Ariana Grande (3.12.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode somehow felt like a breath of fresh air despite delivering a lot of recurring premises and derivative writing. This might have been because Ariana Grande delivered some charming performances as host (like many pop stars have in the past) and the cast really delivered in their performances as well. It was a very fun and enjoyable show, but still a ways away from the absolute best of the season.

CNN Election Coverage – This cold open was fun and Larry clearly ran away with it. It was nice to see Jays' Ben Carson again and I did like the bit about Trumps' racist supporters. Still, Larry's lines about youth support were the only thing that stood out to me. B+

Monologue – This was all over the place. Having Ariana sing about finally getting caught in her own "adult scandal" was a decent concept but it felt pretty derivative (Mileys' 2011 monologue immediately comes to mind) and while Ariana isn't a terrible singer and this was executed just fine, something still felt missing. I did like Petes' appearance and Kenans' "Where's Kel?" line, though. It's unlikely Ariana will be invited back after her flub, but TV has been a little more lenient on "shit" lately (well, cable at least) and Gaga got to come back two more times so really, who's to say? C-

Feel The Bern For Hillary - This ad was based on a rather tired observation but this was well executed and I liked the way that Kates' transition from Hillary to Bernie was handled. B-

Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Orange Carpet  - This took a little while to prove itself as more than a cheap hodgepodge of references to things teens like but even when it got there something still felt lacking. Bobby role was really the only thing here worth any laughs and the rest of it fell pretty flat. Toward the end it really just turned into a really, really, really lame version of "Wake Up And Smile". This was nowhere near as funny or entertaining as the Kids Choice Awards sketch from Sarah Michelle Gellars' 98-99 show. C-

This Is Not A Feminist Song - This music video was really the first well written piece of the night. It was definitely written in the same vein as "The Dudleys" from Woodys' show last season and is a great companion piece to any "think piece on any pop song released in the past six years. B+

True Tales Of The Sea - This kind of telegraphed each joke but it was still a great Kate piece. The "kiss" with her and Beck was great. Props to the makeup department because I actually thought Kate was Kyle until she got her first line out. B-

If Larry is anything like me he probably flubbed that intro because he was wondering what the hell he was doing in the same building as Ariana Grande.

Update had a lot of strong jokes, but the commentaries left something to be desired. The jokes that stood out the most were the Trump/Carson jabs and the Womens' History Month joke from Che (which he had visible reservations about but he handled like a pro and I'm sure I'm not the only one who got serious Norm flashbacks there). Cecily Bachelor commentary was cute but it seems like either Cecily or Colin just wrote it for themselves and no one else. Since I don't watch The Bachelor, the humor was lost on me. Riblet seems like it was beaten to death but I did like the graphics and this was worth it just to see how well the remote segment was pulled off. B-

Tidal - This sketch just seemed like a blatant rewritten and underperformed version of the Bruno Mars Pandora sketch, but Ariana did all her impressions well and the supporting cast had good lines. C+

Family Feud V – This is another thing that seems done to death but this was also done surprisingly well and the whole cast did great impressions (save for Kyle whose Woody Allen was a little disappointing). Tarans' Tarantino and Bobbys' Kevin Smith were very funny. Kudos to Jon Rudnitsky for finding the one impression (Scorcese) which he could do reasonably well. Ariana Jennifer Lawrence really stood out to me since it seemed to be her only dead on impression that wasn't a singer she hadn't previously done on Fallon. B-

Sound Of Music - This sketch was something that was far more entertaining than it has any right to be. This was a good showcase for Ariana as an actress in a role that, ironically didn't seem to be much of a stretch for her. It worked well as a piece that played off of the diva/bitchiness rumors surrounding her. Sure, this dragged a bit and the Sound Of Music is a tired parody target but this was a good piece to end the show on. C+

Now, for my updated rankings of the season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Ariana Grande

7. Jonah Hill/Future

8. Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West

9. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

10. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

11. Donald Trump/Sia

12. Miley Cyrus

13. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

14. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

15. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Next month, Peter Dinklage comes to host SNL making Ariana and Jonah look much less like baffling choices for host. I know a lot of people have wanted to see Peter or any of his Game Of Thrones castmates host and I’m sure he’ll be a fine performer in sketches, but I still wonder how they are logistically going to pull off this show with him in a host role. I’m sure they’ll find a way as the writers and staff have really been at the top of their game this season. See you then!

Jonah Hill/Future (3.5.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This show delivered better than I expected considering I had lowered my expectations a bit. Jonah Hill hasn’t changed at all in regards to hosting abilities but luckily, neither has this seasons writing. Jonah had much lamer writing (and an actual reason to host) the last two times he had hosted so luckily everyone working with and around Jonah made him look much better than he really was. Aside from Jon or Sasheer, the cast was pretty balanced, too. Now, let’s get to it.

CNN Election Center – This was pretty strong. They really did well with the goldmine of election material they had been given over the past two weeks and pretty effectively covered everything in a short amount of time. Jason fucking Sudekis clearly walked away with this. Good to see him back in only his second cameo in his three years since leaving (not counting SNL40, unheard of in this day and age). Darrell had some great lines and Bobby came in a close third here. Kate, Beck and Taran were good but they kinda got buried here. B+

Monologue - This fell apart fairly quickly. It was pretty reminiscent of Goodmans' 99-00 monologue and I liked his back and forth with Kyle but the performance with Future seemed a little too self-indulgent for my liking. Thankfully, it wasn't the whole song. C-

Racists For Trump – This ad was pretty much all in the execution. Kind of a tired Trump joke by this point but the build up was great. B+

Fond Du Lac Action News - This Wisconsin local newscast was also inconsistent. This seemed like it was trying hard to be a more Midwestern "Californians" or a less funny version of Kroll Showsv "Pawnsylvania". If nothing else, this just goes to prove that none of the cast can hold a candle to Cecilys' voice talents (love her or hate her). Still, I did like how she and Jonah as the two anchors pretty much small talked over the other reports. I especially liked Beck talking about his "troubled son" and Taran mistaking a 2 for a 69 in his Lotto drawing. C+

The Champ - This short was another thing that was all about the buildup but this time the payoff was less satisfying and more drawn out. It reminded me more of the type of short that Mike O'Brien would do over the past two years. Kenan was the best thing about it. Otherwise, it was good but not great. C-

High School Auction – This sketch was surprisingly funny. Jonah looked like he was struggling a bit with the Arabic accent but he and Taran really sold the hell out of their characters. Pete was pretty funny here too. Overall, it was a pretty good take on viral culture. B+

Update was pretty much in line with the quality of this episode. I did like most of the jokes especially the OJ/Carson/Republican debate rants, Jose jab at Ches' PornHub searches and the "Cimpanzees/but why tho?" Joke from Che. It was nice to see Cecilys' girl from the party again but this felt like more of the same. I only really liked the "labia everything" line. Having Kate portray Floss Bassey (sp???) must'be seemed like a better idea on paper than in execution but this kinda dragged. It felt a little flat and predictable. Jays' bit seemed like a cheap excuse for him to roll out his impressions but he did nail all of them and I did like the Chappelle/Hannibal ones the most as I haven't seen him do those ones before. B+

Murder Mystery – This sketch is the biggest dud of the night to me. This had to be written by whoever wrote the couples game show sketch from his 2014 episode (which I'm guessing was Che/Robinson given his affinity for writing sketches just like this throughout 2013-14). D+

Inside SoCal III - I'm actually shocked that Beck and Kyle could get this on three times in two years so far buy although I liked the back and forth between Jonah and Cecily, I didn't like this as a whole as much as I liked the first one or any of the pre-SNL versions of this Beck and Kyle did. C-

Silver Star Catering - This sketch seemed like something that was initially written by Anderlette by Fred Armisen (or really any other performer BUT Jonah) that kept getting cut. Still, as unsuited for this role as Jonah was and as one note as this whole sketch was, Jonah still made me laugh the more over the top he became. C+

Now, for my updated rankings for this season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Jonah Hill/Future

7. Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West

8. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

9. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

10. Donald Trump/Sia

11. Miley Cyrus

12. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

13. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

14. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was reasonably fun. Next week, Ariana Grande makes her hosting debut. I can’t tell whether this or Jonah is a stranger hosting choice. While Ariana at least has a new album to promote, Jonah is more known as an actor than she is but people do seem to forget that she has some acting experience going into this show thanks to Nickelodeon and “Scream Queens”. Still, pop stars have usually turned out to be fun and capable hosts in the past no matter what material they’re actually given and the writing this season has been good at a fairly consistent level so as long as it doesn’t start to really decline next week, she should be fine and this should turn out to be a decent show. See you then.

Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West (2.13.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode was mostly a pleasant surprised considering how low my expectations were considering who was hosting. I think the strong writing streak this season has been on has helped. The show in its current state seemed to know how to better play to Melissa McCarthys’ strengths as a performer rather than expose her weaknesses. She didn’t seem to be willing to or allowed to go as broad or as hammy as she was previously. Again, the writing wasn’t terrible (and it hasn’t been for most of the season) but her performances this week didn’t seem to be an effort to hide it if it was. Other than that, this show was pretty unremarkable but not in a bad way. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Hilary Can’t Make You Love Her - That cold open seriously lacked structure and seemed like it was going on forever. The only real laughs I got was Darrells' requisite Bubba cameo. Becks' Jeb was just okay. Kudos to Kate for performing the hell out of this. This reminded me too much of the cold open from the Louis CK finale last year. It seemed like something that would be better on paper than in execution. It seems more suited for some comic live tweeting a debate than a fully fleshed out sketch. C+

Monologue - This got off to a rather slow start but Kenan came right in and saved it. He was the only laugh I got out of this. C+

The Day Beyonce Turned Black - This was the best taped piece of the night so far. It was well written topical satire and Beck/Bobby, Leslie and Jay got a lot of laughs. B+

Cul-De-Sac Test Screening - This sketch seemed like a thinly veiled rewrite of the Hidden Valley Ranch sketch from Melissa first outing but she performed it well and I have to say this might be my favorite thing Melissa has ever done on SNL. I especially liked her ripping Petes shirt off and Leslies' reaction to her pushing herself. C+

Family Movie Night - This sketch was the best live sketch of the night. All of Pete and Bobbys' lines cracked me up. It reminded me of Petes' stand up quite a bit. A-

Update was really fun tonight. The only thing I didn't really like was Josts' bit on Ted Cruz but all the debates/Beyonce outrage stuff was great. Vanessa still does a great Jennifer Aniston but this Update bit seemed to go nowhere. I did like all the establishing shots and Ches' "no black people on Friends" joke. As a Colorado native, it was fun seeing Von Miller cameo even though he kinda stumbled over his lines and the bit felt too short and repetitive. It feels a little soon to bring Leslie back to the update desk but I did like this better than her Leo/Revenant commentary especially the "dirty talk” line. B-

Pickup Artist - I liked this sketch and Melissa brutally putting down Kyle and Kenan while Leslie struggled not to break was hilarious but I still feel like something about the sketch was a misfire. The premise of a female pickup artist seemed like it was going to be a premise all its own. I'm not sure why they needed to add on the extra layer of Melissa being awkward but hey, it worked. B-

Kyle vs Kanye – This short film was also quite good (I might have spoken too soon about the best filmed piece of the night). I did like Kyle describing SNL as being the main hardship he has had to face during his "rap career." His back and forth with Beck was good and Kanye was a good sport to be in this. Still, his appearance in this piece, while not bad, still bugged the hell out of me. While "I Miss The Old Kanye" wasn't bad and fit the in perfectly with the bit, I still have a hard time separating the asshole artist from his asshole art. B-

Bus - This sketch was pretty one note but god bless Leslie, Taran, Beck and Melissa for trying. I did like the Speed twist ending though. C-

Whiskers R We IV – This was something I didn't expect them to recur but probably should've seeing as how she was a perfect foil to Kate here. I did like the Twitter box/Tabitha/condoms/Mrs. Doubtfire lines. C+

Now, my updated rankings for this season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Melissa McCarthy/Kanye West

7. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

8. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

9. Donald Trump/Sia

10. Miley Cyrus

11. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

12. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

13. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was that. Next month, Jonah Hill returns to host for his fourth time. He is truly an odd choice as he seems to not have anything to promote and doesn’t leave much of an impression as a host. Actually, it’s a little more strange that he is hosting for his fourth time rather than hosting in March 2016. Oh well. I would expect that show to be on the exact same level of quality as this one. See you then.

Larry David/The 1975 (2.6.2016)

Okay, here’s me review. This is, hands down, the strongest show of the season. Larry David pretty much delivered exactly what we expected from him as host and the writers knew exactly how to play to his strengths. He was the second host who bought the best out of the cast and inspired everyone to put on the best show they could. Anyway, lets’ get to it.

A Message From Ted Cruz - Tarans' Ted Cruz had improved a bit but Kates' appearance as his daughter and the Far Side jab were the two real highlights. I did like the angle of Cruz admitting to his many, MANY faults. He also seemed to be channeling Bill Haders’ Shepard Smith there toward the end. Otherwise, it was a little too reminiscent of those Sudekis/Romney cold opens from early 2012. C-

Monologue – This was of the best in a long time. They were smart to let Larry just walk out on stage and be himself. I especially liked the "poor schmuck/rich pick" and dating/great show/broken masturbation record routines. A-

FBI Simulator - This quickly proved itself to be more than a Merryville Toole retread. The cast members who played the decoys all had the right physicality for it and Larry and his radical '80s personal clearly walked away with this. Kenan had great baffled reactions to him as well. This was definitely the best live piece of the night. A-

Bern Your Enthusiasm - This was definitely the best taped piece of this season so far and a brilliant way to give the audience everything they wanted with Larry hosting. I would put this right up there with "Lincoln from Louis CKs' show. The cast all did great impersonations (especially Cecily and Jay although I can't say I've watched enough "Curb" to recognize who Taran was playing) and they did a great job capturing the look and feel of the real show. A+

Steam Ship – This sketch was a simple premise that reminded me of something they would've done in the late '90s but Larry made it funny and this was a pretty creative way to sneak in the real Bernie and have him poke fun at himself. B+

Totinos/X-Files Promo - I'm really glad this year's Totinos' ad parody took a much darker more surreal turn and wasn't a carbon copy of last year's version. B-

Update was a little uneven but still really solid. I enjoyed Colins' sheer delight in the awkward GOP debate open. There was a string of great jokes after the first commentary and this was the best interaction we've seen between them so far. Speaking of the commentaries, Kates was odd. The only thing I really liked was her goofy Philly/Pittsburgh accent. I mean glad they finally gave Jon an update spot all too himself (finally) and while his bit didn't totally work and the SNL audience still doesn't get a sense of who Jon really is, I do appreciate the risks they took in putting something this different on the air. The Zoolander cameo was quite unexpected but Stiller and Wilson turned out to be funnier than they had any right to be. I did like the OJ/Hillary and Kims/Bernie/Trump jabs. B-

Songwriting Class - This sketch was definitely the weakest thing of the night so far. This must've been an Anderlette joint. Larry was OK in it but overall it seemed like a waste of his talents. C-

Ebony and Ivory - This Super Bowl number was pretty fun. The new lyrics were great and Taran did a fine job as Peyton (although I would've liked to have seen how Beck would've handled that impression but his and Bobby cop walk on at the end was a nice touch). C+

Sheila Sovage V- This was a strange sketch to bring back but Larry fit into it perfectly and they clearly went a while without doing it and the show has been pretty light on recurring material up to this point. I did also like Kenans’ use of crime tape and face blinds. B-

Now, for my updated rankings for this season…

1. Larry David/The 1975

2. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

3. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

4. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

5. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

6. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

7. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

8. Donald Trump/Sia

9. Miley Cyrus

10. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

11. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

12. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was a helluva lot of fun. Next week, Melissa McCarthy returns for her fourth time with Kanye West as musical guest. Well, I don’t know what else I can say about this booking other than is just SCREAMS “sweeps month” to me. See you then!

Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez (1.23.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. This was one of the weaker shows of the season. It relied too much on recurring material and a rather shaky host and musical guest but still, for all its faults it maintained a certain amount of this seasons quality. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Palin Endorsement Speech – Well, they had to do it. Even though Darrell has played Donald Trump on SNLs’ last three live episodes in a row and Tina has played Palin twice in a span of just less than five weeks, they couldn’t get away with NOT doing this. As forced as most of this seemed, it was a fun cold open and while giving asides to the camera felt a little jarring and unnatural, I can see how it was one of the easier ways to insert commentary on Palins’ speech itself. I mean, it must’ve been hard enough to make this speech MORE ridiculous than it was in real life but Tina did well enough with it. Darrell had great lines about Scrooge toward the end. B-

