After a tumultuous ending to season 45, SNL returned to Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center on October 3rd with Chris Rock as the host and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion. To many, the return of traditional SNL shows the rebound of New York City, which was one of the hardest hit cities at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Let’s check out what the upcoming season has in store.
Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, and the hilarious Bowen Yang return as featured players, while SNL boasts new cast members Punkie Johson, Lauren Holt, and Andrew Dismukes (the latter of which was previously a staff writer for the show). Of course, fan favorites Keenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, and Kate McKinnon can be seen, and Michael Che and Colin Jost still dominate the show with their Weekend Update segment. With the upcoming election, all of the shows thus far have featured spoofs of president/vice presidential debates and town halls. Alec Baldwin reprises his, at hard times difficult to differentiate from the real president, Donald Trump impersonation, while Maya Rudolph continues to charm audiences with her Kamala Harrison bit. A new addition is the ridiculous Jim Carrey and his Joe Biden interpretation. However, the cold opens have differed only a little from the actual political debates, as both candidates continue to hit new levels of absurdity each day.
As aforementioned, the first episode featured host Chris Rock, who returned to his old stomping grounds of Studio 8H, as he was a cast member of SNL from 1990-1993. Megan Thee Stallion was the musical guest and performed her smashing sensation “Savage” along with “Don’t Stop” at the end of the show. Personally, a moment I enjoyed from this episode, was the silent tribute of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which was performed by Kate McKinnon, who often impersonated her. For episode two, Bill Burr hosted and gave a raunchy dialogue, while Jack White performed his songs “Ball and Biscuit,” “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” and “Lazaretto.” Moreover, this episode was supposed to have country singer Morgan Wallen as the musical guest, but after videos of him not following COVID-19 guidelines surfaced from just the week before his performance, he was replaced with White. The following week featured host Issa Rae and Justin Bieber, who performed his songs “Holy” and “Lonely.” Finally, most recently Adele hosted for the first and popular R&B artist H.E.R., performed “Damage” and “Hold On.” This upcoming episode, which premiers on Halloween, will feature a killer lineup: beloved comedian John Mulaney and The Strokes. To me, SNL not only represents an escape from a long week, but also consistency: I can also count on laughing along to Weekend Update or groaning at some of the sketches that perhaps miss the mark. To everyone, right now, the return of Studio 8H is the return of comedy during a year when we all need it most. After, laughter is the best medicine.
