. C+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Che's best jokes: Kristi Noem, Jost/ICE Mask, Jamaican bobsled team, Luigi Mangione, Obese Americans

• Josts' best jokes: Dry January, Walz/Epstein, Kash Patel/Mr. Bean, Waffle House, McDonalds Decaf Coffee, UPS

• Well, this Update seemed like it might slowly grind this episode to a halt at first...but Che and Jost actually had some decent jokes later on.

• I dunno, editing Melania footage into Rush Hour still seems a little beneath SNL to me.

• Interesting coincidence that we're seeing Sarah's "out in the cold" weather report the same week That Week covered the episode with "Dratch On The Ones" on Update. 

• It's MUCH less interesting that she immediately turned it into another perverted Jost roast but I liked her dress (and how she interacted with the audience during that reveal). The Jack McBrayer cameo was nice.

• Speaking of now recurring sketches that debuted in November, it was smart of them to being back Ashley and Andrews "two people who just hooked up". I know Ashley does most of the heavy lifting in these (and she did great as usual) but Dismukes had a lot of the lines I liked (especially "game of inches" and "tush push"). C+

Agnes

• So, Alexander is in very basic low frils drag...and shouting at the girls in a Farleyesque manner when they are incredulous about what she does and doesn't know about things...and Ashley is the mom

• This may be the dumbest thing ever on paper but I kinda like the absurd direction this is going in with the repeated Sarah dummy toss.

• Even Jane had the line that made this sketch for me: "Stop asking her if she knows things". C+

Tarzan & Jane

• I like the use of miniatures here.

• Anyone else get slight CBS era Kids In The Hall vibes from Alexander here? This does seem like something a Don Ohlemeyer type would casually suggest.

• I do like how this is fundamentally reconstructing the basic relationship between Tarzan and Jane in a way that makes it feel so evergreen that it COULD have actually been done as early as 1993.

• Kenans' leopard bit was cute but I could've done without it.

• I do like the fourth wall break that suggests "Jane" is a long islander faking her English accent. Did she cowrite this with Martin and Ben? Some of the other slight Sarah self depreciation (the "boobs" line mostly) makes me think so.

• Overall, another decent sketch in a standout episode but probably one of the things that "blew me away" the least. B-

Funny Boyfriend

• Hmm, a sketch built around "Cards Against Humanity"? This sounds like something that had been cut from many dress rehearsals...since about 2011.

• I didn't care too much for the reveal but I'll say that I liked how Andrew, Ashley, JAJ were great at dramatically calling out what they just found out Alexander said on his cards earlier that day.

• Also, Alexander did great with his dramatic origin story. I didn't even mind how telegraphed the ending was since I had just enough fun with this sketch to enjoy it. B-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

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

Overall Thoughts 

• Well, if nothing else, this episode shows just how well this season of SNL can dig itself out of a hole. This is at least the third time this season alone that this show had managed to pull off a shockingly strong episode just after a demoralizingly bad and empty one just in time for a notable chronological milestone in the show's history. 

• We've seen this at the very start of this season with Amy Poehlers' episode following by Bad Bunnys' on the actual to the date 50th anniversary of SNL and if you want to count Bowen leaving as such a milestone we saw it with Ariana Grande/Cher following Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen. 

• Now, we just saw them pull this off in time to give us a surprisingly fun 1000th episode that honestly may not have seemed quite as good had it not been preceded by that dreadful one two punch of Finn Wolfhard/Teyana Taylor.

• Yes, Alexander was a much more game host than Teyana who bought the right energy and showed quite a bit more range, but the writing is still a bit uneven and their political commemtary does still fail to "meet the moment" in a way that makes one wonder why the hell they are even still doing this show anymore (hell, SNL can't even tell "the moment" from either it's own collective asshole OR a hole in the ground let alone find it with a map in a flashlight) but still, there were a lot of refreshing little elements to this that made me glad to see such a feel good episode close out its January run.

• One thing that I think is the leading cause of the show's instability problems right now is the shift in cast dynamics in Bowens' absence but it is still great to see the show remember how best to use Jane, Ashley, JAJ, Marcello, Dismukes, Sarah and even Chloe lately.

• It's a shame we didn't see as much of Kam, Kenan or Jeremy and that they're still figuring out what to do with Ben, Tommy, Mikey and Veronika at this time.

Closing Thoughts

• At the end of thext month when the Milan Winter Olympics are over, Connor Storrie makes his SNL hosting debut. At this point, I'm glad that Ben Marshall has already gotten "Heated Wizardy" out of his system but given that the current show's staff still let that on the aid as their first big pop cultural parody pretape of 2026, I'm extremely wary of how such an episode COULD go.

• Well, I hope you've enjoyed my reviews of both SNLs' 1000th AND 638th live episodes (the latter of which is the subject of of the latest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast as well as my previous blog post). Later this month, we'll be reviewing more of Documentary Now (the "Dronez" episode specifically) and I'll be a guest on the "Cover Wars" podcast (more on that later, closer to when my episode comes out).

• See you soon!

Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)

Trump Cabinet Meeting

• Of course...

• Yeah, just get us all caught up on January real quick...

• There's Marcellos' Rubio...

• The "don't read this note out loud thing" was unexpectedly lame.

• Hey, THERE’S Jeremy as J.D. Vance! Calling attention to the new guy, I see.

• I at least like how Jeremy's Vance is much more grounded and less gimmicky than the idea of casting Bowen in that role was.

• Hey, THERE’S the window thing!

• Padilla as Noem. I already like this more than Tina and Heidi's portrayals.

• Hey, THERE’S Josts' Hegseth here to save this! Already loving the big creatine jar and kettlebell.

• This cold open gave me pretty much what I was expecting with a couple of pleasant surprises tossed in so I can't be mad at it. B-

Monologue

• Well, the use of clips, backing music and cameos from Finns' now former costars gave this monologue about 100x more energy that I was expecting.

• Even though I saw the alcohol spit take coming from two towns over and the timing of Gatens' "former child star" joke is a bit...diffie, this was an enjoyable monologue. B-

Snack Homiez II

• Aw, fuck...I had a feeling they'd make this recurring given this host. 

• I genuinely was NOT expecting them to actually bring back Sabrina for this (I figured Finn would just be her replacement not the guest they bring on) but hey, January show. They may need all the help they can get.

• Yeah, I was pretty rough on this sketch back in October when it debuted, but I'll admit...it became a guilty pleasure of mine.

• Finn as a guest who's an expert on "facial structure" is an interesting idea they should have explored a bit more but really, this didn't work.

• Going into this with an open mind, it seems to be less a meaningless collection of GenZ buzzwords than the first one. I'll admit, the Mrs. Indcredible/Pirates' Booty jokes got me.

• OK, I guess A$AP Rocky (who's musical performances were high points of this episode if I'm being honest) being a guest in this makes the most sense out if anything here. Having him just shamelessly plug his own brand of "rap snacks" kinda bummed me out. C+

Heated Wizardry

• OK, part of me was wondering how a network show like SNL even COULD parody a show as ribald and steamy as "Heated Rivalry" (heard of it, haven't seen it, don't plan to, it's just not for me) but...replacing hockey with Quidditch? In 2026?

• To quote the actual star of the Harry Potter franchise in his 2012 monologue on this very show "how lazy can you get?"

• I will say that the fake J.K. Rowling "I'm not a part of this" review got me and some of the less obvious casting choices in this worked well for me (JAJ/Snape, Ashley/McGonagall, Tommy/Malfoy, Chloe/Hermione...and as for Dobby, I guess Jeremy has a real knack for picking up Bowens' old roles).

• Boy, this went on WAY too long, am I right? Personally, I could've done without Kenan as Mad Eye Moody or Jason Momoa as Hagrid.

• Seriously, what the hell was Jason Momoa of all people doing in this...and how the hell is he not gonna get canceled for...THAT line?

• Honestly, this felt more it was littered with the exact type of shameless GenZ pandering I was expecting from the "Snack Homiez" sequel. 

• Oh, well. I'm sure Ben Marshall has plenty of female fans going crazy over this one, so as it'll be nice to see them happy. D+

Indie/Boy Bands

• I could immediately tell where this was going from the beginning but once JAJ entered the scene in a goofy 98°/NSYNC inspired get up playing it completely straight inbetween dance numbers, I immediately got on board.

• Still, I feel like this sketch had some serious pacing and energy problems that pretty much everyone can share the blame for here. 

• Everyone gave it there all and yet still it's like Finns timing was off in a specific enough way to lead to a minor chain reaction that led every other moment play for a beat too long, letting a tiny bit of energy fly out of the scene each time.

• This had a very pleasant ending, but maybe I was a fool to expect more palpable tension and heightened drama out of this. C+

Stranger Spinoffs

• "Strangerous Minds" was delightful and I got a kick out of how Jeremy dragged out Wills' coming out scene

• "The Wheeler Report" just feels like whatever potential to be had there was squandered.

• So...Finn, Gaten and Caleb are just doing...Sex And The City For Dudes?

• "Mike In Manhattan" was a little too long for my liking, but I liked the subsequent scene with them basically just trolling the "conformitygate" conspiracy nuts.

• Mikey as "Mike's Dad" was OK but something I could've done without. JAJ did great voiceover narration here.

• Other than that, I feel this was another pretape that went on too long. C+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' Best Jokes: Greenland/Puerto Rico, Trump/Retribution, RFK/War On Protein,Zaldana/Scarjo, Staten Island/Public Bathroom

• Che Best Jokes: ICE/invasion, RFK/Trump/slight breeze, Nose picking leads to Alzheimers

• I liked the sassiness Jost injected into his Trump/relationship and Exxon "playing too cute" jokes (but not as much as I liked Che calling him out on it with that "algorithm" comment).

• Kam Patterson as Michael Irvin may be the only thing I legitimately laughed at all night...and sadly, a lot of this episode's material (especially the pretapes) made his recent KillTony comments about the show...so eerily prescient it's like the show set out to troll him directly (ditto JAJ re:his recent Vulture interview, now that i think about it)...and then gave him this Update piece as a prize for winning their little test of endurance.

• Boy, this Update really fell off a cliff joke wise at this point, didn't it?

• OK, who DIDN’T see the punchline to that Autistic Barbie joke coming a mile away?

• While it's nice to see Jane get to play a character that isn't herself, this felt like too much of an abstract inside joke for me to fully get on board with since I have NOT seen whatever TikTok clip this was based on. C+

Space Emporer

• OK, this was pretty much the roman emperor sketch from Ashton Kutchers' notorious season 35 episode where he kept feeding Will Forte grapes...but also, Dune?

• I do like the "I'm going to go past making my cast mates break and just see how badly I am going to derail this sketch" vibe that Mikey is giving off. Hell, that's literally the only redeeming quality this had. 

• Hell, even the intro to this acknowledges they needed to update how they frame their TV parody sketches in the streaming age. They haven't quite realized how they should do away with the "you're watching (blank) on (blank)" intros but hey...baby steps. C+

Guy's Girl

• While I am pleased to see Veronika get her own showcase sketch where she plays off Ben and Jeremy in a semi-dramatic moment, I was disappointed to see this gradually turn into a cross the Kyle Mooney "killed the bit" pretape from season 46 and the "random" Sam Crap museum sketch from ScarJos' season 40 episode. 

• Also, is it just me or does this seem to be another sketch where whatever ending it may have had was heavily trimmed down for time between dress and air?

• Anyway, Veronika Slowikowska seems like a promising talent who I believe has the potential to be one of the new leads of the female cast along with Ashley. I just hope they don't misuse her. C-

Free Solo

• Normally, I'd say it's very odd for this to be Kenan's only live appearance all night...but given Chris Redds' recent revelation and given Kenans' rather muted appearance on Kelly Clarksons' show recently...and given how he apparently didn't do this week's warmup between dress and air, I think I can guess what his mental state might be.

• Other than that, he and Finn were actually pretty funny in this. I don't have much else to say about this except that it definitely felt like the type of sketch we might have gotten in 2015. 

• Hey Finn, taking an Uber to a bus stop might just make sure you don't MISS a bus. Did you ever think if THAT, buddy? 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. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
4. Ariana Grande/Cher (12.20.2025)
5. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
6. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
7. Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (01.17.2026)
8. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
9. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
10. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts 

• Well, it's the first show of the new year...which means it's a January show so all bets were off to begin with.

• The whole show felt awkward what with Finn pretty much a disappearing non-enitity as host. 

• Outside of one or two things, I didn't have much of a problem with the writing or performances but the show still felt wildly uneven...and a bit divisive.

• Maybe this is the result of having a young host and the show feeling the need to play to his...rabid young fan base in such a tryhard way (and it mostly backfiring on them if the reaction on Twitter is to be believed).

• Still, this was far from the worst of the season. One thing I do like in this episode is that the show seems to genuinely be trying to give airtime to previously underused cast members.

• I have to admit, I am actually seeing one thing I said I was hoping for on my last SNN appearance in that they are giving JAJ a lot more airtime to play more non-Trump role and unique characters so, it's nice to see they actually DID continue that trend and I hope to see more of it.

• They're even giving Kam, Veronika and Jane more chances to showcase their own original character pieces and find their voice on the show...which I also find encouraging.

• While I wasn't too crazy about most of this episode, one thing I did like seeing was the noticeable seismic shift in how SNL is using the rest of its cast now that Bowen is out of the picture.

• Of course, we didn't see too much of Tommy, Kenan, Sarah or Andrew and Marcello felt scaled back a bit, but it's good to see their time being given to newer, less established cast members to develop their presence.

Closing Thoughts

• Next week, Teyana Taylor makes her hosting debut. She seems like she would be a good host, but not having seen as much of her acting I don't have any expectations going into this episode so it will be interesting going into another new SNL with that mindset.

• One thing I could see happening after next week is Teyana does such a great job on the show and gets such rave reviews in the press that the discourse surrounding the show becomes "see, THIS is why SNL needs another black female cast member now that Egos' gone"...because I have seen this exact scenario play out already more than a decade ago when Kerry Washington hosted.

• Oh well, either way I'm sure that episode will be miles better than this one and you'll be able to read my review of that episode on this blog around this time a week from now.

• One other review I am working on right now is a review of the Seth Rogen/Spoon episode from season 33. As you may have heard me mention before, Deej and I are reviewing both that whole season of SNL (since it's so short, we figured...why the hell not?) as well as the entire* first two seasons of Documentary Now for our podcast We Heart Hader.

• In fact, we just released our first Documentary Now review the other day. Feel free to listen to it!

• I gotta go finish my Seth Rogen/Spoon review before Tuesday night because I THINK that's when Deej and I are going to record that one. 

• Obviously, I'm working under a slightly less strict self imposed deadline than I am on this one but I think the demands of another new job have been draining my energy and focus for that one a bit...which may be affecting both that review and this one, but anyway you should hopefully see that review posted on this blog by the end of the month (hopefully right before my review of SNL Season 51s' upcoming Aleksander Skarsgard/Cardi B episode is posted).

• See you soon!

*Yeah, something tells me we might be skipping over "A Town, A Gangster, A Festival"

Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)

Air Force One Press Briefing

• Yeah,they didn't fool me for a second into thinking this wasn't going to be Trump themed...but it's interesting from a visual/directing standpoint to see them try something different by framing this as a parody of Trumps Air Force One Press Briefings.

• Seeing the show seemingly comment on Trumps' treatment of female reporters seemed like an interesting angle until it was more about Trump "simping" over Karoline Leavitts' mouth (which did lead into a neat segue into "the line" at least) and then they backed away entirely.

• Seriously, this whole cold open just reeked of wasted potential. It seemed like they had plenty of new ideas from what was on the news this week to focus on but just glossed over each of them. Also, they've been making so much progress in changing the format of these and suddenly they throw that away to go back to doing the exact same things they were doing two years ago.

• Other than that, there sadly wasn't too much to differentiate this from any late season 48/season 49 cold opening centered around JAJ as Trump. I thought the "ambien vs adderall race" was OK. The Santa drone strike footage was cheap amd stupid but I liked Jeremy's reaction to it. C+

Monologue 

• O'Connor seems like your typical charming, self-effacing British actor host, but that's not enough to mitigate my own personal disappointment at a "host gets stuck on the idea of him being the lead in a live action Ratatouille remake" monologue that DOESN'T involve a sudden walk-on from Patton Oswalt.

• At least this was a fairly short monologue where O'Connor just got his plugs in and got out. Still, seems like he'll be a good host despite me not being into that monologue. C-

Let's Find Love

• A post monologue game show sketch where Kenan is a host named "Garth Vader". Ugh.

• Is this somehow going to be another play on Joshs' role in "Challengers"?

• Nope. Instead, the premise is the age cap is lifted to "as old as we can find".

• Well, at least Ashley is the obligatory 84 year old rolling in on a scooter.

• My basic take so far is that even if sketch feels too...empty for me to fully get into, it's still fun to watch Ashley make an absolute meal out of her part.

• The only lines from Ashley I really liked were "I've got a joke; my sister's a bitch" and the "Toy Story 5" stuff. C+

Uber Eats Wrapped

• Oof. Yeah, there's no way this didn't hit a little too close too home...conceptually with everyone watching this in one way or another.

• I liked both of Sarah's scenes in this and JAJ and Ashley played great off each other (as did Ben and Kam). Andrew did fine here, too. B-

Teaching Hospital

• Ah, a Bowen character I never got into. That's just great.

• Look, I'm not saying I'm hoping Bowen leaves next week or anything...but I am hoping that IF he is that it's the only reason he bought this character back this week.

• At least Josh and Andrew are doing...decent with the material they were given. Didn't care for the Bowen/Josh "hope" we're not related" stuff.

• I like Joshs' "plain English" line and I'll admit Bowens' "All That AND a bag of chips" line did get me. D+

Bachelorette Party

• Hmm...sensitive male strippers. Ok, at least this has a little bit more of a "concept" to it...and Ben being one of the male leads in this should make it worthwhile.

• This is a play on the type of "softboi" roles Josh mentioned he is known for playing in his monologue, isn't it?

• Ha, I wonder who did that sad, slow Bon Iver sounding cover of Ginuwines' "Pony"?

• I gotta say every line Jane shouted got me and Ashley played into the premise of this pretty well.

• Ben and Josh had great visuals (like them tearing off their sweaters and pants to reveal another sweater and anothe pair of jeans on each of them and them beating the hell out of a dummy of Mikey at the end). 

• I also got a kick out of Josh's line "I think the President should be Cynthia Erivo" but I wasn't crazy about the "Zorhan" tattoo on Bens' abs or the buildup of them kissing though. B-

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Josts' best jokes: "Not My Fault, Sell Your Blood", Noem/Excorcist, "Trumps' days are lettered", Michael Che in "Hold Up, Madea Got A Daughter?", Waffle House Parking Lot

• Che's best jokes: "Fatmentia", Trump/Kennedy Center Events, Skydiving Accident

• Hmm, Marcello as himself? Doing his own standup? What is this, October 2022?

• OK, I liked the "you don't like the food, you just like having sex with my cousin" line.

• Isn't the "unwarranted sexual advice" bit just straight up lifted from that "ChatGPTio" sketch he did with Bad Bunny (which was apparently "lifted" from some random TikToker? Eh, nevermind).

• OK, he kinda lost me somewhere around the "phone calls from Santa/Spiderman/'Lorne'" bit.

• Ooh, another Jane Wickline song about the end of the human race. At this point, why the fuck not?

• Now, she's singing about how we should kill the cast of Stranger Things for absurd reasons. Because again, at this point...why the fuck not?

• What does it say about this episode that...THAT was genuinely the best part of it? C+

Wizard Of Oz: Deleted Footage

• A fake lost scene from "The Wizard Of Oz? Wow, what a truly innovative, original sketch concept that absolutely no sketch show has ever done before. I'm dead serious right now.

• So, we got Squirm as Dorothy...Kenan as the lion...Josh as the Tin Man...and Andrew as the Scarecrow...and Bowen as the "wizard"? Ok.

• The lion wants a "big ol' thang"? He...wants a big...ass or something?

• Oh, he wants a DICK! Like, a big, super long penis. I see.

• Yeah, this was something I was far too mentally checked out of this episode by this point to be able to get into...but I did admire the effort put into this by the performers (especially Kenan who seemed to be the only one trying with his impression...Dismukes came in a distant second...Sarah an even more distant third because I don't know what the hell she was even going for with that voice).

• As much as I disliked this sketch, I did appreciate it ending on a shot of a chroma keyed prostheticized Bowen. D+

Brad And His Dad

• Hey, it's...nice to see a Christmas one of these (even if I wasn't as into this one as I was into the first one from Nikki Glasers' episode from last month).

• Again, maybe I'm just mentally checked out if this episode at this point...but I liked the overall heartwarming nature of this more than anything. B-

College Class

• I have a feeling that pretty soon, the writers of this sketch may have to publicly claim (on the advice of their lawyers) that they've never seen or heard of "Young Sheldon" and that this is all a big coincidence.

• So...this sketch is half Bowen and Ashley screaming at each other and half Ben, Josh, Sarah and Veronika?

• Again, this is another sketch where I respect the performers commitment (Bowen and Ashley) specifically but I'm a bit too mentally checked out if this episode to get into it.

• Also, this feels like it went on way too long and as much as I saw the ending with Chloe and Josh coming a mile away, I just appreciated them ending it there. C-

Varietys' Characters on Characters

• OK, I do appreciate the absurd character nature of this, but maybe I'd appreciate these a bit more if I'd actually watched any of those "Actors on Actors" videos this is parodying...or, again, if I hadn't already burned myself out on this fucking episode about a third of the way into it.

• I did like the Mikey/JAJ and Chloe/Ashley scenes. Wasn't that into the Josh/Bowen and Marcello/Kenan scenes though. I did get a kick out of JAJs very last line as the announcer, though. B-

Lily Allen Brunch

• Wow, a sketch set around a restaraunt table. That's another fresh and innovative concept SNL is bringing to this season.

• So, someone mentioned tonight's musical guest, Lily Allen, and now this sketch turns into everyone going around the table...singing in her accent about however they've just been minorly slighted or inconvenienced?

• ...and presumably this is a musical parody sketch to the tune of one of the songs she sung earlier in the night? 

• Actually, going back and looking at her performances from the episode this doesn't sound like either of those songs, so maybe it's a parody of an album cut she *didn't* perform?

• Come to think of it, the running song in this sketch reminds me the most of Lily Allens' song "The Fear" which came out nearly two decades ago. Huh.

• ...and this ends with the real Lily Allen coming in and bring mistaken for a waiter because she is too polite to raise any objections?

• I didn't dislike this because they pretty much set up the audience for what this was but I feel like this will be lost on people who haven't listened to Lily Allen's new album who watch this on YouTube completely out of context from the rest of the show due to how fractured modern consumption of music is now.

• Still, it grew on me a bit on rewatch. I didn't hate the concept or the framework of this or anything but I did like the individual performances more, so...yeah, it kind of fits the theme of the night.

• I liked Veronikas performance (glad to see she got some standout moment for once) as well as Kenans. I did get a kick out of seeing Chloe just plain get steamrolled by Bowen. 

• Most of all, I liked Jane's performance just for the sheer strangeness of her talking at length about her ferret who mysteriously shows up and singing about her telepathy.

• I guess the thing I liked most about Jane's performance was her choice to not to her part in the hackiest cockney accent she could conjure. 

• I don't have much else to say about this sketch, so I'll just say that it doesn't bode well for the episode that I found the most interesting part of this episode to be the point where i figured out that it was actually Dakota Johnson hidden in the shadows at the end of Lily Allens' second musical performance (and that was at the very end so I figured it out at the same time you guys did. 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. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)
4. Melissa McCarthy/Dijon (12.06.2025)
5. Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile (11.01.2025)
6. Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen (12.13.2025)
7. Sabrina Carpenter (10.18.2025) 
8. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Overall Thoughts 

• Yeah, if you've read this far, you can probably tell by now that I didn't care all that much for this episode. It wasn't the absolute worst of the season, but it's definitely in my bottom five. Nothing in it was egregiously or aggressively bad, it was more like passively bad. This episode just felt like one big...nothing. Only two sketches felt like they had any thought put into them at all.

• Josh O'Connor wasn't a bad host, not Elordi level bad or anything. He just seemed like a host who gave it his all in spite of the writing staff not really knowing how to use him at all. 

• Considering who next weeks' host is, I got the sense that the show was just on auto pilot and running out the clock this week because they were saving all their energy and ideas (and hopefully not just their list of potential A-list cameos) for the big Christmas blowout they were planning.

• Cast use mostly seemed balanced. If anyone really stood out from the established names, it would probably be Kenan, Bowen, Mikey, Andrew and Ben. JAJ got to do a bit more non-Trump stuff this week. The women as a unit really shined with Ashley standing out as usual. I was really impressed to see the show finally start to figure out how to use Jane and Veronika in a way that makes them shine and plays to their strengths.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week is this season's big Christmas show as well as the last new SNL of 2025 with Ariana Grande returning to host...surprisingly soon after just hosting in the first half of last season but hey...who else are they gonna be able to get to plug "Wicked For Good"? 

• Also, Cher is the musical guest for some reason...just like Stevie Nicks was the musical guest in Arianas' previous episode for some reason. I don't know how she's able to do it but somehow Ariana Grande is able to pull impossibly big name musical guests when she hosts.

• A lot of people seem to think Bowen Yang may be leaving this season and this may, in fact, be his last show based on...I dunno, the fact that's he's in the same movie that Ariana is plugging and he's got a deal to make another one...and that he's made his mental health struggles with the show quite public and that he posted the shot of the corkboard announcement of this episode to his Instagram story with the simple caption "byeeeeeeeeeeeee"? 

• I mean, we thought the same thing about Colin when his wife hosted last seasons' finale back in May based on similarly specious reasoning...but cast members of Bowens' ilk have left at Christmas time semi-unexpectedly (Maya, Amy, Cecily) so...I'd say it's plausible but I'd believe it when I see it.

• Well, any way you want to look at it, this sounds like it's gonna be a BIG show...but it's pretty obvious they've lost a great deal of the momentum for this season they've built up back in November, so at best...I'm cautiously optimistic.

• I'm not the biggest fan of Arianas in the world and probably not the target audience for this episode but I will admit that aside from maybe one or two specific sketches (you all know which ones, I'm sure) she turned out one of the more solid episodes of season 50 that I did enjoy and she's always performed well in sketches on the show. 

• The Christmas episode of that season however (hosted by Martin Short, another beloved performer who has a strong history with the show) was one I wasn't as big a fan of. I got the sense that it was a big, flashy Christmas blowout but it was one too heavily loaded with big name cameos and retreads of previous sketches that didn't quite work for me.

• This year's Christmas episode has the potential to go either way and I'm hoping it doesn't go the way of big flashy cameos again (which thankfully isn't something that Ariana relies on in her episodes at all) and gives us something a bit lower key and idea- focused like recent previous Christmas shows hosted by Kristen Wiig, Austin Butler and Kate McKinnon (so yeah, maybe keep the cameos to a minimum of two or three and make sure they're all performers the host has chemistry with).

• Hey...speaking of Christmas episodes, you may have heard me mention on the last episode of We Heart Hader that Deej and I would be doing a review of the SNL season 33 premiere hosted by Lebron James. Well, we had a very sudden changes of plans. We decided to push that episode back to a later date. That episode will now be released on Friday, January 2nd 2026 which is Noth my 35th birthday and the exact one year anniversary of our podcasts debut (thanks to all of our listeners, we couldn't have done it without you).

• As for our next episode coming out on December 19th, well...that will now be OUR Christmas episode. As for what we will be talking about or why and how it's now holiday themed, I will reveal that in due time. Check my socials.

• See you again soon!