Ever since I was in middle school, I’ve been waking up on Sunday mornings to watch the previous night’s streamed (or, in the old days, TiVoed) episode of Saturday Night Live. It’s a ritual I’ve come to rely on, even if the plot in question is a little lighter than one might expect. Still, last night’s 50th anniversary episode of The Late Show was excellent in nearly every way, with its occasional mundane moments — and gosh, it’s officially over, let the ‘Boy Summer’ jokes fade gracefully — but with the 2024 presidential election just weeks away, it’s great to see the cast of “Saturday Night Live” do just that.
Here are 5 standout moments from the first episode of SNL Season 50:
Maya Rudolph reprises her role as Kamala Harris. Are the coconut tree jokes feeling a little stale now? Yes. But honestly, Maya Rudolph can deliver punchlines like “Schweddy balls” from 90s SNL and I’m still excited to see her. Also, Jim Gaffigan is amazingly perfect as Harris’ partner Tim Walz, as is Bowen Yang as J.D. Vance. Andy Samberg’s performance as Doug Emhoff isn’t as perfect, but still, everything Andy Samberg does is inherently funny to me, so I can forgive him.
Jean Smart’s opening monologue. I have a huge, pathetic crush on Jane Smart, but even if I wasn’t enamored with the hack star, I’d still love her half-recited, half-sung ode to New York (and her massive gay fan base).
Hannah Einbinder came out to help Smart announce the musical guest. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear Jean Smart say “We have a great show for you guys tonight, Jelly Roll is here!” and I’m curious to know who’s in charge of telling Smart who Jelly Roll is. Though, honestly, the real-life friendship between Smart and her Hacks costar Einbinder was pretty touching, and I’m glad Einbinder was able to be a part of her friend’s big night.
Mulden! I don’t think anyone can top Bowen Yang as the iceberg that sank the Titanic, but seeing the comedian dressed as the baby of everyone’s favorite Thai pygmy hippopotamus was just what I needed. Hose! (Plus, it was an extremely busy night for Young, who appeared in a dozen sketches in a row; that’s what I love to watch!)
The “I Love Lucy” parody that inspired Smart’s line “Are you gay?” was a little boring, but hearing Smart ask Desi this question from Lucy literally made me spit out my soda.
