Apparently, there was some great stuff under the tree on Christmas morning...for everyone but poor ole Mom. The web is buzzing about SNL's holiday sketch, and we have a feeling East Texas moms might relate.
SNL has been through enough big moments in recent weeks to overshadow our Halloween obsession with David S. Pumpkins, but as the sketch itself insisted, several questions remain. Where did the “S” initial suddenly come from, and how did such a memorably ridiculous idea come to pass? Allow Bobby Moynihan to explain.
SNL sailed from the 40th anniversary into Season 41 rather smoothly, though the waters roughened in recent weeks with the departures of Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah and Jon Rudnitsky. Thankfully, it’s clear skies ahead for Season 42, as the rest of the beloved cast will be staying aboard. Sailing metaphors!
SNL fans are still reeling the loss of Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah (well, and Jon Rudnitsky), but little did we know, the pair already had backup plans. Showtime confirms that Killam will lead new comedy Mating, while Jay Pharoah lands the lead role in Jamie Foxx comedy White Famous.
SNL is built for a bit of turnover here and there, but that doesn’t remove the sting from losing some of its best not-ready-for-primetime-players. To wit, Season 42 has some surprising departures, including series veterans Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah.
SNL vet Fred Armisen returned to Studio 8H this weekend to host the Season 41 finale, and as you might expect, things got pretty weird. In between delivering the longest, most delightfully strange monologue in recent memory and reviving a couple of fan-favorite characters, Armisen starred in this pre-recorded spoof of Dead Poets Society. Riffing on a 27-year-old drama is certainly unexpected, but not nearly as unexpected as what happens at the end of this thing.
It’s been several years since Dana Carvey’s Church Lady graced us with her benevolent presence, but Church Chat finally returns to SNL — and not a moment too soon. With Donald Trump running for president (what a world) and pop culture run amok, we, as a nation, are truly in need of sage wisdom from Carvey’s shrewdly devout Church Lady.
SNL had always intended to take off the coming weekend in preparation for its final May shows, but given the tragic passing of music icon Prince, NBC will pay tribute to the late star with a special highlight of the artist’s musical performances.
You can’t have Julia Louis-Dreyfus host SNL without at least some reference to her Seinfeld past — especially when you bring Larry David back to reprise his role as presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. In this week’s debate-themed cold open, Sanders and Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton indulge in their usual caricature shenanigans and cartoonish sparring, this time with cameos from a couple of beloved sitcoms of NBC’s past.
Last year, SNL was hosted by Republican presidential nominee frontrunner Donald Trump and the response was unkind, to say the least. Back then, he still seemed like a big joke — just a loudmouth who was surely going to drop out at any moment. And now, as he wins primary after primary, the beloved sketch show has slowly turned on Trump, culminating in a faux campaign ad that lands like a punch to the gut.
If you're going to have the great Larry David host a full episode of SNL, there are two obvious areas of parody. First, you simply have to give him more to do as Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, whose unlikely showing in the recent Democratic presidential primaries have made David a regular guest star this season. Second, you need to riff on Curb Your Enthusiasm, his (possibly) late, great HBO sitcom that redefined cringe comedy. And in this case, SNL found a a way to combine the two.