Less than six months beforeSaturday Night Livedebuted, Saigon fell.
The shows first episode was only a year and change removed from Nixons resignation.
But of course it’s the 50th.Jean Smartwill be there.
Jean Smart delivers her ‘Saturday Night Live’ opening monologue.Saturday Night Life/YouTube
The 2024 election is weeks away.
With more attention than usual, will they establish the right tone for this season?
Nothing beats whenSNLis firing on all cylinders.
I think it being the 50th season, all bets are off.Steve MartinandTina FeyI hope both host.
It’s just going to be cool to see the cavalcade of stars in the 50th.
He recently told me he’s “very excited for the 50th season!
Some of my favorite hosts I worked with are in the first few.Ariana,Keaton.Mulaneyis the best.”
In the first year, 1975, I guest-starred with my comedy partner Mark Hampton on the third episode.
We performed Talent Night in the Convent.
I met all the original cast.
Then being a cast member in Season 6.
It’s miraculous thatLorne Michaelshas kept this revolutionary idea going for all these decades!"
“I’m quite curious aboutSNL 50and hope I’m invited to the anniversary.
More on that later.
Jelly Roll is also here tonight, Conehead nation!
Hisrecent music videowith Eminem was great.SNL in Reviewis a-go!
Cold Open
We haveAndrew Dismukesas ABC news anchor David Muir(!
), his striking good looks are not the only story here.
He cuts to both campaigns' rallies.Maya Rudolph is back as Kamala Harris, shes in Wisconspenslageorgia.
Her campaign is likeSabrina Carpenters “Espresso”…vague but the vibes slap.
It’s a party atmosphere, for sure they are playing TLC.
Harris announces her VP candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
He is played byJim Gaffigan… huh.
I note the crowd does not greet him like the standard celebrity guest.
He has BDE (big dad energy) and is wearing a Kirkland brand suit, which tracks.
I get the casting here, but it leaves me cold.
Andy Sambergis received a little bit better as Harris' husband Doug Emhoff.
Also “known as Charlie Brown if he were a grownup.”
Samberg obviously was always known for hisLonely Island short filmsbut it is fun having his energy back.
We also visitJames Austin Johnson’s spot-on Trump and his increasingly despairing act at his rally.
More stunt casting!Dana Carveyis back, this time as Joe Biden.
Carveys Biden leans into the ageism stuff.
Its fine, a bit subpar, honestly.
It makes sense for SNL 50, but in a vacuum?
He begins to sniff her which is an inexplicable Bidenism to invoke, and it falls flat.
I guess it’ll get clicks but woof.
(Someone should count what percentage of this cold open featured an actual cast member.)
Monologue
Smart is fresh off her third Emmy win forHacks.
She really is a perfect choice to host the premiere episode of the anniversary season.
She breaks into a nice song that’s an ode to New York.
Very classy and well done.SNLpaying homage to its home city is usually a nice move.
She honors the city’s diversity and notes her devote lesbian fan base, many of whom reside nearby.
Top of the charts fun.
I did an episode called ‘The Wilderness Experience’ in Season 3 (now on Hulu).
The writing was hilarious, and they were all so funny.
(I was too.)
The shoot went very late into the a.m. and I remember we were all sitting around sharing memories.
Jean andDelta [Burke] told stories that had me crying laughing.
It was all so cozy and warm I felt like I was at a pajama party.
Dillon calls herself a major fan ofHacks.
As an Emmy voter, I wantedHacksto win Best Comedy.
Happilyit did.Jean is wildly funny as Deborah Vance.
She also brings her deep acting chops to the role.
Shes alternately hilarious and heart-breaking, tender and manipulative, loving then chillingly cold.
There’s never a dull moment, nor a false one.
I only wish I could have seen her onstage in New York long ago inLast Summer at Bluefish Cove.
I have friends who still talk about it.
She can’t win enough awards as far as Im concerned.
“$100,000 Pyramid”
Devon WalkerisMichael StrahanhostingThe $100,00 Pyramind,Steve Harveywas busy.
Fun to see Walker in this role.
Lots of obvious jokes about his embarrassing campaign scandals.
Still, better than the cold open.
Hawk Tuah girl, whose real name is Hailey Welsh, is played by Megalopis Chloe Fineman.
Her partner isChimp Crazycenterpiece Tonia Haddix (Smart).
Smart’s bit was fun, particularly because they used a puppet monkey.
No need for a real life chimp a laMadge.
“Spirit Halloween” commercial
Main street is hurting, but help is on the way.
Others leave, but Spirit Halloween shows up.
They take up space in low-income communities for six weeks then bounce!
(And avoid lawsuits with costumes juuuuust this side of copyright infringement.
Thats the setup here: Her style of romance literature has infiltrated this AP algebra book.
A couple missed moments here: Smart holding up his book cover, andAshley Padillahas an awkward on-air introduction.
Berkman gets increasingly frustrated with the critiques of her book.
Kenan Thompson’s obsession with a character named Clarissa is kind of funny.
This is the second single from his upcoming studio album,Beautifully Broken.
It was produced by Zach Crowell and debuted at the Grand Ole Opry a few months back.
Weekend Update
Devon Walker gets the call to play New York mayor Eric Adams.
His smile is optimistic!
He claims to have made NYC a “Swagopolis.”
“Free Diddy!”
Bowen Yang plays her as a kind of hippoChappell Roan.
This is the best bit of the episode so far, easily.
Marcello Hernandez makes a decent Ricky Ricardo, but this is late episode padding.
(Chloe Finemanand James Austin Johnson also do commendable work as Ethel and Fred.)
“Talk Talk”
Charli XCX(Yang) is live from the boiler room.
Lots of Bowen this episode!
She answers whether something is brat or nat.
Baron Trump going to NYU.Amy Adams inNightbitch.
Sarah ShermanisTroye Sivan, Charlis tour partner and show DJ.
Pretty topical and funny.
Andrew Dismukes is the waiter, carrying in hot fajitas.
We watch him struggling.
Ashley Padilla conducts herself a bit better here.
Where are the other two new cast members?
Did I miss them?
Final Thoughts
A historic season is officially underway?
How did you feel?
Don’t boo -vote!
Wow, the new opening credits look fantastic!
Sarah Sherman driving the bus!
Ego looking like a star.
Alex Moffat is great inBad MonkeyFYI.
Go check out Taran Killam inThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beein D.C. soon, folks.
October 11 - 20!
Thank you, as always, to Denny Dillon!
Many of you may have noted her featured prominently, if briefly, in SNL’spromo for tonight’s episode.
She didn’t tell me what it was.
When I watched and saw myself in it, I was stunned.
I was literally speechless.
I stood there in silence in my living room.
It was like a bolt of light.
I felt elated and grateful.
I’m so proud to be part ofSNLhistory.”
Agreed, sometimes non-Lorne cast members get overlooked in show lore, in my humble opinion.
Want more from Denny?
I will divulge the title and publication date in the near future!"
RIP Tom McCarthy, the late senior vice president & global chief security officer for NBC.
OK, I will admit it.