Monologue – Ronda was a little stiff and seemed to rush through a lot of this like she was out of her element, but she handled a rather meta, premise driven monologue capably. It was very gracious of her to congratulate Holly Holm on beating her. Kenan played a decent corner man. Beck and Taran were great as color men. Kyles disappointed audience member was funny. Kate as Justin Bieber also seemed a little forced. They picked the exact right spot to use Selena and for once a singing monologue did not feel gratuitous or unnecessary. B+

Screen Guild Awards – This was probably the strongest piece of the night and had some of the sharpest writing behind it. The black cast gave great shade and side eye and Che displayed some surprisingly great dramatic acting chops in his taped segments. I did like how each of the “white guy roles” in the Oscar analogue clips became increasingly small as the premises became more and more blatantly black centric. A-

Love Struck – This was probably the best use of Rouseys talents all night. I liked the dark turns this took. Good on Vanessa for writing this and being so committed to it. She seemed to be channeling Cecily at certain points. Beck getting throat punched was also a nice touch. B-

Bland Man – I can’t believe they carbon copied “Farm Hunk” from Blake Sheltons’ underwhelming outing a year ago. Hell, I’m shocked they threw together a Bachelor parody without even referencing how one of their current contestants looks just like Cecily. I’ll give this one points for replacing Blake with Taran, though. This was probably Rouseys’ second weake3st performance of the night. Selenas’ cameo was the only true highlight. D+

Good For You/Same Old Love/Hands To Myself – It is rare that I comment on the musical performances, but I have to say Selena (or her singing) didn’t bother me here as much as the mens’ snapping chorus and mattress choreography did.

Update was kind of uneven. They gave a good effort with the jokes even if the audience wasn’t that into them. Che got in a good jab at Lorne and great slams at Trump and the Oscars but I’m shocked no one jumped on his ass for using the term “window licking waterheads”. It was nice to see Leslie behind the desk again, but this Leo Dicaprio commentary wasn’t her best work. Glad Jost seemed to find it much funnier than I did. Willie just bought the whole thing down…again. C+

Three’s A Crime: The Janet-Johnson Luna and Kara Torkelson Civil Trial – I can’t believe they recurred THIS either (even as an excuse to tack on Ronda Rousey into another live sketch) but as expected Pete easily walked away with this. I, of course, liked the text/traffic cam/GIF/Vine evidence as well as Petes’ laundry list of peer nicknames. D+

Super Crew – This felt like a big swing and a miss. I’m shocked anyone even thought this worked on paper. Kudos to the cast for at least performing the hell out of this, though. D+

At The Club – This oddly felt like something any sketch comedy outlet BUT SNL should’ve been doing. Beck stole this (which isn’t saying much) and Taran demonstrated some decent rap skills but overall, it felt like a rehash of the Jack Sparrow music vid with Taran and Jay as the Lonely Island and Beck in the Michael Bolton role. D-

City Council II – This worked much better during Amy Schumers’ show. It was another sketch I’m surprised they thought would work again. I did like Leslies’ walk off, Kates’ general insanity and Petes’appearance. I appreciated Kyles’ effort. This was definitely Rouseys worst performance of the night. C-

Football Party – This was worth seeing just for Kyle and Becks silliness. Otherwise, it was pretty forgettable. C+

Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

7. Donald Trump/Sia

8. Miley Cyrus

9. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

10. Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez

11. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that went about exactly as most expected it too. Next month, Larry David comes back for his first hosting stint in what has to be the most exciting announcement of a host booking since Louis CK or Zach Galifinakis. See you then!

Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton (1.16.2016)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode was pretty middle of the road for this season, it was unusually strong for a January episode. Adam Driver really surprised me and turned out to be a genuinely capable and funny host. He gave the show his all and never once came off like he was trying too hard. I would not mind seeing him return at all. The cast felt evenly balanced tonight with the exception of Sasheer. Anyway, here it is.

