Live from New York: This Week on ‘SNL’

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

From the cold open to the monologue, the musical guest performances, and the iconic Weekend Update, this column dives deep into every new episode of Saturday Night Live. I’ll be talking about sketches, cast member highlights, the show’s weekly impact, and what might’ve flopped.

Saturday Night Live (SNL), an immensely popular sketch comedy show, celebrated its official 50th anniversary this week. The show officially aired for the first time on Oct. 11, 1975, and celebrated the milestone with alumna Amy Poehler as the host, accompanied by musical guest ROLE MODEL. As a massive fan of the show, I’m detailing the milestone episode with important things that occurred!

From top to bottom and start to finish, this phenomenal episode came together so well and was a great representation of what SNL is. It showed fans as well as critics how amazing the show is when it’s done right, proving all of the “Saturday Night Dead” believers wrong. From the classic political cold open to a great monologue, with creative sketches and the best Weekend Update I’ve seen in a long time, this episode radiated the beauty of Saturday Night Live, both inside and out.

The Weekend Update is typically my favorite part of the entire show, and this was especially true this week. Every joke landed, and the chemistry between co-anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost is always palpable. Some of the jokes, particularly one made by Che about OpenAI’s updated video-generating app, Sora, being used to insert Jost into a video of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, felt reminiscent of their popular annual joke-swap segment.

In this segment, they write crazy jokes for each other to read on camera for the first time. The light-hearted yet somewhat dicey nature of the jokes made them all the more funny with each anchor’s reactions.

This episode also had three different Update Features, each one better than the last. It started with Sarah Sherman’s character, Rhonda LaCenzo, talking about New York City’s front-runner mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, and playing a “concerned citizen” from Long Island, New York. Sherman frequently appears at the Update desk, and she’s always a treat.

She gives her all into every character she plays, sometimes even playing herself, and sells the joke to the highest degree. This was followed by a recurring feature that has become very popular online, “The Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together.” Marcello Hernandez plays Grant, a stereotypical frat jock who’s dating Alyssa (Jane Wickline), a soft-spoken and nerdy girl. This feature is always great, with Hernandez’s loud and upbeat personality contrasting with Wickline’s quiet but often snarky nature.

However, the best Update Feature this week goes to the “Weekend Update Joke Off,” featuring special appearances from host Amy Poehler as well as Tina Fey and Seth Meyers. Fey and Meyers are also alumni of the show, both being head writers and cast members as well as past anchors of the update desk. The three are all very close friends, having worked on the show at the same time, which created a fun atmosphere that was visible on screen.

They all took turns giving punchlines to the headline of “A woman in Tennessee broke a hospital record after giving birth to a 13-pound baby,” competing in teams to see who could come up with the best and funniest one.

This feature was absolutely outstanding. Not just because Fey, Poehler, and Meyers are my favorite comedy writers of all time, but also because their chemistry and energy were radiant, making me reminisce about a time when they were all on the show. The dynamic between them and Che and Jost was also remarkable, especially because the three of them had worked with Jost on SNL, where he’s been a writer since 2005.

This feature was a fun comedy piece and utilized celebrity cameos in the best way possible, making it feel necessary and almost expected. This Weekend Update segment was absolutely wonderful, and is going to be exceptionally difficult to top, not just next week but for the rest of the season!

There were many highlights in this episode, like the monologue. It was classic with great jokes, consistent with Poehler’s traditional comedic voice.

The “Rudemans,” sketch immediately after the monologue was also really good. It had a nostalgic feel since the premise was very reminiscent of sketches from the show’s early 2000s era. It was kind of a spin on “The Kissing Family,” which was popular during that time, and a fan favorite.

I also thought the “Emo Mom” sketch was particularly clever. It took the premise of kids becoming emo when they go through puberty and spun it on its head, making it about a mom going through menopause. This sketch is also in Poehler’s comedic voice, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she had a hand in writing it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the “Psychic Talk Show” sketch, as it utilized most of the cast, especially the newcomers, very well. It executed a kind of absurd concept in a silly and fun way.

Another highlight in this episode was ROLE MODEL’s appearance as a musical guest. He performed two of his most famous songs, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and “Some Protector.” Both performances were outstanding, and as someone who doesn’t actively listen to him, he definitely gained a new fan. I also thought it was really cool that he brought out Charli xcx to be his “Sally” during his first performance.

Other great things to note from this episode were Aubrey Plaza’s cameo in “The Hunting Wives Season Two Trailer” pre-record, Tina Fey’s appearance as Kristi Noem in the cold open, and the “Theme Song Masterclass” as a great example of a 10-to-1 sketch.

Although I thought the “Experienced Lawyers” sketch felt a bit repetitive by the end, I don’t think there were many weak spots in this episode. This could be due to my bias for the host and those who made surprise appearances, but I thought the episode was solid and funny throughout.

I also think they could’ve capitalized on this being the 50th anniversary episode by referencing the first episode more, with nods or homages, but otherwise, it was amazing.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic episode of Saturday Night Live! I think it’s the strongest so far, and the cast was utilized perfectly with everyone being highlighted in some way throughout the night. Overall, I would give it a rating of 9.5 out of 10. I’m excited for next week when Sabrina Carpenter makes her second appearance as a host and her third as a musical guest, so stay tuned for my thoughts!

Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest!