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!

Jack Black/Jack White (04.04.2026)

NCAA Final Four Post Game Show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monologue 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kathy

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

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

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

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

Words To Live By

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

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

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

Ultimate Dojo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carry On My Wayward...Husband?

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

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

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

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 300

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

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

Spring Break AirBnB

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

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

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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

Closing Thoughts 

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

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

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

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

SNL UK: Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)

Starmer Calls Trump

• Wow, I see we're already keeping one of SNL US' on and off traditions of starting off cold opens with unnecessary thunderous applause for no reason whatsoever. It's OK. I don't really have a problem with it here. I'm just pleased this show is going to have a hot crowd on its live debut. The audience reception may make or break this show.

• Already I'm getting slight Kenny Everett vibes from George Fouracres performance as prime minister Keir Starmer (or maybe it's just the Gizzard Puke-like voice he's using?). The sketch itself is giving me a slight mix of "Spitting Image" and "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" vibes (this does remind me of the first Mark McKinney/Mark Carney sketch I saw them do)...which is nice. It's already set itself apart from SNL US a bit for me.

• As soon as George uttered that "I can change him" line, I knew this was headed in a direction I was going to like. Sure, it's pretty much the inverse of this sketch ftom SNL US and a bit reminiscent of a lot of SNL USs' hacky ass "lol Trump & Putin are gay boyfriends with each other" jokes from 2016/17 and it's portraying Trump as the dominant one in the "situationship" but it's still in service of a UK sketch comedy show just straight up calling their country's leader a spineless worm who can't stand up to Trump on his own in a way that's much more pointed and direct than the cutesy bucket of buzzword salad crap in SNL US cold opens that they try to pass off as political satire nowadays.

• I wasn't crazy about Jack Sheps' stereotypical GenZ character (hell, hearing the word "throuple" still makes me want to "throw upple") but at least he served and he tied this sketch together somewhat. I did like the subtle meta dig at "embracing America's unproblematic culture" just before they did the first ever utterance of "Live From London..." B-

Monologue 

• I do like how the opening montage, theme music and set design make this feel like a new, seperate from SNL British comedy show (at least cosmetically). Hell, this shows' theme music sounds like something you'd hear snippets of coming in and out of commercial breaks during a typical episode of SNL US.

• Tina was a welcoming and friendly presence. She did a fine job of delivering a rare non-promotional host monologue fir which the sole purpose was just laying the groundwork for what this shows' basic format would be for those UK viewers unfamiliar with SNL US. I did like her line "one boy is either Scottish or choking".

• Still, her portions of this monologue felt like any typical SNL US monologue from the past 15 years or so. In fact, with all the additional cameos it specifically feels like a much less insulting and much more ingratiating version of the same monologue she did in May 2018 for the SNL US season 43 finale with a little bit of her season 33 monologue from February 2008 thrown in (the first and last time she actually hosted the show on her own side of the pond). 

• I could've done without Michael Ceras' bit but I was just as pleasantly surprised with SNL UKs' ability to drop some unpleeped F-bombs on live TV as he seemed to be.

• Nicola Coughlan was by far the strongest part of this monologue. She sold the subtle passive aggressive bitchiness of her part well enough that I would also like to see her host one of the remaining 7 episodes of this series (hopefully, this gets renewed past its initial 8 episode order and she gets more chances). Hell, her Shrek joke makes me wonder how Mike Meyers himself would do as a potential host of this show?

• Man, I haven't seen Graham Norton on my TV since Comedy Central aired some version of his talk show here in the US 22 years ago but he did a great job of bringing this to a satisfying conclusion. I definitely chuckled at the "auto glass/safelite" jingle at the end. B-

Underáge by Pedólay

• Wow, bold choice for this shows' first fake commercial pretape. 

• It certainly displays a sharp edge that SNL US has been lacking for quite some time (or maybe it just appears that way because certain segments of the UK are much vocally and virulently against pedophiles than we are in the US...in spite of how we're all just finding out about how they've been covering for some of their own big ones for decades).