GOP Debate - Although it feels a little like overkill since they just did a GOP debate cold open in the last live episode and this one wasn't as good, but this one had its moments. Taran and Jay pretty much walked away with this sketch as Cruz and Carson. Bobby as Christie moving his podium away from Jay as Carson and being swept off the stage by Kenan as the Apollo Sandman was funny. Pete as Rubio had a great line about being the only candidate with a chin and I chuckled at Kates’ brief cameo as Lindsey Graham. Glad to see they're still using Darell as Trump even though he and Beck as Jeb didn't add too much. Cecily was just fine as a moderator but I wish Kyle was used more in that role. C-

Monologue - This seemed pretty phoned in but I did like Adam poking fun at his own military photo and Leslie confusing him for Minnie Driver. Bobbys' Star Wars geekdom was a nice touch. D+

NFL Playoff Game - This seemed to not go anywhere. It seemed like just a rewrite of that football injury sketch that got cut from Seth MacFarlanes' dress rehearsal in 2012. It reminded me a lot of Eddie Murphy Buckwheat assassination sketch from 1983 what with the same clip being shown repeatedly. Kenan had a strong performance. Adam, Cecily and Beck tried their dander to save this but could only do so much with this material. Also, Pete should've had a bigger part being the focal point of this sketch. C-

Undercover Boss - This sketch was executed perfectly. Glad they didn't go too far down the beaten path with the obligatory Star Wars sketch. Adam played off of Taran, Bobby and Leslie (who each had countless great lines, BTW) and turned in a better performance as Kyle Ren than he did in The Force Awakens, IMO. B-

Aladdin - This sketch had to be the lamest thing in the show at first. It seemed like a cheap rewrite of that Aladdin divorce sketch with Sudekis from Rosario Dawsons' 2009 episode. Still, Cecily, Beck and Leslie were the best parts of this sketch. C-

America’s Funniest Cats - This sketch was much funnier than it had any right to be. Cecil and Kate turned in their best performances on the show in quite some time and I liked them making existential grim comments on cat videos. Plus, Adam turned out to be a pretty funny host and wasn't too obnoxious in his role. B-

Update came back strong. Jost and Che had several great jokes and showed they still have chemistry. I did like the Staten Island Summer shoutout and Josts’ Bloomberg/Trump rant and Ches’ masturbation/snake jokes. Pete delivered a very funny commentary. It felt a little too soon to bring back Vanessa as Laura Parsons but thankfully she had much better material to work with. I especially liked her cocaine line. B+

Social Puppeteering - This sketch was funny for the sheer bizarreness of the writing. It reminded me a lot of the Japanese Messy Boy sketch from J.K. Simmons' episode last year. B+

Bowie Tribute - I have to say that was the most I've genuinely enjoyed a Fred Armisen cameo in a long time. While I feel he got a gratuitous amount of applause his Bowie tribute was touching. I am glad they showed even a small portion of his "Man Who Sold The World" performance.

Golden Globes - This short worked well. They did know exactly how to counteract the heart and emotional center of the Kyle and Kate scenes with the rampant debauchery of the Adam and Vanessa scenes. Leiv Schreiber cameo was worth a few chuckles although his part could'be been edited down some. B-

The Doctor Is In…My Butt 4 - I never thought the premise behind "Hot For Teacher 4" was something that could've (or should've) been made recurring but I did like this one much better due to Becks' cheesy acting. Also, it feels a little strange that this would be Aidys' first appearance in the entire show. C-

Now, for my update rankings of the entire season so far…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Adam Driver/Chris Stapleton

7. Donald Trump/Sia

8. Miley Cyrus

9. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

10. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, SNL certainly came back strong from Christmas break. Next week, Ronda Rousey makes her hosting debut. Rousey seems like she could be a fun host and someone I was expecting to see on the show, but it feels a little soon for her (aside from Entourage none of the movies shes’ reportedly involved in have even come out yet) and I haven’t seen any of her non UFC related appearances to gague her comedic talents. Still, I’m sure they could call on musical guest Selena Gomez to make a sketch cameo when needed. I’d be surprised if they DIDN’T do that, really. This is a show that could go either way, but I’m cautiously optimistic. See you then.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springstien & E Street Band (12.19.2015)

Okay, here’s my review. This episode was a lot of fun, inconsistencies and all, and was certainly the least disappointing Christmas episode in at least three years. Aside from most of the cameos we were predicting, this episode delivered exactly what it promised in a way consistent with the quality of the rest of this current season. Tina and Amy really carried the show as hosts and they both sweetly bought back many fond memories of what we liked about them as cast members and why they were so beloved during their time on the show. The cast is still uneven in terms of airtime but that’s okay as we pretty much expected Tina and Amy to dominate the show with their combined force. Having Springsteen perform Santas' Coming To Town was a great and fun way to close the show. Anyway, let’s get into it.

CNN GOP Debate - This cold open was great. Through sheer dumb luck, Jons' failed Anderson Cooper turned out to be a serviceable Wolf Blitzer. Good to see Darrells' Trump back in the spotlight as well as Becks' very animated Jeb Bush. Their back and forth was great. Tarans' Ted Cruz is still pretty underwhelming but he had some good lines about being the most hateable human being ever. Bobby and Jay hit it out of the park with their Carson and Christie. Pete as Marco Rubio was serviceable casting. His impression wasn’t quite there but he made up for it by delivering several funny lines. The only real dud here was Cecilys' Carly Fiorina when Kate could easily do better there. Kyle as Rand Paul was funny being briefly confused with an audience member. The only other thing that really disappointed me was casting Jost as Kasich with no lines rather than placing Chris Parnell in this role. B+

Monologue - This was just okay. It felt more like unused Golden Globe banter than a true SNL monologue. For once, a music number was enjoyable here as much as they ran it into the ground. C+

Ghost of Hillary Past And Present – This sketch was an instant classic and with Tinas' Palin shoehorned in was just the icing on the cake. The ladies played very well off each other and almost every line was pure gold. I also liked the dance party at the end. A+

Meet Your Second Wife – This game show was one of their more ambitious and dark game show sketches in recent memory. Only Tina and Amy could make this premise work as well as it did. Taran, Kenan, and Bobby did great reacting in horror at being confronted with children and Vanessa, Aidy and Leslie did a great job at reacting with a mix of disgust and bewilderment. Kudos to Bobby as well for playing off the huge technical error at the beginning like a pro. B-

Hoverboard - This ad was very funny. The sheer unfiltered cheesiness of Kyle and Pete reacting to minor catastrophes really made this for me. B+

Movie Set - I can't believe they bought back that acting coach sketch from Chris Hemsworths' first episode (and only one week after he inexplicably hosted again) but this was another instance where Amy and Tina are the only people who could make this watchable. C-

Update is still going strong. Even if this was a little inconsistent, I loved the slams at the GOP candidates as well as Maher and O'Reilly. Jays Kwanzaa mini rant was the funniest part of Update. While I appreciate Jost going after Martin Shkreli, his jokes fell a little flat there. Kates' mom character seemed to be another derivative go-nowhere bit, but her and Josh managed to somewhat salvage it with their breaking. It was very gracious of them to let Tina and Amy read the last two Update jokes of 2015. They both reminded of what SNL fans actually LIKED about them as Update anchors. B-

Chad And Mrs. Douglas Show DVD - This sketch worked well live even if Mayas' bit got it off to an obnoxious start and needed some serious editing but Amy, Tina and especially Kenan really saved it. Kenan Cosby really cracked me up here as did Taran and Vanessa odd interactions. C+

Dope Squad - This short was also quite fun. It was a dead on Bad Blood parody (albeit months too late but still FAR better than the original). Schumers' cameo was funny even if it was a bit too long and Aidy played quite well off them. C+

Bronx Beat IX - It's quite odd seeing this as the very last sketch of the night, but Tinas' Philly accent automatically made this the best Bronx Beat ever. I cracked up at her describing the absurd violence going on in her city. B-

Now, for my update rankings for the season…

1. Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato

2. Elizabeth Banks/Disclosure with Lorde & Sam Smith

3. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

4. Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges

5. Chris Hemsworth/Chance The Rapper

6. Donald Trump/Sia

7. Miley Cyrus

8. Matthew McConaughey/Adele

9. Amy Schumer/The Weeknd

Well, that was a fine way to end a year and bring this season to an intermission. Next month, Adam Driver of “Girls” and just recently “Star Wars” fame makes his hosting debut. Well, if they had to get someone hot off the Star Wars promotion train I’d rather see them get Daisy Ridley or John Boyega. Still, I can’t say I know what to expect from him comedically so he could go either way as a host at this point. Can’t wait to see who they will have booked as the first musical guest of 2015! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!