SNL Reviews: Harry Styles (3/14/26)

 Presenting the worst birthday present I’ve ever gotten…

Cold Open: Trump’s Gas Prices

Trump and Hegseth interrupt a family drama and talk about Iran.

• A realistic family drama with intentionally cheesy acting? Gee, I sure hope nothing interrupts this…

• All of a sudden, Trump runs into frame and shouts “THE EPSTEIN FILES!!!!” Well, the break from him was nice while it lasted.

• At separate points, Ashley and Marcello are both seen trying not to laugh at JAJ’s lines, even though they’re supposed to be “frozen”.  I thought I would mention that because it was funnier than the intended humor.

Monologue

Styles talks about his queerbaiting allegations, fruit, and his new album.

• I should be excited to see him, but he was just on last week for no reason besides “cameo lol”.

• Boring….

• More male-on-male kissing, because that sure is funny!!!

Sketch: New Lawyer

Sebastian Maniscalco works as a defense attorney.

• Why did the audience cheer when Harry was first shown in this sketch? He’s just wearing a fancy suit. It’s not like he’s buck-ass naked.

• I like Harry’s American accent, which I recall he did a lot during his last appearance.

• Marcello’s impression of Sebastian Maniscalco again? Don’t get me wrong, I loved his first appearance, but did they really need to bring him back?

• He’s still doing a pretty good job, but the element of surprise is gone now.

• Harry’s attempt at sounding like Maniscalco is pretty funny.

• It’s around this point that the audience’s constant cheers are starting to get to me. We’re in for a repeat of the infamous Josh Hartnett episode from Season 27.

Fake Ad: MAHAspital

A medical drama created by RFK Jr.

• Yay, time for another parody of a show I’ve never seen!

• I like how most of the people in this are newer cast members.

• This is going after all the usual targets you would expect. You see, all Republicans (regardless of whether or not they support RFK Jr.) believe in pseudoscience, so let’s have the doctors do ridiculous shit like wear face masks with holes in them or inject people with bull semen. There’s a lot you can do to make fun of this idiot, but the show seems fine enough with just staying at base level satire.

• Shockingly bad RFK Jr. impression from JAJ. It’s just a rougher version of the Trump voice. Also, the scene he’s in isn’t funny.

Sketch: Sparkle of the Sea

German musicians entertain cruise passengers.

• Ugh, horrible German accents galore in this one. This episode is off to an atrocious start.

• The format reminds me of another sketch, but I’m kind of drawing a blank right now.

• JAJ redeems himself from the last sketch with an amusing musical number as a German R&B singer.

• Just to prove that Kenan has nothing left to offer, he randomly resurrects his old Jean K. Jean character for the first time since Season 38. I don’t see why, because the scene isn’t funny.

• Tommy and Veronika’s song is actually really catchy.

• I thought for sure that this was a Jimmy Fowlie sketch, and it looks like it on a surface level, but it was actually written by Chloe Fineman.

Sketch: Best Buy

An employee at Best Buy defends himself from accusations of bisexuality.

• Ugggggh….Kenan enters the sketch as an effeminate man. Even worse, the character’s name is “Mr. Pooty”.

• Again, you would be forgiven for thinking that this was written by Jimmy Fowlie, but it wasn’t. His partner in crime Ceara O’Sullivan is credited, though.

• What is this, a Season 30 sketch??? Kenan’s lispy character is straight out of the James Anderson playbook that gave us such hits as “Gays in Space” (a sketch which Bowen Yang apparently thinks is the greatest thing ever).

• Now we’re making fun of bisexuals again? As a bisexual myself, I wish they would stop treating us as something weird.

• If you wanted even MORE evidence that Kenan is past his expiration date, just watch this sketch.

Musical Performance: “Dance No More”

• GYAAAAHHHH!!!!! What the fuck is Ryan Gosling doing here?????? Get out, NOW!!!!!

Weekend Update (featuring Tucker Carlson and Two Emojis)

SNL Reviews: Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz (3/7/26)

 Flashback…

“Words can not describe how unprofessional and unfunny a lot of this episode was, with most of the blame going to Ryan “Giggles” Gosling. I hope they never have him back as a host.” Me, January 9, 2025

Well, fuck me, then. Here’s another Ryan Gosling episode.

Cold Open: Hegseth Iran Presser

Pete Hegseth discusses the Iran situation.

• I’ve run out of things to say about the whole Pete Hegseth routine, so let me just mention one thing…“Jessica Nowonderimsingle”??? Is that really the best you could do, guys?

Monologue

The host is flustered over Harry Styles becoming the focus of his monologue.

• Right away, there’s a pointless cameo from Harry Styles, who’s not supposed to be on until next week. They did this before in the Will Forte episode in Season 47, where they had Willem Dafoe “surprisingly” show up during the monologue. There’s probably a few more examples of this happening, but that’s all I can think of right now. I bring this up because it’s a trend I don’t like, as it’s just an excuse to bring up the cameo count some more.

• This episode aired only seven months ago and I already forgot that Project: Hail Mary was even a thing.

• The constant cuts back to Styles are really annoying, and they also have Gosling explaining them to us because we’re apparently stupid.

• I kinda like the shot of camera operator Anthony Tarantino waving to Gosling.

• Goddammit, not a musical number! Please end this now!!!

• This episode just started, and it already seems like it’s going to be much worse than his last one!

Sketch: Wedding Tradition

An eccentric wedding guest demands to see the bride and groom kiss.

• I certainly got a jumpscare from the beginning of this sketch, thinking that we were in for another Domingo appearance, but thankfully that doesn’t happen.

• I love Mikey’s insensitive comment about Ashley’s marriage not lasting (her husband died).

• Gosling’s “Um……what just happened?” is a typical Mikey Day moment. Strange that I would say that, because this was actually written by our favorite writer Jimmy Fowlie.

• Uh-oh, Gosling has started smirking…

• The glass clinking is getting really irritating. He’s trying waaaaay too hard here.

• Chloe’s awful delivery ruins a potentially funny line about how Gosling’s character looks just Reba McEntire.

• The name of Gosling’s character is “Donathan” ? WTF????

• Ugh, now the giggles have begun.

• Ha ha! Incest is so funny, right guys???

• God, what an awful sketch. It baffles me how people can find this funny.

Fake Ad: Otezla

The alien nature of this medicine is part of its appeal.

• Gosling’s character seems to be on the same set as the “How dare you!” film from last week.

• Yay, more product placement!

• As usual, I’m loving all of the slow-motion footage.

• This is really really weird, and I’m not quite sure I get it, but I am laughing a lot.

• Nice ancient cave drawing with the natives worshipping a box of Otezla.

• Love Sarah’s cheerful delivery of the line about how Otezla is planning on enslaving us all.

• For a film that only exists as product placement, this wasn’t half bad.

Sketch: Cyclops

A group of Cyclopes’ failure to grasp riddles complicates things.

• I love JAJ’s weird deep voice as the narrator.

• Funny cyclops makeup on all three guys.

• I’ve noticed a steady increase in parts for Veronika over the last few episodes. That’s something you love to see!

• Ugh, the cyclopes are getting really annoying. 

• Now Ashley’s starting to break. 

• I’m not joking when I say this is one of the most irritating sketches I’ve ever seen. The constant repetitions of “Can you open the door?” and “Stop it!” are tiresome, and you just want everyone involved to shut up. Then, of course, you have the annoying breaking, which is making an already terrible sketch borderline unwatchable.

• I am at least shocked that Veronika is remaining in character. Meanwhile, her partner Ashley is giggling even worse than Gosling, which is hard to believe.

• Predictable ending where Gosling’s character thinks that the key to unlock the treasure is the actual treasure itself.

Film: Monty McTreats & The Pastry Bakery

Monty’s wonderful factory hides dark secrets.

• As soon as this film starts, you’re just thinking, “There’s going to be a dark twist, isn’t there?”

• I like the look of this film, but I’m still waiting for the inevitable dark turn.

• Is it any coincidence that the only time I’ve been liking Gosling’s performance is in pre-taped segments where there’s less time for him to ruin things by laughing?

• Yep, there we go. One of Monty’s magical workers has hung himself. I groaned so loud the first time I saw this.

• Shut up, Mikey! We can see for ourselves what just happened!!!

• Kenan can play janitors in his sleep by now. We don’t need him to make this shit even worse.

• The corny musical numbers are providing my only enjoyment.

• The bit with Gosling giving one of the creatures CPR was more sad than funny. 

• Maybe I would’ve liked this better if SNL hadn’t abused this type of format for years now. At least it was slightly better than that Home Alone shit from a few episodes ago.

Musical Performance: “Clint Eastwood”

• Now this is more like it! Finally something in this episode that genuinely made me smile!

Weekend Update (featuring Pastor Update and Teddy)

• Nice, they’re implying that Trump is going to kill one of his cabinet members. 

• Che ruins the Osama bin Laden joke by immediately cracking up at it.

• I kinda liked Colin’s ad-lib (?) to the audience after they react poorly to his joke about the Ayatollah’s death.

• Can we please stop with the jokes that imply Trump is “wounded” by holy objects?

• A genuine laugh from the Lucky Charms stabbing joke.

• Now Kenan and JAJ show up as a pastor and his bandleader, in a commentary that was cut from last week’s show.

• The look of JAJ’s character already has me laughing.

• By all appearances I should absolutely hate this new character of Kenan’s, but for some reason, I don’t. I get a strong What Up With That? vibe from this guy, which is always a good thing.

• I can’t believe Kenan is one of the highlights of an episode, but I guess that’s how bad things have gotten.

Sketch: Passing Notes

Students pass around notes during class, which their teacher reads out loud.

• That school in the establishing shot looks very familiar. I thought it might be John Marshall High School in Los Angeles at first, but that building has a different spire.

• Big oof from Marcello’s “chode” reference. Speaking of Marcello, where’s he been all night?

• “The Contents Of These Notes Have Been Changed Since Rehearsal”? Please, God, no!!!!!

• Jesus Christ, I can’t believe this. We’ve now resorted to deliberately sabotaging sketches just so we can get some cheap breaking out of the cast.

• Despite my eternal hatred of Gosling Giggles, I’m actually more annoyed with Ashley in this particular instance. Why would she go along with this?

• If they were gonna change the notes, couldn’t they have rewritten them to say something, oh I don’t know, funny? This ChatGPT “slam” isn’t as clever as I’m sure they thought it was, and it definitely wasn’t worth changing a line of dialogue just to make somebody break.

• And you know what’s really sad? This sketch went on to become a big hit! Do people just love unprofessionalism these days? In fact, the top comment on the YouTube upload is somebody saying that they hope we get a lot more “changed from rehearsal” sketches in the future. What an idiot!

• I’m sure people will try to defend this by saying, “aw, lighten up! Can’t you see how much fun they’re having???” Well, I hope they had fun, because I didn’t!!! One of the worst sketches I’ve ever seen.

Musical Performance: “The Moon Cave”

Sketch: The Goo Goo Man

A couple experiences an issue while checking out their hotel.

• Way too much Mikey in this episode for my liking. Meanwhile, Tommy Brennan is crying backstage.

• “Goo Goo Man”? Oh God, what am I in for now?

• Where is this even going??? Just listing off a bunch of “funny” names isn’t going to help this sketch!

• The only “wacky pack” I care about is Wacky Packages.

• Thank God it’s finally over. This episode just keeps sinking lower and lower.

A Film By Martin Herlihy: Lies

Martin exposes lies by dressing up as Colin Jost.

• Please save this episode, Martin Herlihy!

• The sudden “LIE!!!” from Martin caught me off guard when I first saw this episode. 

• I love the bit with JAJ talking about his penis size, which turns out not to be a lie, but it being straight is a lie.

• I love how Martin’s comment about always doing his own stunts is followed by him inexplicably turning black when he does a pratfall on the table.

• Amazing makeup on Martin’s Colin Jost disguise.

• Great quick scene from Marcello punching “Colin” in the balls.

• Martin: “I think New York’s about to get hit with a whole new kind of blizzard…”

• It was so satisfying seeing the real Colin get shot by Jane at the end.

• At least we ended this episode on a strong note. Sadly, this is the last Herlihy film to make it into the live show. One more was released as a Cut for Time sketch, but we’ll cover that one when we get there…

Note: A dedication is shown for someone named Sandy Wernick.

Final thoughts: In case you couldn’t tell, I did not like that episode very much. Not only because of all the Ryan Gosling Giggles, but because of the blatant unprofessionalism in that note passing sketch. Ashley Padilla also had a strangely off putting night, indulging in Gosling’s unfunny shtick and cracking up just as badly as him.

On the bright side, however, there was no Beavis and Butt-head sequel like I was afraid there would be. Apparently, there was in dress rehearsal, but it was thankfully cut. You wanna know what that one was about??? There are Bob’s Burgers characters in the audience instead!! Hurr durr!!!!!

MVP: Martin Herlihy

Best sketches: Otezla, Pastor Update and Teddy commentary, Lies, Gorillaz’s musical performances

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Monologue, Wedding Tradition, Cyclops, Passing Notes, Goo Goo Man

Next review: Harry Styles

SNL Reviews: Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons (2/28/26)

 Cold Open: Iran War Address

President Trump talks about missile strikes in Iran

• After a one episode break, it’s back to Trump again.

• They’re still talking about that FIFA award thing? How long ago was that?

• I kinda liked the line about Forrest Gump being a “time-traveling r-word”.

• Now we’re resorting to lame meta jokes about how the Iran situation prevented SNL from doing a cold open about the State of the Union address. Trump also specifically mentions that Jeremy was going to be in it and that his airtime has been cut down as a result. It sure is funny when they mock their new cast members, isn’t it? 

• Again with the Pete Hegseth impression???? Ugh, please go away!!!!

Monologue

Connor discusses his career and congratulates our Team USA winners.

• From what I understand, this guy is still a relatively new actor. He’s in that Heated Rivalry show which they pathetically tried to cross over with Harry Potter a few episodes ago.

• I like how the “family-appropriate” clip he shows is a two-second scene of his character saying “Okay”.

• Not caring for this running gag where he stares at the camera and makes dramatic statements.

• On the plus side, we get appearances from several members of our Olympic hockey team. 

• The players’ lack of acting experience is rather obvious, but I find that really charming.

Sketch: Mr. Fronzi

Marcello has a funny voice and that’s pretty much it.

• Not a big fan of the opening, which just seems to be an excuse to pander to all the ladies in the audience.

• Wow, this is just awful so far. Marcello’s wacky Hispanic voice routine is getting on my last nerve.

• “Seriously, dude, you just said ‘penis’.” No, really??? Thanks for pointing that out!

• The whole “penis/peanuts” routine is so hacky. Did a twelve-year old write this?

• Connor’s impression of Marcello’s character is funnier than the actual thing.

• Now they try to make this “heartwarming” at the end and show us that the class actually does care about him!!! Barf!!!

Film: The Gentleman’s Code

Prim and proper British gents settle arguments with glove slapping.

• Here’s Mikey’s latest attempt at trying to sound British! Connor, on the other hand, is a complete natural!

• I really like the costumes. It reminds me of a BBC period drama from the 70s.

• I’m loving all the glove slapping!

• Andrew: “I am ungloved, and therefore unable to retort!”

• Despite his failure at sounding British, Mikey is throwing himself into this role. This is the best performance I’ve seen from him all year!

• It’s not every day you see children getting kicked on this show.

• Not even the dumb bit with the dog ruined this.

• Overall, a surprisingly great little short, which is amazing considering it basically had only one joke.

Sketch: Ice Skating

A romantic moment is ruined by annoying ice skaters.

• Can’t believe it’s taken this long for SNL to do a sketch about the gigantic ice rink that’s literally right next to their building.

• Quite an ambitious little set they have here. I assume the 30 Rock background is on a screen of some sort.

• The framing of this sketch almost feels like another Waffle House variation, but the premise is different enough.

• Was Ben’s little bit of slipping part of the script?

• I could still do without the constant reacting and explaining of everything that happens behind them.

 • Connor’s Heated Rivalry co-star Hudson Williams makes a random appearance, accompanied by annoying screams from the girls in the audience. If you thought that was bad, just wait until the Harry Styles episode…

• The squealing goes on for about thirty seconds before Hudson finally says his lines. During that whole time, you can see Tommy and Veronika looking upset. Yeah, that’s pretty much how I feel too whenever there’s a pointless cameo.

• Even after the focus has gone back to Tommy and Veronika’s characters, the audience still screams whenever Hudson passes by in the background.

• Not sure how to feel about the random reveal that Connor’s character is Kendrick Lamar’s producer.

• I really liked how ambitious this sketch was, but the annoying audience members kind of ruined it a bit for me.

Sketch: Tutoring the Cool Kid

A dweeb becomes friends with the coolest guy in school.

• I like how Ben’s character is named “Dirkus”.

• Oh man, I had forgotten that this was the sketch with Ben playing an annoying song on his keyboard, complete with wacky cartoon sound samples.

• Connor, after witnessing the song: “I forgot I have lunch at another school tomorrow.”

• This sketch becomes infinitely better when JAJ and Ashley enter as Ben’s parents.

• Unlike the Marcello shit from earlier, the heartwarming moments in this sketch feel way more earned. Not to mention, there’s actual jokes in there too, like his random quoting of Timothee Chalamet.

• Even when you can predict the twist that Ben’s parents are just as weird as he is, their song is still pretty funny.

• I love the weird part where Connor points out how they all have red hair, and wonders if they’re trying to “preserve a community”. JAJ whispers “He’s onto us”, and spooky music plays. No idea what that was all about, but I laughed.

Musical Performance: “Rubber Band Man”

• Featuring a guest appearance by Hozier!

Weekend Update (featuring Katie and Punch the Monkey’s mother)

• You might have noticed that I’ve stopped commenting on the actual news jokes as much. The reason for that is…well, what else is there to say? I’m burnt out on these two and their endlessly regurgitated material that they’ve been relying on for years now.

• Veronika finally gets to do a commentary! This has been a pretty good episode for her, to be honest.

• While I definitely admire the idea behind this commentary, and Veronika is pretty good here, I’m afraid it left me a little confused as to what it was trying to say.

• Colin brings back his “Hear Me Out” bit that he tried a couple times last season, this time regarding Stephen Hawking being in the Epstein Files. I knew what the punchline was gonna be (“What was he supposed to do, walk away?”), but I still thought it was funny.

• UGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! Now we’re at the bottom rung of shit again, because it’s another fucking Sarah mascot commentary. This time, she’s a “slutty” monkey. 

• Even worse, her son is played by Marcello doing his usual mugging routine. I don’t think I need to say anymore, do I?

Sketch: Leg Lengthening

A guy tries to deny the obvious fact that his legs have been artificially lengthened.

• This is the same set used in the Cards Against Humanity sketch from last episode.

• What’s with the weird Hillary Duff discussion at the beginning? Was there some kind of Hillary Duff comeback I was unaware of?

• Funny reveal of Marcello’s long legs.

• This is a really dumb sketch, and unfortunately not the good kind of dumb.

• Connor’s legs are suspiciously covered. Gee, I wonder what the twist is gonna-oh wow, what a shock! He has tiny legs!!!!

Sketch: Office Dance

The idea of dancing keeps coming up as a way to boost office morale.

• Sarah appears to be wearing one of Chloe’s old wigs in this sketch. Incidentally, Chloe’s nowhere to be seen tonight.

• Weird bit with Andrew falling backwards in his chair. It’s bizarre that I actually thought it was a blooper at first.

• Love the bit with JAJ as the “office nerd”, who pulls out his inhaler immediately after saying the office doesn’t have any nerds.

• Kenan, referring to JAJ: “Maybe it’s the Sprite talking, but…I’d hit it.”

• I like how Mumford & Sons’ cameo appearance involves them coming out of a bathroom.

• I barely said anything about this sketch, but I thought it was a pretty good slice-of-life kind of thing.

Musical Performance: “Here”

Sketch: Stripper

Despite an accident, a male stripper is still dedicated to his work.

• Funny accent from Connor.

• Oh God, the squealing audience members are back! This time they go nuts when Connor takes his shirt off.

• Jane: “Well, I just hope his penis is unscathed!” Ashley: “Kim, we know you’re gay, you don’t have to do all that.”

• The audience gets even louder when Connor is in nothing but a loincloth (don’t ask).

• Do I even need to tell you that Jimmy Fowlie wrote this shit? Nah, I didn’t think so. Connor himself is also credited with contributing to it.

Final thoughts: While Connor Storrie was a perfectly fine host, he unfortunately got stuck in a lot of bland straight man roles. There’s also the matter of the annoying female audience members screaming throughout the show, but that’s obviously not his fault.

MVP: Veronika Slowikowska/Ben Marshall

Best sketches: The Gentleman’s Club, Tutoring the Cool Kid, Office Dance

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Mr. Fronzi, Weekend Update, Stripper, the annoying audience members

Next review: Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz

SNL Reviews: Alexander Skarsgård/Cardi B (1/31/26)

This is the 1000th episode of the series!!!!! I’m sure it’s gonna be a disappointment, but you never know…

Cold Open: ICE Meeting

Tom Homan meets with ICE agents.

• Another Pete Davidson cameo? Who is this for????

• At least there’s no Trump or Hegseth in this one.

• Dumb meta joke where Mikey’s character says he should be on Wild n’ Out.

• There’s a lot of potential jokes you can mine out of this situation, but SNL doesn’t seem to want to try. 

• I chuckled at the Don Lemon joke.

• Now Pete is cracking up at himself. I take it he had a few puffs before the show?

• Another bland, confusing cold open that has no idea what it’s trying to say.

Monologue

Alexander celebrates the 1000th episode and talks to the members of the SNL band.

• Ah, so they are bringing up the fact that this is the 1000th episode.

• I like how he’s going to talk to the band members. That never happens!

• Rare Lenny Pickett speaking appearance!

• Alexander is so obviously not playing the sax that it’s kind of funny.

• I think that might be my favorite monologue of the year!

Sketch: Mom Confession

A mom confesses changing her mind about Trump.

• Alexander’s look and voice as the dad is pretty funny. I honestly thought it was Andrew at first.

• Ashley is slowly becoming this cast’s equivalent to Kristen Wiig in that she’s taking all the lead roles away.

• I don’t really like how much Ashley has started to rely on screaming as of late.

• I don’t quite know what to think of this so far…but I don’t think I like it.

• As talented as Ashley is, I think she kind of missed the mark with this one. It’s way too slow and has too much shouting.

Film: Winter Olympics

One athlete is clearly not meant for sledding.

• The look of this film is simply breathtaking.

• A good laugh from seeing Jane’s head poorly superimposed on top of an Olympics luger.

• You know, over these last couple episodes, Jane Wickline is really starting to grow on me. She’s absolutely killing it here.

• Is that an actual photo of young Jane crying on a sled? I’m going to assume that it isn’t.

• Awww, it’s over already? It was just getting good!

Sketch: Norwegian Movie

Rehashes sure are fun!

• Remember this crappy sketch from the Glen Powell episode? Well, here it is again for no reason!

• I suspect they only brought this back because somebody of Scandinavian descent is hosting. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have even bothered.

• Sure enough, this is more of the same garbage we had in the first installment. You see, the joke is that Scandinavian movies are sappy!

• Unsurprisingly, Alexander is more convincing in this role than Chloe is. 

• They try adding Alexander’s father Stellan to the sketch to “improve” this, but not even he can help.

• That was even worse than the first one. Hopefully there are no more Scandinavian hosts for quite a while so we don’t have to see this again.

Sketch: Immigrant Dad Talk Show

More “wacky” culture shock shenanigans.

• *enormous sigh* Jesus H. Christ. Are they seriously bringing this shit back again???? This is now the third time they’ve done it!

• I kinda laughed at Marcello’s warning that he and all of his immigrant friends will be back in the streets eventually.

• Alexander looks dead inside for having to be in this garbage. 

• Mikey is the guest yet again, and they thankfully didn’t reuse the gag where he doesn’t know how to properly greet Marcello’s co-host.

• I love Mikey’s pathetic “Melt the ICE” shirt.

• Why do they always have to repeat the kissing scenes with Mikey and Andrew?

• Stellan’s cameo is probably the highlight of this unnecessary rehash.

• Random Cardi B appearance at the end.

Film: The Viking Raid

A Viking feels left out of a victory celebration.

• Figures they’d do a sketch about Vikings with Alexander.

• Guess we can count Scandinavian accents as another example of Mikey failing to master something.

• This is okay and all, but I’m not caring for the gore.

• I like how Andrew’s character is called “Sven the Rapist”.

• Not a big fan of the cornrows ending.

Musical Performance: “Bodega Baddie”

Weekend Update (featuring Sarah Sherman and Two People Who Just Hooked Up)

• It’s been a while since we had a “seen here” joke. Still not funny, though. 

• Please stop with the Kristi Noem dog-killing jokes. I don’t care if she did do all those things, killing animals isn’t funny!

• A live weather report from Sarah? This could be interesting.

• I wonder if she’s actually live or not. Usually these outdoor reports are pre-taped, but this one would seem to be genuinely live.

• Even in this setting, she can’t resist the Jost Roasting.

• Random cameo from Jack McBrayer, who for some reason still hasn’t hosted the show.

• A nice change of pace for Sarah, even if I didn’t laugh all that much.

• The Kanye slam was pretty good.

• Did you know Michael Che likes his girls thick? It’s not like he’s made that same joke a million times over the past 13 years!

• Why are these two characters back again? Their first commentary was wonderful, but I don’t know if this routine will work a second time.

• Andrew and Ashley are still performing this pretty well, but this didn’t need to be brought back at all.

Sketch: Play Date

Agnes hates talking about stuff she doesn’t know.

• This appears to be the same set as that mom complaining sketch from earlier.

• A WTF visual of Alexander in drag.

• I love how he’s not even trying to sound feminine.

• This routine would be hacky with any other host, but somehow Alexander is managing to pull it off.

• Jane’s delivery of “Stop asking her if she knows stuff” is said so matter-of-factly that it made me laugh.

• Gotta love the obvious Sarah dummy that gets thrown out the window.

• As funny as it is, they didn’t need to do the dummy throwing gag three times.

• Doesn’t it tell you how bad SNL has gotten that my favorite sketch of the episode has a man in drag in it?

Musical Performance: “ErrTime”

Sketch: Tarzan

Tarzan and Jane break up.

• I love the tiny model of Tarzan swinging by at the start of this sketch.

• There’s a voice I haven’t heard Sarah do before. Between this and the previous sketch, this is one of her best nights in a long time.

• Alexander is really funny in this role.

• Just when I’m starting to really enjoy this, Kenan has to ruin it by showing up in a dumb costume and doing his usual annoying schtick. Not even the cute cat is giving me any enjoyment.

• Tarzan: “Which part of England Jane from? Long Island?”

• Funny ending with a Sarah toy falling to her death. 

Sketch: Funny Boyfriend

A guy with a great sense of humor is revealed to have stolen all of his jokes from Cards Against Humanity.

• The first joke of this sketch being a comment about “Gandalf’s dusty nutsack” is already making me smile.

• Alexander: “This is more fun than…smoking crack with Susan Boyle!”

• Alexander’s delivery of “Oh, crap” after the cards are revealed is so good.

• I don’t know if these are actual Cards Against Humanity cards, but they’re all funny as Hell. The one about having an erection while watching Marley & Me is particularly hilarious.

• Alexander’s “dramatic” speech at the end is great, especially when he pauses to read off of another card.

• Everyone else: “DUDE, YOU NEED JESUS!!!!”

• Why’d they stick all the good sketches after Update?

Note: A dedication to the wonderful Catherine O’Hara is shown before the goodnights. Glad she got to host the show on two occasions before she left us.

Final thoughts: As I said, I find it baffling that the strongest stuff in this show was stuck after Update, because most of the sketches before that were either rehashes or total snoozefests. On the plus side, the good stuff was really good and Alexander Skarsgård made for a game host.

MVP: Alexander Skarsgård

Best sketches: Monologue, Winter Olympics, Play Date, Funny Boyfriend

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Mom Confession, Norwegian Movie, Immigrant Dad Talk Show

Next review: Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons

SNL Reviews: Teyana Taylor/Geese (1/24/26)

Cold Open: The 1st Annual Trumps

Trump hosts an awards show commemorating the first year of his second term.

• Ugh, not only is this another Trump routine, but it’s an award show. SNL’s always had a bad track record with these…

• Why do they keep insisting that Trump wants to remain in office forever? Has he ever even said that?

• More Spanish babbling from Marcello, this time playing somebody I don’t recognize.

• The conspicuous absence of Kash Patel in this sketch is obviously because they don’t have someone in the cast who can play him. Well, maybe they shouldn’t have fired Emil! Not to worry, though, this will “rectified” later in the season…

• Please STOP with the Russian collusion jokes!

• More old jokes as they make a reference to Kanye interrupting the VMAs. When did that happen??? 2009, which was 17 fucking years ago.

• Ugggghhhhh, the desiccated corpse of Mike Myers has returned to play Elon Musk. Does anybody have any fond memories of Myers poorly recycling his Dr. Evil shtick to play this guy?

• That may have been one of the worst award show sketches this show has ever done.

Monologue

Teyana talks about growing up in New York, her appearance on My Super Sweet 16, and her experience with motherhood.

• Once again, we have a host who I’ve never heard of. But I must admit, she’s pretty likable so far.

• I love the clip of young Teyana on My Super Sweet 16.

• Can I also add how refreshing it is to see a black woman on SNL again? It’s strange that they didn’t hire one to replace Ego.

• It’s also refreshing to see someone talking so positively about being a parent and having children. Today’s society couldn’t seem to care less about such things.

• This monologue is already putting me in a good mood. Hopefully the rest of the episode will be as good.

Sketch: Gate Agents

Airport agents entertain commuters during a delay.

• Aaaaand that good mood is instantly gone when I see that this is another Kenan “showcase”.

• “Did he just say we might not get on the plane today???” Yeah, thanks for pointing that out, Chloe!

• “Lashley” and “Parfait”? Who is coming up with these awful names?  

• Now we get a “deez nuts” joke. SNL’s really bringing out all the outdated jokes tonight!

• These musical numbers are just awful.

• Thank God for JAJ at least trying to make us laugh with his pilot character.

Film: One Battle After Another Action Figures

Inappropriate action figure fun for the kids!

• I haven’t seen this movie, but this sounds like it could be fun…

• Teyana plays what I assume is her character from the film.

• I like the figure that comes with a joint.

• Funny scene with the little girl proudly declaring that her name is “Jungle Pussy”.

• I love Ashley preventing her daughter from reenacting a sex scene.

• Best part is the boy screaming “I’VE ABANDONED MY CHILD!!!!” at the end, ala Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. 

• While I didn’t like this as much as a lot of other people due to my lack of knowledge of this movie, I still thought this was really well done and funny.

Sketch: Quefs

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman endlessly promote a new lesbian drama during the game.

• Random reappearance from JAJ’s Joe Buck impression which he played all the way back in his first episode. Just to show you how long ago that was, both Buck and Aikman were still at FOX when that sketch was made.

• So this really is just a sequel to that sketch, I see. I’ll still give it a chance.

• For one thing, I like the name of this show better than the other one.

• While I am laughing here and there, it’s a little too slow for my liking. 

• They even copy the joke where a politician appears on the show, in this case Gavin Newsom, instead of Stacey Abrams.

• Nice bit at the end with JAJ plugging the World Cornhole Championships.

Sketch: Confidence Class

Cassidy Flask struggles to motivate her class.

• This is apparently a character Ashley tried to get on Update last year.

• Kenan and Mikey are way too old to be playing students. Unless this is an all-ages class?

• There’s a female extra who kinda looks like JAJ’s female clone.

• As expected, Ashley’s performance is masterful.

• I love the blank-faced headshot on her resume, as well as one of her skills being listed as “Do Voices”.

• Speaking of voices, I love the horrible squeaky Yoda “impression” she does to demonstrate this.

• The Dolly Parton mention hasn’t aged well, but I do like how she says she won’t do it because it’s almost the same as her Yoda voice.

• Another funny reveal that she used to be Michelle Obama’s scriptwriter.

• I simply adore the awkward bathroom selfie.

• My only complaint about this sketch has nothing to do with Ashley: PLEASE STOP EXPLAINING THE JOKES!!!!!!

• There’s some great pictures she skips through in the slideshow, including an ad for a restaurant called “Big Bill’s Barbecue Ditch”.

• Great ending with her “impression” of Dolly…which is just her saying “Jolyne” in a voice that sounds nothing like Dolly.

Musical Performance: “Au Pays du Cocaine”

Weekend Update (featuring Marcello Hernandez and Mr. On Blast)

• Blah blah blah we hate Trump blah blah blah we hate ICE.

• The Ghislaine Maxwell joke made me laugh.

• Now Marcello is here to talk about…Gen-Z slang. I think I can skip this one…

• I just knew that the punchline to the Disney Villains joke would be Trump-related.

• Another awful joke about Stevie Wonder’s blindness.

• A woman driver joke? Really???!

• The only other joke I laughed at was the Dorito-shaped aircraft.

• Jeremy finally makes his debut at the desk, playing a character named Mr. On Blast. I remember seeing this character’s second appearance but not this debut.

• I really like the music that plays when he moves his arms around.

• This is actually kind of growing on me, as if his charm is working its way through the screen.

• There’s a really funny part where he pretends to “glitch” out, and the music keeps repeating.

• Colin, please shut up! You’re ruining the fun!!!!

 

• I’m glad I enjoyed that a lot more this time! I look forward to seeing his second appearance later this season.

Sketch: Grandpa at the Wedding

An old man grooves to Earth, Wind, and Fire.

• I expected to see more of Kam in this episode because of who’s hosting, but this is only his first appearance.

• I groaned when I saw Teyana in drag as an old man. What is with this recent trend of dressing black women as old men on this show? Ego did it a lot, too, in her final seasons.

• My fears instantly evaporated when she started talking.

• Wow…that is some damn impressive dancing.