• Still, for the punch this packed, it could've been tightened up a bit (especially for a pretape so it doesn't hit too many unnecessary beats after the big reveal of its basic joke).

• Was that Paddy as Celestes' husband? Was this his only non-Update sketch appearance in the whole show?

• Hammed as the aggressive cop was funny and one line I liked was "my husband lost his recording contract and some, but not all, of his fans". 

• I did think the interrogation scene at the very end was a nice touch as well.

• The more I watch and sit with this, the more it feels like the type of pretape we would get in SNL around 2017/18 that would be left by Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon...but this felt a bit fresher and more bold. C+

David Attenboroughs' Last Supper

• Even though this is a well worn premise I know I have seen SNL US pull off many times before (see "When Great Minds Meet" in 1988, "Historys' Greatest Overthinkers in 1993, Rachel Dratch as James Madison on Weekend Update in 2000) I was delighted by the execution of this one. 

• George Fouracres portrayal of Sir David Attenborough was a great centerpiece of this sketch (even if the voice he used sounded a lot like his Keir Starmer except raspier and less congested). George had the best lines and is quickly emerging as one of the early standout performers in this cast.

• I'll admit there were about four portrayals of figures from British history I didn't recognize but that didn't really hamper my viewing experience (maybe reading Beardie Vikings' review whenever he posts it to his blog will help me fill in a few gaps).

• Even Jack Sheps' Princess Diana was done tastefully and Tinas' Agatha Christie wasn't too over the top. It was neat to see Paul and Jack come close to breaking. B-

Hot Streak

• OK, Hammed is emerging as the second standout performer of this cast. The way he asked Tina and Jacks' actor characters why their movie fucking sucked so bad and forcefully criticized them right after a Fallon-like heaping of praise on their characters had me falling out laughing. 

• I also loved how seamlessly this transition into a poignant commentary on the modern human condition. 

• Definitely one of the high points of this premiere episode. I even got a kick out of Hammeds' character being named "Ed Boovies" just so the title of the fake show within a show could be "Boovies Goes To The Films" A-

The Budger

• While I feel this could've gone a bit harder in the paint on the basic premise of "how to make the average person's internet experience worse" and still have given off "relatable" vibes, I still enjoyed how it captured the banality of those small annoyances around modern smartphone and PC web browsing (even if they skipped over some of the dangerous misinformation and bigotry you can easily encounter online from time to time).

• I appreciate the specificity in the writing as well as the "spy junk tech thriller" style in which this was filmed. Those aspects of this piece combined with the fact that I was watching an Emglish language foreign sketch comedy program really gave me "Baroness Von Sketch Show" vibes.

• It's a shame they didn't introduce us to the person in charge of pushing those little tutorial pop ups in various smart phone apps that come up whenever you get a new smartphone and open up your same old apps in it to point out various features in said apps like you didn't already know how to use them or the person in charge of making wireless bluetooth earbuds glitch out whenever you're actively listening to something on your phone through them because I'd really like to meet that person and have a chat with those specific people sometime soon.

• I liked the subtle visuals of guys casually sipping from whole containers worth of coffee and pouring entire containers of sugar in their coffee without looking away from their screens. However, I think Larry Deans' "X-man" interview could've been rewritten so that fast paced dialogue is missed over audience applause.

• While I feel they could've tightened up the suspenseful "budge" segment at the end, I liked the tense drama behind it. Speaking of, was that Ania as the woman scrolling through her phone on the couch? It didn't quite look like any of the other women. 

• I especially liked the "do you get paid for your job?" back and forth between Hammed and the unseen interviewer. B-

Ultrasound

• Wow, two segments in a row that give off slight BVSS vibes! This shows' really got something.

• I say BVSS vibes because this also had a very specific, very modern "relatable" idea behind its writing...but it was VERY much executed in the style of most modern SNL US live sketches very much to its detriment. 

• In fact, I would venture a guess that Tina heavily punched up this script at some point after read through because it largely seems to be in her voice (especially her opening rant about how her kids are mean to her).

• Yeah, this is something I could definitely see being done on modern SNL with the fetus being played by either Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman or Marcello Hernandez. Mikey Day and Chloe Fineman would definitely be the parents as they're the best at overexplaining what someone is doing out of anyone in the current SNL US cast.

• Hmm, in fact...I think I may have ALREADY seen how modern SNL would have executed this sketch since it remind me a lot of this one...and this one...and this one (which seems to share a similarly odd idea of what the inside of a womans' damn womb looks like). Hell, Jacks dancing as the fetus reminded me of this in a good way.

• I don't mean to knock this sketch entirely or accuse the show of plagiarism (hell, it's certainly not an "adaptation" of anything). I was just saying that...I didn't know if this sketch worked for me personally at first but it grew on me after a couple rewatches.

• I did like Celestes' line "I'm not a doctor. I'm just a stupid rocket scientist." I'm not that surprised at Tinas' "pop that puss" line because I believe it's possible that SNL US could've also gotten that on the air. Hell, I even liked how Tina transitioned out of this sketch into introducing Wet Legs' first performance right after the type of ending that SNL US has been doing increasingly for every fourth or fifth sketch since Covid. C+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Anias' Best Jokes: Starmer U-Turn, Prince Andrew Moves

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Dubai Under Fire, Nato Holds Back, Helium Shortages, Andrew In Prison, BTS On Tour

• Damn, this version of Update has the flashiest set for any comedy news segment I've seen since The Daily Show!

• Even though Paddy had more of the jokes that really hit for me, I still really like Anias' presence as his co-anchor. I mean, DAMN, she's the one that took (the former) Prince Andrew straight to the fuckin' woodchipper!

• I liked how sharp and edgy tge writing behind these Update jokes were with out the edginess feeling too forced. 

• Maybe I can see some of these same jokes being delivered by Jost & Che here in the states but they still sound classier and pack more of a wallop when delivered not just in a British accent but by a fresh new pair of comics who actually have some spark and life in their eyes.

• Yeah, I gotta say I'd DEFINITELY take Paddy & Ania over Jost & Che at this point.

• Al Nash as Capt. Birdseye definitely seems like the type of correspondent desk piece that would've been done by Andy Samberg or Bobby Moynihan during Seth Meyers solo run as Update anchor on SNL US but a lot shorter and with a sudden reveal of a darker twist at the end. Still, there was great fun to be had there. B+

A Changed William Shakespeare 

• Hey, we finally get to see George again...AND he's doing a different voice!

• Tinas' got just enough acting chops to pull off the "forlorn, neglected wife" part here.

• Wow. Never thought I'd hear the phrase "cunty little earring" go out uncensored on the airwaves of any version if SNL.

• I got a kick out of the way George delivered the lines "Methinks I might write another one of these...PLAAAAAAAYYYSS" and "I must to London. My next staging awaits. Henry The Fourth Part II: Henry The FIIIIIIIFFFTHHH!"

• Yeeeeaaaaahhhh, this is starting to feel like a sketch SNL US would do with Jason Momoa as host (specifically "The Ghost Of Christmas Extra" if anyone remembers that one from 2018 because it ain't on YouTube).

• Well, I will admit that just straight up replacing George with Jack in the middle of the sketch is an interesting tactic that I'm sure SNL wouldn't do if they were executing this sketch...but they would certainly have him talking like a contestant on RuPauls' Drag Race if they could. No doubt about that.

• I'll also admit that Jack had a few bits and lines I did like (riding in on a Bird Scooter, Stratford-upon-Avon/London-upon-Ketamine, "Charli Ten 100 Ten", unintentionally stumbling over the phrase "glow up era", "'Tis but a K-hole") but not everything he added to this sketch made the rushed as hell ending that much better.

• Wow, we get TWO utterances of the word "cunty" along with a vague, empty, evdn more confusing explanation of why some can say it and others still can't followed by a sudden dance off to a 15 year old Rhianna song complete with a Charli XCX lookalike and some drag queens? What God did we please?

• Yeah, this sketch really cemented in my mind that Jack Shep is going to be the Bowen Yang/Marcello Hernandez of this show. I don't mean that as a criticism of his actual performances but rather as a commentary on what roles he's given and what spot he fills on the show.

• Jack Shep seems to be the youngest person in this cast by far so he easily fits the Marcello/Pete Davidson/Samberg/Fallon archetype of "guy who's strictly for the young audience to fawn over and will probably annoy the hell out if any viewer over the age of 40". He'll be the one the show leans on for viral buzz moments to draw the teens and early twenty somethings in from social media.

• He also gives off Bowen vibes because so far he's...well, I'll just say he's been the one giving us all of what I like to call the "campy" performances and leave it at that.

• Hey, it's not my place to speculate on anyone's personal life. I'll just say that. 

• Also, before actually watching this episode I had seen the minor spoiler that there was some honest to God audience booing in the show that I didn't actually catch with my ears or hear during the show. I'm going to assume it was at this sketch just because this really is the only sketch I can even imagine one person legitimately booing at. C+

Live Paddington Bear Experience 

• Hey, there's Ania again as the mother of three. I for sure recognize her. So, I guess she and Paddy are mostly going to appear in pretapes outside of Update.

• At first, I was expecting this to be a Bill Burr type thing where we keep cutting back to Annabels' Bachelorette Party just because that's how bad SNL US has brainwashed me.

• I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was another gore pretape where the gore effects were played subtly and with sheer obliviousness to a collective trauma rather than for cheap, tired obvious shock value. I guess I just broke the SNL US conditioning.

• I'm glad to see this more resembled a grittier "Happy Fun Ball" than Sarah Squirms' takes on "A Christmas Carol" and "Scooby Doo".

• Tina was great in the mockumentary portion as the dim, callous producer. All the other post interviews were great (especially Hammed, Larry and Ania).

• I also got a kick out if Al as the bored janitor casually tossing a severed foor in a trash can. 

• Even this would've been a couple years too late for a timely parody, this HAD to ge a parody of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience, right? A-

Bra Fitting

• Hmm, I guess this sketch presupposes that all women (especially British ones) are just as insecure about their breast/bra/cup sizes as all men are about their penis sizes? 

• From the way it was written and the specific British slang used, it took me about two thirds of the way into this to surmise that this is where it was going. 

• Still, as strange as this was to parse, I liked Emma's performance. She really made this work. 

• I get the sense that some of this show's writers must've been 30 Rock fans if they get that show over there since they were obviously keen on having Tina play another pathetic Liz Lemon type character.

• Hey, there's a reference to the MBJ/Lindo BAFTAS/Tourettes incident! I wondered if it would be really necessary for SNL UK to reference it this far after the fact but the audience seemed to like it.

• The Regé-Jean Page cameo felt a little forced but if this audience needed another Britush celeb cameo to keep them interested this close to the end of the show, I can put up with it. C+

45 Seconds With Fouracres

• Hey, nice to close out the show with the exact type of goofy nonsense you might expect to find on something like "Fast Show" or "Codco" or something more obscure and British of that ilk that you could only see on Sunday nights on the That Week In SNL Twitch stream!

• It's also nice to see a personal showcase from one of the early standout performers on this show. I'm calling it George Fouracres is gonna be the JAJ of SNL UK. 

• The second Nicola Coughlan cameo was a nice touch. I wonder if they truly followed SNL US tradition and wrote the hosts monologue much later in the week than the rest of the show and this is what they originally asked Nicola Coughlan to cameo in and then figured "well, as long as we got her here..." A-

Overall Thoughts

• Wow, I must say I was quite impressed by this whole show. I didn't quite know what to expect but what I got was a strong debut!

• Sure, I noticed some structural parallels between SNL UK and SNL US in the sketch writing department (with as much SNL US as I have seen in my lifetime it's pretty hard not to) but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised by how this show managed to retain so much of a uniquely British identity and sense of humor in its presentation as to make it into what I like to call "SNLINO" (or "Saturday Night Live In Name Only")

• Yes, there was enough sharp and pointed sketch writing here to make this a welcome breath of fresh air from modern SNL US in 2026 (especially after the dull as dishwater Harry Styles episode...funny how easily a British SNL episode with an American host just so easily trounces an American SNL episode with a British host).

• One thing I really liked about this episode is how it immediately drew me in much more than a lot of recent SNL US as of late. You can tell by the way this review doesn't start off with a series of Mikey Day-esque immediate hot take reactions of me describing what I am seeing in the moment. This is partly because I wanted to take it all in the first time I saw it and see if any possible format deviations had an effrct on the show as well. 

• The first time I watched it (out of several) I didn't once feel the urge to divert my attention from a screen just to take notes on a sketch as it was playing. The closest I came to actually doing this was during the "Hot Streak" sketch just Google the names of Tina & Jacks' characters to see if they were impersonating real people (they weren't) and I consider this a marked improvement of SNL UK over SNL US.

• As far as cast usage goes, it looks like George, Jack and Hammed dominated the night with some small assists from Al, Celeste and Emma. Hopefully, Arcade, Larry and Annabel will get to do more in the coming weeks.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, SNL US will still be in reruns while SNL UK gives us another brand new episode with Christian Grey himself, Jamie Dornan as host. I don't know what kind if comedic chops Mr. Dornan actually has but with a non American/non SNL US alumni as host, I do look forward to seeing how SNL UK further breaks out if the shadow of SNL US and further establishes its own British identity.

• I plan to review that one as well but before I do I urge you all to check out the review of the Brian Williams/Feist episode from SNL US season 33 that I will post this weekend as soon as the new episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast hits your preferred podcast portal and you can listen to Deej and I review that episode rather than just reading my review alone.

• Hopefully, that episode isn't going to be delayed due to any technical or production issues that came up on my end when we tried to record it. After that, we'll be working on a review of the Documentary Now! episode "The Eye Doesn't Lie" (a spoof of "The Thin Blue Line".

• See you then!

Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.1975)

 Pam Bondi Hearing

• Hey, another “off the beaten path” political cold open (I mean, that describes any modern SNL cold open that doesn’t feature James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump as JAJ but still).

• Speaking of, I see JAJ is playing Senator Chuck Grassley tonight and the two new white guys are getting some airtime right up top. I did like Jeremy Culhanes’ “Jeff-rey Ep-stein” chant as Senator Whitehouse. Boy, Dismukes as Senator Kennedy from Louisiana looks like it will be a fun impression. 

• Among the miscues, I see Ashley Padilla is playing Amy Klobuchar…but, wait…this is supposed to be a Pam Bondi sketch and didn’t Ashley play Pam Bondi in last seasons’ “White Potus” or was that some weird random color blob? Wait, does this mean we’re getting…HEY!!! Amy as Pam Bondi! (or is this just Leslie Knope if she became a “bad girl”?)

• Well, it was smart of the show to have Amy helm this cold open since over the past several years she has proven herself adept at producing light political comedy that functions as comfort food for liberal wine moms. 

• She’s trying her damndest to put this over. I especially liked her Blumenthal/Durbin/Klobuchar roasts and her line about “who fell asleep in the middle of a sentence” but…something about this makes it feel like the energy is off. Maybe the audience isn’t into it because it isn’t quite what they were expecting? Maybe they just wanted to get past the current politics and get into the instant nostalgia?

• Kristi Noem? Wait, Heidi played her and she’s gone now. Who’s going to…wait, I recognize THAT voice more than that face at the moment. Is that…Tina under those prosthetics? Tina Fey impersonating a hardass right wing backwoods governor known for shooting animals with a goofy ass accent that makes her sound like a member of “Da Yoopers”? That’s totally new.

• I think, bare minimum, cameo-wise people were just expecting some combination of Tina, Rachel and Maya (even if she seems completely burnt out on the show and another Bronx Beat so soon after the 50th might seem like overkill). Those women have always been a package deal on SNL whether they were in the cast, hosting or just making a plethora of cameos during the height of the Wiig era. 

• In fact, I’d say Tina had the best material in this with her ICE ad copy and it’s still fine by me if she wants to do some political humor on the show sometimes. Still, this grew on me and struck the right balance between how to work Tina well into political sketches and what type of political commentary works best on Update from her. B-

Monologue 

• This monologue seemed a little “all over the place” but the things I appreciated the most about it were Amy giving this casts’ newbies the same treatment she gave Taran, Jay, Vanessa and Paul fifteen years ago as well as the very heartfelt acknowledgment of this very moment in time being SNL’s actual chronological 50th anniversary aimed at longtime fans and aspiring comedians watching (or just regular viewers watching considering her “tough times” comments). 

• I also liked the lines about no one having asked her to do full frontal yet, SNL “not caring after 50” (boy, does that ring true but thanks for being diplomatic about it, Amy) and the fact that Amy Poehler may be the first host in SNL history to only be plugging a podcast. B-

The Rudemans

• Umm, oookaaaaaayyyyy? I guess this is the Amy/Sarah/Ashley collaboration I’ve been wanting to see this week? Thanks? Especially for letting Sarah play yet another “generic grandma” role? Because that’s my favorite thing she does in this show, I guess?

• So, this has a theme song? Like a season 30 sketch? Ok, thanks for giving us a flashback to THAT "beloved" era? I mean, whaaaaat? (all right, I’m gonna drop this whole tired ass “meta” bit here because I DID like this sketch a bit more than I am letting on)

• I’d say Bowen, Amy, Sarah and Mikey (as “on the nose” as he felt in this) came off as more passive aggressively confused than rude or offended but their performances worked for me. Ashley and Andrew as a couple provided a fresh new dynamic that they played off of well.

• I like how each beat came in at a specific point that felt like it was designed to keep the sketch from getting too stale. You can see this in the phone call bit with Amy, Sarah' s fall (as telegraphed as that felt with Dismukes final lines) and Mikey suddenly smashing his beer bottle over Andrews’ head. There was enough going on here in the end to keep this from feeling like someone just played one of Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayers “dictators two best friends from growing up” bits on super slow speed.

• One last thing I will add. I heard in dress rehearsal of this sketch Sarah fell so hard her prosthetics ripped open and fell off and God dammit I've never wanted to see dress footage posted online so bad in my life. B+

Non-Non Alcoholic Beer

• Hey, nice to see a Dismukes led pretape after barely being able to remember that such a solid player is still in the cast!

• I loved the very detailed, writerly nature of this sketch. I especially liked Kam telling Andrew his breath smells like gasoline, the jokes about the hyphen/skeleton key/double negative marketing and the breathalyzer chase. A-

Miss Lycus The Fast Psychic

• Hmm, a real early 2000s topic with a very 2010s/20s premise specific approach. I like it 

• This is definitely a sketch that’s appropriate to put up top after the monologue due to its sheer rapid fire pacing and energy. This sketch even applied gastrointestinal humor well with the colonoscopy gags.

• I liked Amys’ comments to Jeremy, Ashley, Ben and Veronica. JAJ had some great asides. The speed round with the appearances from Bowen and Marcello were the perfect beat to end this on from both a pacing and writing perspective. C+

The Hunting Wives Season Two

• Well, my favorite thing about this sketch by far is how they glammed up Sarah the most they’ve ever done since she’s joined the show. I mean, damn…

• The Aubrey Plaza cameo was a nice touch (for something else we were all half expecting to see in the back of our collective minds after her hosting stint from a couple of years back was one of the few things that brought Amy back to the show after a long absence from just…acting in general).

• Other than that, it’s not a great sign that the fake Steve Higgins voiced fake reviews were the sharpest jokes in this. This sketch was…well, visually dazzling (which is as much as I CAN say about it) but there wasn’t enough here to distract the viewer from the basic joke was “hey, look how horny this fake ass country Netflix show is that you probably actually haven’t heard of until now”. C-

Work Birth

• Uh oh, after the last time Molly Shannon hosted I get a bad feeling whenever I see a sketch where a former female alumni is very visibly pregnant. Thankfully, this just focuses on the actual pregnancy and not gas…or anything else apparently.

• I gave this a chance based on the idea that this might be something Amy could draw from some of her own experience on from her “leaving SNL and heading into doing Parks and Rec full time” era but…this just didn’t go anywhere.

• Since there were no real twists, I’ll just say a few more things. I’m glad they finally gave Ben Marshall the chance to play a “character” character that wasn’t just a background straight man that any cast member could’ve played. Mikey and Kenan didn’t add much for me (when you don’t think about how weird it feels that this is Kenans’ first appearance in the whole show since he and Jost are the only onscreen regulars that were there when she was in the cast).

• Thankfully, this was also one of the few sketches that knew where it needed to end before it officially went on too long. Kenans’ walk on was a good place to wrap it up and Bowen being birthed Will Ferrell/Ted Brogan style was as good an ending as any. C+

Weekend Update w/Jost & Che

• Gee, Che doesn’t LOOK that sick. Stage health?

• The only things I laughed at were Ches’ “MTG/Trump coin” joke and Josts’ RFK/Kristi Noem/Saw/German day gags. (boy, that Gen-z/trad sons joke hits close to ho….ah, nope…not going there right now)

• You know, as much as I like Sarah Sherman…I wish they would have her do more than just an inverse of Heidis’ “mom who’s only read about NYC from Facebook comments” but from the perspective of an actual New Yorker that took until it got very horny five minutes in to actually go anywhere.

• Dear GOD, I hope that clip of Jost strutting in the background of that old clip of Trump and Epstein at that party was made with a green screen and some good old fashioned video editing software and NOT Sora 2.

• Normally, I liked Grant and Alyssa and the energy Marcello usually brings to the show at this point but…for some reason I felt it necessary to tune halfway out to take some notes here (which is a better sign for this episode because last week I started doing this straight from the cold open).

• Weirdly, Jane had the better lines in this with her Sylvia Plath, “please calm down” and “jack o his lantern” jokes. Good to see her get this after being shut out last week.

• Ok, Amy has come out at the Update desk followed closely by Tina so we’re getting to the part most people really want to see (even if they don’t quite know why). Finally, we get a Joke Swap (which I liked probably a bit more than I should’ve) and suddenly the show feels like it’s somewhat back on track again. 

• Hey, A Seth cameo! Wasn’t expecting that…given how infrequently Seth has cameoed on the show since leaving. The lack of Jimmy Fallon here makes this feel a bit…unbalanced but at this point, I think we’ve all seen more than enough of Jimmy Fallon for one lifetime. 

• Anyway, I liked most of the jokes here enough that I don’t want to single out any ones in particular and the sheer energy from the previous eras’ Update anchors really carried this. C+

Experienced Lawyers

• Hey, we haven’t seen a JAJ/Dismukes pairing in a while. Let’s hope this is worthwhile.

• Ok, Amy as a jacked old man with disturbingly realistic arm hair (and painted nails for some reason) crashing through a break away wall is a strange enough burst of high energy to keep me intrigued. 

• I liked how they’re both giving Veronica a shot to play a “character” character instead of just a straight role and also excluding her from playing another old woman. Dracu-Law was delightfully dumb and felt more in Sarah' s wheelhouse.

• I wasn’t crazy with this winding down with the visual of Bowens’ face superimposed over a tree after we meet several clones of the JAJmukes characters and some turtles (I did like how you could clearly see the in studio monitor reflected in the turtle cage at one point) but Kenans’ line as Zeus and the closing jingle made up for that (and made up for his weird absence from this episode, too).

• The only real flaw is how all the lawyer introductions just wash out the client testimonials but I don’t want to split hairs here. B+

Perimenopause

• Amy is a goth/scene/punk/emo mom whose kids have to confront HER about her attitude and behavior. Wow, THERE’S a switch! 

• Again, this was another concept that only Amy Poehler could put over for me. Still, I liked the visual of Kam, Jane and Ben as goth kids. Chloe, JAJ and Jeremy played well off Amy, too (especially the “superintendent” line and his stumbling through the mosh pit to unplug the boombox).

• I also liked Amys’ “F my life” speech and the heavily infected tattoo reveal at the end (as well as how Amy and JAJ reacted to the camera panning away from them as the sketch ended). B-

Composers Symposium

• So…this sketch explores the rather common theme of “hey, why aren’t there any more early 90s Fresh Prince style expository rap theme songs to TV shows that explain the entire premise to you anymore?” and then spent the whole sketch insisting upon itself so hard it made you question why Mikey Day wasn’t in this?

• Ok, I will admit that Amy Poehler is literally the only comedic performer that would put this over for me (yet another sketch that carries this theme). Other than that, it does have very small but noticeable traces of tropes that remind loyal SNL viewers of what they haven’t liked about Bowen centric sketches since 2022 (or just sketches where people react to questionable songs since 2018).

• Bowen threatening to whip Jane's character with a belt felt very “Garrett From Hinge” to me. Kenans’ character didn’t add much either. C-

Ranking The 51st Season From Best To Worst

1. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.1975)

2. Bad Bunny/Doja Cat (10.04.2025)

Ranking Each Amy Poehler Hosted Episode From Best To Worst

1. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (12.19.2015)

2. Amy Poehler/Role Model (10.11.2025)

3. Amy Poehler/Katy Perry (09.25.2010)

Overall Thoughts 

• Well, it’s certainly nice to have had a seasoned comedy professional that got her big break on this very show to help right the course of this season. Granted, last week set an incredibly low bar to clear, but a lot of the pacing problems were non-existent.

• There wasn’t a lot to distract from the current shows’ ongoing problems but Amy’s performances and sheer commitment here reminded us of why she was considered to be such a beloved cast member during such a troubled era of the show. I’m sure the current cast benefitted a lot from her presence this week.

• Sure, we got to see a lot more of Kam, Jane, Ben, Tommy, Jeremy and Veronica than we did last week but it will still be quite a while before we get a real bead on this season's newbies to be able to figure out who they are and what they bring to the show. Still, it’s nice that Amy could give them a voice this week. 

• Nice to see lots of Sarah and JAJ this week (although when he’s not playing 47 he seems to be getting stuck with a lot of dorky dad type roles when he should be getting to play more original characters) and I even liked how they figured out the strongest ways to use Bowen, Marcello and even Chloe this week.

Closing Thoughts 

• Next week, Sabrina Carpenter makes her hosting debut. Her appearances at SNL50 make me think she is going to handle the show well. Still, this season hasn’t really gotten far enough off the ground yet for me to make any kind of call as to how her episode will go. Let’s just hope she brings some youthful, bubbly l pop star energy to keep morale up.

• Hey, one thing I know about Sabrina Carpenter is that she once did voices on an animated Disney show called “Milo Murphy’s Law” opposite one Mr. “Weird Al” Yankovic. Now, this show is probably too obscure for SNL even reference let alone parody in a live sketch but on the extremely off chance that it isn’t, one thing I would personally like to see is some kind of variation on this sketch with either a possible cameo from Al or maybe just JAJ playing him or something, I don’t know.

• Hey, be sure to listen to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader podcast where me and Deej react to all three Greg The Alien sketches. It’s a short one, but it’s a lot of fun. After that, our next episode will be a full length review of the Zach Braff/Maroon 5 season 32 finale (which you will also be able to read on this blog in two weeks). See ya next time!