• Teyana’s wig starts coming off during the dance and remains that way for the rest of the sketch.

• I’m glad that they were able to clear the Earth, Wind, and Fire music for the YouTube upload. This sketch wouldn’t have been nearly as good without it.

• Overall, a really fun and lively sketch.

Sketch: Backstab Island

A lady wants to make friends on a deception-filled reality show.

• Trying to make fun of Survivor in 2026 is like trying to make fun of your elderly neighbor: it’s been done many times before.

• Some okay performances here, but yeah, this is pretty bad.

Musical Performance: “Trinidad”

Sketch: Beyond the Headlines

Racial tensions overshadow a PBS program.

• SNL’s here to talk about race issues! I sure hope they handle this with respect!

• Hoo boy, I think I’m gonna hate this…

• Don’t tell me the only joke is gonna be these two saying “mmm-hmmmm” over and over.

• *a couple minutes later* Yep, that’s the only joke! That must have taken about thirty seconds to come up with!

A Film by Martin Herlihy: Blowing It

Martin proposes methods for breaking up.

• Good to see another one of these. They’ve always been getting cut since the last one back in October.

• Jeremy has had a great episode so far, and now he’s got another big role!

• LOL at Martin’s insensitive mocking of Jeremy’s voice.

• Nice long title of Martin’s book.

• I like how one of the methods of getting someone to break up with you is to wear a shirt defending Kevin Spacey. I also love the use of footage from Spacey’s last appearance on the show of him introducing Nelly Furtado.

• The bit with the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter is also really funny.

• What’s with the rooster sound after Martin suggests starting an open relationship?

• Sarah: “Oooh, me hungry for nachos!!!” This is one of her best performances all season.

• I think I liked this better than the Frankenstein one. Sadly, only one more of these made it into the live show, and it happened in…Ryan Gosling’s episode. I am not looking forward to that show…

Cut for Time: The Incident

Benny is traumatized after walking in on his parents having sex.

• I love JAJ’s awkward quoting of a Hozier song.

• Holy crap, Sarah just walked in with her eyes popping out! Has the real Sarah Sherman returned????

• JAJ: “To quote Mario, ‘Here we go!!’”

• I love the part where their other son comes in with a toaster and announces that he’s going to take a bath.

• Now even the dog is having flashbacks!

• My favorite trigger phrase is the “her piece/herpes/hair piece” bit.

• Kenan’s Neil DeGrasse Tyson showing up is kind of unnecessary, but I like how only one of his eyes is popping out because he saw it through a telescope.

• How many times this season have they cut the best sketch from the live show? This has got to be the third time!

Final thoughts: I don’t know what to say about this one. Just a perfectly average middle of the road show.

MVP: Jeremy Culhane

Best sketches: One Battle After Another Action Figures, Confidence Class, Mr. On Blast commentary, Blowing It, The Incident (Cut)

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Gate Agents, Marcello’s commentary, Backstab Island, Behind the Headlines

Next review: Alexander Skarsgård/Cardi B

SNL Reviews: Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky (1/17/26)

 Cold Open: Cabinet Meeting

President Trump introduces his cabinet during a conference.

• Trump again??? Jeez, not even Trumpwin was this overused.

• Please stop trying to make Marco Rubio a nice person.

• On the bright side, Jeremy has taken over as JD Vance, replacing Bowen’s awful, baffling take from last season.

• The line about Stephen Miller reacting in horror to a Bible is pointless and hacky. Get it? Because he’s evil or something!

• Marcello gets in a bit of his usual Spanish babbling routine before Trump cuts him off. Because Trump hates Hispanic people!!!

• Trump explains what he’s about to do during Vance’s speech, once again ruining the joke.

• Sure enough, that’s what he does! Yay! I love when they explain the jokes!!!!

• Ashley takes over the Kristi Noem impression from Tina Fey. Unsurprisingly, she does a much better job.

• I know that the “Noem, I don’t” pun was supposed to be corny, but I still groaned.

• Uggghhhh, Colin’s baffling Pete Hegseth is back again. The amount of time Colin has gotten outside of Update these past couple of seasons is insane.

Monologue

Finn talks about growing up on the Stranger Things set.

• As I have said before, I have never watched a single episode of Stranger Things, nor do I plan to, so there’s probably going to be a lot of jokes going over my head.

• We get shown a clip from the series, and I guess it’s supposed to be funny that they dubbed over his voice, but I’m just scratching my head.

• Ha-ha, the monster looks like a vagina!!! Aren’t you just shitting your pants with laughter?

• Now they’re doing spit-takes? Am I watching an episode of Carol Burnett and Friends?

• Random appearances from two of his co-stars, neither of whom I know the names of. Sorry.

Sketch: Snack Homiez

Teen podcasters discuss looksmaxxing. 

• Not this shit again. SNL really is that desperate for recurring characters, I guess. 

• Ugh, they even brought back Sabrina Carpenter just so they could do this. Why is this show constantly blowing smoke up Sabrina Carpenter’s ass? She’s not even a good singer.

• At least Finn is actually a boy. Maybe he can help salvage this.

• You can just about hear the show’s middle-aged writers’ brain cells exploding while writing about such things as “gooning” and “looksmaxxing”.

• I’m being completely serious when I say that watching this sketch makes me feel nauseous. Every single line of dialogue fills me with bile. In fact, I think I’d better move on to the next sketch before I vomit all over the screen.

Film: Heated Wizardry

Harry Potter goes GAY!!!!

• I like Harry Potter, but I have no idea what this other show is supposed to be.

• The moment Finn and Ben touched each other’s hands, I knew this was gonna suck.

• Nice, now they have the teachers openly lusting over children. And JAJ’s Snape impression is surprisingly lousy.

• That scene where they have sex under the Invisibility Cloak is the definition of super hacky. 

• Pointless scene with Kenan as Mad-Eye Moody. No, he doesn’t bother with the accent, why do you even need to ask?

• Unsurprisingly, they throw a bit of shade at J.K. Rowling too, by way of a fake review from her that says she had nothing to do with this.

• Jason Momoa is wasted with a pointless cameo as Hagrid. This only makes me sadder that Robbie Coltrane never got to appear on the show.

• I’m sure Momoa was really happy that he got to deliver the wonderful line, “You’re a homo, Harry”.

• It baffles me that in our current, open-minded society, we still get homophobic shit like this, straight out of Season 30. 

Sketch: Boy Band

The star of a boy band wants his indie rock loving son to follow in his footsteps.

• A big laugh from JAJ’s ridiculous outfit.

• Boy, this sketch just started and it’s already miles better than what I just sat through.

• Finn: “Who cares, Dad? Billboard sucks!!!”

• I love the line from Ashley about how she caused this to happen by introducing her son to Pixies.

• Nice detail with how all of the members of this boy band are clearly middle-aged.

• Great insensitive 9/11 joke from James. The audience clearly isn’t having any of that. 

• I also love the running gag with Ashley knowing the other band members on a first name basis. She even does this with someone in her son’s band.

• The difference in quality between the previous sketch and this one couldn’t be more stark. One was a pathetic attempt at clicks, while this one is just a pretty damn funny piece of comedy.

Film: Stranger Things

Potential spinoffs of Stranger Things all focus on trivial details.

• I remember they did a similar sketch around the time the final episode of Game of Thrones aired. 

• The cheering from the audience whenever they mention a character from the show is pretty tiresome. It happened in the monologue, too.

• OJ Simpson jokes are so overdone at this point. The bit with Chloe in the back of the Bronco sucked. 

• Yay, more gay jokes!!!

• I seem to recall SNL getting some criticism for making fun of the infamous coming-out scene in the penultimate Stranger Things episode, but I personally think it wasn’t too much to scream about. In case you’re wondering, the “joke” here is that the scene is so long!!!!

• I always dread whenever an episode is hosted by someone from a show I’ve never watched, because they inevitably end up doing sketches based on that show, and then I get confused because all of the specific references are going over my head. That’s very much the case with this one, too. I don’t even remember the aforementioned Game of Thrones spinoff sketch being this bland.

Musical Performance: “Punky Rocky”

Weekend Update (featuring Michael Irvin and Tamara)

• Now we’re getting into material about those ICE attacks in Minneapolis. I’m sure they’ll handle this with as much respect as they can…nah, just kidding, the jokes are all unfunny.

• Wow, we get Che openly wishing that Trump had been assassinated in 2024.

• Second episode in a row for Kam on Update. This time he’s playing some football dude I’ve never heard of.

• All I can say about this one is that I like the voice he’s doing, and it’s a much better use of him than that pathetic display he put on in the premiere.

• Ugh at the loud applause when Colin mentions Harry Styles. This reminds me that he has a horrendous hosting stint coming up in a few episodes, where the audience acts much the same way.

• Whenever Michael Che says something, I automatically tune out. You have no idea how sick I am of this smug douche and his stale bag of anti-white jokes.

• What’s this? Jane as an actual character and not herself? This could be interesting…

• Am I going crazy? I’m actually enjoying this! Something about the voice and the robotic way of speaking is cracking me up.

• Even Che has some good subtle moments here, like his reaction to Jane saying that she understands why he was made an anchor.

• Wow! Make that two Updates this season where I enjoyed both commentaries!

Sketch: Space Emperor

A servant can’t stop feeding the space emperor delightful snacks.

• Amazing makeup work here.

• I won’t lie, those “jelly food balls” look delicious.

• This sketch is really, really dumb, but…I’m kinda enjoying it.

• Stop laughing, Chloe! You’re ruining my enjoyment!

• I honestly thought that Finn spitting the drink out was an ad-lib at first.

• This is honestly Mikey’s best performance all season. In a year where he’s often been out of place, it’s nice to know that he still has it occasionally.

• Is Mikey feeding him paint now?? That’s nasty!

• Great ending with Ben offering to eat the beast leg.

Sketch: Guy’s Girl

Boy’s Day is ruined when one guy invites his girlfriend to take part.

• I laughed as soon as Veronika entered the sketch speaking gibberish. This is a character she’s apparently been trying get on for a while now.

• She’s doing a great job mimicking typical dudebro behavior.

• I can see some other people finding this sketch annoying, but I’m having a blast.

• That “awwww” reaction from the audience sounded really fake. It’s a shame, too, because it kind of ruins the heartwarming speech from Veronika that follows.

• Man, this episode sure has a lot of delightfully bizarre sketches! 

Musical Performance: “Don’t Be Dumb”/“Helicopter”

• For some reason, Danny Elfman is playing with the band tonight.

Sketch: Free Solo

Alex Honnold gets ready to climb Taipei 101 live on Netflix.

• Ugh, don’t tell me this is a Kenan showcase…

• Just like the Black Santa thing from last time, I am totally stone faced through this entire sketch. Kenan reeeeeealllly needs to leave.

Note: A memorial for Bob Weir is shown before the goodnights.

Cut for Time: Euphoria Writer

A new writer for Euphoria pitches some bizarre concepts.

• Initially, I was gonna complain again that they’re doing another sketch based on a show I’ve never seen. But then I saw JAJ in a mustache and I got interested…

• Amazing voice from JAJ. I can only describe it as sounding like a gay hillbilly.

• James is immediately making this sketch come to life. If anyone else had been cast in this role, I wouldn’t have liked it as much. I mean, can you imagine Bowen playing this role??? Yuck!!!!

• Again with the random breaking from Chloe?

• I love how all of his pitches end with a character saying, “Can we not?”

• Great running gag with him referring to Sydney Sweeney as “the chesty one”.

• I even liked the newspaper article ending. 

• How in the world did this not make the live show? 

Final thoughts: A pretty fun episode, to be honest. There was some garbage in the first half, but not as wretched as some of the shit we’ve seen for the last few episodes. I also really liked Finn Wolfhard as a host and I hope he comes back again in the future.

MVP: James Austin Johnson

Best sketches: Boy Band, Tamara commentary, Space Emperor, Guy’s Girl, Euphoria Writer

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Snack Homiez, Heated Wizardry, Free Solo

Next review: Teyana Taylor/Geese

SNL Reviews: Ariana Grande/Cher (12/20/25)

 Cold Open: A Holiday Message From The President

Trump talks about the Epstein Files and Patriot Games.

• They’re still making jokes about Trump hugging the American flag? That was a million years ago!

• JAJ’s Trump has gotten to the point where he’s now speaking improper grammar. That don’t make no sense at all.

• Ugh at the “no homo” line.

• I think my least favorite Trump cold opens are the ones where it’s just him rambling to the camera by himself. And that is exactly what we get here.

Monologue

Ariana sings about all the gifts she’s bought for her friends.

• Yikes! Look at how unhealthily skinny she looks now! 

• I kinda expected a musical monologue. 

• Bowen unsurprisingly has a lot of focus in this monologue, as it had been announced that day that this was his final episode.

Sketch: Elf on the Shelf Support Group

Elves share their traumatic experiences.

• Who is the narrator at the beginning? It doesn’t sound like anyone in the cast.

• At least the storybook opening isn’t done with AI like it was last episode.

• Attempting to do another Elf on the Shelf sketch is treading dangerous territory, as there’s no way they can top the one with Jason Momoa (“Scrabby, you spelled flashlight wrong!”).

• Ugh, again with the “silly” elf names??? Where did this stereotype come from??????

• Some laughs from how squeaky everyone sounds.

• I love the giant Cheez-It stuck to Jeremy’s character.

• Wonder who was stuck operating Ariana’s severed legs.

• Andrew: “This isn’t Santa’s Workshop, you’re allowed to cry here.”

• Nice picture of an elf snorting a line of coke.

• Kind of an easy joke with Kam’s character getting some pleasure from the picture of an elf getting humped by a Ken doll.

• I love Andrew giving the Sign of the Cross after Kam explodes.

• Kenan’s delivery helped sell the otherwise crass joke about coming out of a dog’s “Hershey-hole”.

• This wasn’t too bad for what it was, but it could have been cutdown by a couple minutes.

Film: Home Alone

Kevin’s traps malfunction on his family.

• Ashley is a perfect choice to play Catherine O’Hara, who sadly died only a month after this aired.

• There’s some immediate red flags being flown once we see that Kevin is being played by…Ariana????? What the fuck??!!?? This is just more evidence that she has a weird age play kink!

• I love how well they captured the feel of the original movie’s cinematography and sets.

• Why is Colin in this sketch? What’s the point of trying to push him as a star when he’s 800 years into his tenure??? At least he’s a good fit to play Kevin’s asshole brother.

• *heavy sigh* All of a sudden, this turns into another one of those gory death sequences. Are they gonna do this in every Christmas show now??? Because nothing says Christmas like people dying!

• I remember how funny the Scrooge one was because it came out of literally nowhere. But now, I’m just rolling my eyes whenever one of Kevin’s relatives falls victim to his traps. Also, wouldn’t Kevin have cleaned everything up after the Wet Bandits got arrested?

• At least it was satisfying seeing Bowen lose his arms.

• Aw man, did they really have to kill Old Man Marley?

• Wait, this was all just a dream??? UGGGGHHHH!!!!

• Overall, an unnecessary retread of a format that I wish they’d stop going back to.

Sketch: Dancing 101

Two choreographers offer unique dancing lessons.

• Even when he’s not the focus, Bowen can’t resist acting like a queen.

• I am not liking this at all. I thought for sure it was another Jimmy Fowlie “masterpiece”, but apparently it was written by Marcello in collaboration with three other people nobody cares about.

• I love how Ariana says that she and Marcello are responsible for the dancers in those awful Jardiance commercials. Or, in Marcello’s words, “We made diabetes look like something ya want!”

• Other than that, though, this sketch is a total snooze. Not even JAJ dancing can save it.

Fake Ad: Random Duet Christmas Spectacular

Your favorite Christmas songs sung by unlikely duos.

• I like the tribute to David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s iconic Christmas duet at the beginning.

• Nice to see JAJ’s funny Bob Dylan impression again. Also, Ariana does a better Katy Perry impression than I expected.

• Ugh, please stop trying to make Marcello as Bad Bunny a thing.

• Sarah doesn’t sound anything like Kate Bush, so I don’t know why the writers bothered.

• Did you know Yoko Ono loves shouting and screaming? That’s the joke!!! Also, no comment on the fact that it’s Bowen playing the role.

• Kenan as Stevie Wonder??? Sorry, not buying it.

• Is that Veronika playing Post Malone? Why??????

• They’re even shoehorning Jane’s Update routine into this sketch. It still isn’t funny.

• The key to a successful Lil Jon impression: just shout “WHAT?” and that’ll be good enough.

• No idea who Cameron Winter is, but JAJ’s impression is pretty good, as usual.

• What’s with the weird Benson Boone running gag where he keeps destroying instruments? 

• Ariana reprises her role as Celine Dion from her last episode, while JAJ debuts an amazing take on Andrea Bocelli. Who knew JAJ was so good at opera?

• While this was a lot better than the last impression showcase, I still hated most of them. Why won’t SNL hire more impressionists?

Sketch: Black Santa

A criminal claims to be Santa.

• A sketch with Kenan as the lead only spells disaster at this point of his tenure.

• Great, now he’s ruining my favorite Cher song! I don’t think I need to say anymore.

Musical Performance: “DJ Play A Christmas Song”

Weekend Update (featuring Che’s nephew Tyson and the Trend Forecasters)

• The jab at Kevin Spacey was pretty good. 

• Horrible “joke” referring to Michael Jackson as a “white woman”.

• Kam gets another chance on Update. Hopefully this is better than his last one.

• Something about his delivery reminds me of Tracy Morgan.

• I love how Che says that Santa is probably watching the show because he’s over 100 years old and white.

• While repetitive, this was much better than Kam’s last Update appearance, particularly the line about how he’s gonna “Polar Express” Mrs. Claus.

• Aw no, not another Joke Swap. I am SO sick of these!

• I had to turn this one off as soon as Colin got to a joke about Catholic priests. Not that any of the jokes were funny, either.

• To “celebrate” Bowen’s last episode, we get the return of those awful Trend Forecasters he used to play with Aidy Bryant. While it is nice to see Aidy again, I wish it were under better circumstances than this.

Sketch: Love Is Blind: The Reunion

The Grinch is reunited with his lover. 

• Mikey plays the Grinch for the second week in a row.

• What the fuck am I even watching? 

• Mikey is still likable as always, but what was even the thought process behind this sketch?

• Now the Grinch is talking about his dick! Isn’t that just hilarious???

• STOP. EXPLAINING. THE. JOKES. PLEASE.

• What an embarrassing misfire of a sketch. 

Musical Performance: “Run Rudolph Run”

• Ariana introduces this sketch in-character as that castrated boy she played in that overrated sketch last from last season.

Sketch: Delta Lounge

Ed’s last shift has him remembering what he made in the past.

• Well, here we go. Time for Bowen’s farewell.

• So far, this is just a bunch of campiness and unfunny meta jokes.

• Ugh, now he’s singing…

• I hate to be a Scrooge, but I feel absolutely nothing here. If they were trying to make me cry, then I’m afraid they failed. I could barely make it through Cecily’s farewell without crying, but now, I’m just rolling my eyes and waiting for them to get it over with. Goodbye and good riddance.

Note: A memorial for Rob Reiner is shown before the goodnights, as this was right after he and his wife were killed by their own son.

Cut for Time: Last Stop Christmas Shop

Weird Christmas trees are advertised.

• UGGGHHHHHH!!!! Both Sarah and Ariana are in drag!!! This is gonna be a looooooong sketch!

• Yep, so far, I haven’t cracked so much as a smile.

• Is this the same set as the famous Two A-Holes Christmas tree sketch? I seem to recall another sketch from that period using it as well.

• No comment on the “bush” joke. Did Beavis and Butt-head write that?

• Now we get a pathetic attempt from Sarah to make Chloe break.

• This is quickly devolving into nothing but breaking.

• Someone wasted a lot of money just so they could make a tree urinate. Think about that for a second.

• The only laugh I got from this was the cactus that looks like Verne Troyer.

• Is it any wonder why this shit was left on the cutting room floor?

Final thoughts: While not as wretched as last year’s Christmas show, it was still pretty bad. I don’t think I would give anything higher than three and a half stars.

As for Bowen Yang, thank God that this is the last time I have to talk about him! I hated him from the moment he first joined the cast. While there were some occasions he did something I liked, for the most part he was just a campy annoyance. Good fucking riddance!

MVP: James Austin Johnson 

Best sketches: Elf on the Shelf Support Group, Cher’s musical performances 

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Home Alone, Black Santa, Trend Forecasters commentary, Love Is Blind: The Reunion

Next review: Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky