With another season of SNL in the books, we’re back at it again, and this time more fashionably late than unnecessarily delayed! As always, our Wrap-Up Extravaganzas are a time to reflect, fight personal demons, and just generally get any final thoughts we have about the past season of review coverage out of our systems. And after that: on to new, potentially greener pastures! But for now: here’s some parting words on one of the most complicated seasons in the show’s history.
MATT:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: In the fall of 2020, one of the worst possible things that could possibly happen for SNL happened: it became even harder to make. SNL has been through a lot throughout its history, by virtue of being around so long. It’s bounced back from national and international tragedies, anthrax scares, and Steven Seagal, but it’s never been deterred—perhaps indebted to its ego, SNL does nothing but stick out the most adverse conditions. But being faced with the immensely difficult task of creating a comedy show in the middle of a worldwide pandemic was a particularly unique challenge, and while it spawned three fascinating, valuable “At Home” episodes last season, the return to 8H frequently felt encumbered. For as fascinating as it is to consider that SNL accomplished what they were able to accomplish, week after week, the outcome, disappointingly, tended to lack in fascination.
A lot of that is in the fact that this season’s greatest issues are ones that the pandemic exacerbated, not caused. The cast is the most congested that it’s ever been, and its failure to cohere—while an issue for the past several seasons—has never been more of an issue. This was a “good” season for all of the usual suspects, for the most part, but being the umpteenth season with the likes of Kate and Aidy leading the herd and doing the same shtick that’s defined their last few years ensures there isn’t much of a transformative aspect to the show as it goes on. At the very least, while Beck and Pete continued to maintain the steady screentime that they’d been blessed with for maintaining the show’s good graces, they do some of their best work of their entire tenures here, allowing Beck to leave on a high and Pete… well, you know. On the other hand, this season was perhaps the hardest season for newbies in SNL’s history: Andrew endured a brutally unremarkable first half of the season but was fortunate to truly blossom in the second half as one of the show’s most promising new voices, Punkie toiled enough to survive the season cut, and Lauren was crushingly doomed from the start. I look at someone like Andrew who was able to completely blow away my expectations after months of misuse, and I have to wonder how much potential Lauren might’ve had if she wasn’t roped into a season that had absolutely no use for her.
Fortunately, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. While Beck is the only heavy-hitter to depart the show, his loss creates new opportunities for the male cast to reconfigure; similarly, while the season begins with an onslaught of some of the most turgid and distressing political material that the show’s ever done, it also marks the end of SNL’s cameo-fest years, and after Biden’s inauguration, the show was able to wield a more apolitical, and at best fun-loving focus. The season finale is legitimately a brilliant episode that seems to forecast brighter days for the show’s future. And Season 47, for however much it had to battle the same issues, would be a refreshing return to form. If this season was a means to an end, then I’ll take it. In the grand scheme of this never-ending era, though, it was kinda just another year for SNL.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: This season of coverage includes two of my favorite reviews that I ever got to write, and two that are on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. The Anya Taylor-Joy review I got to work on with both Carson and Anthony was the most fun thing I’ve gotten to do for the site so far; it’s such a joy working with those two brilliant bastards, and being able to celebrate such a triumphant episode of the show is a privilege. There’s gonna be more reviews in that vein, so stay tuned for some fun surprises next season! And then of course, my Elon Musk review was such a massive undertaking, but I’m really happy with how it came out even though some corners of the Internet raw-dogged me for being critical of the shitty decision SNL made to put on a shitty episode hosted by a shitty piece of shit. It comes from a place of love, I assure you!
Favorite sketches?: As is tradition, here’s my top five favorite live sketches, pretapes, Update pieces, and monologues from the past season in chronological order:
Favorite Live Sketches:
The Blitz (Bill Burr)
Birthday Gifts (Regina Page)
Proud Parents (Daniel Kaluuya)
The Muppet Show (Keegan-Michael Key)
NYU Guest Panel (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Favorite Pretapes:
Lexus (Timothée Chalamet)
The Maya-ing (Maya Rudolph)
Viral Apology Video (Daniel Kaluuya)
The Last Dance: Extended Scene (Keegan-Michael Key)
Picture With Dad (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Favorite Update Pieces:
Fran Leibowitz and Martin Scorcese (John Krasinski)
Iceberg That Sank the Titanic (Carey Mulligan)
Andrew Dismukes (Keegan-Michael Key)
Season Finale Joke Swap (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Jeanine Pirro (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Favorite Monologues:
Bill Burr
John Mulaney
Jason Bateman
Timothée Chalamet
Daniel Kaluuya
Favorite episode(s)?: In a season where few episodes rose above an understandable sluggishness, Anya Taylor-Joy stands out as the season’s greatest triumph, though it deserves that reputation: it’s also one of the greatest episodes of this entire era, and one of my favorites that I caught live. It really was just a moment in time where everything felt right, and SNL was able to key into beautifully—the stormclouds of the pandemic were finally beginning to pass, and just as the world could finally start to resemble itself again, SNL could once again feel untethered and delightful with no asterisks about its enjoyability.
On the topic of asterisks, though, there were a handful of strong episodes in the complicated throes of the pandemic, and I was enough of a dick to claim two of them: Bill Burr, who merged his brand of more abrasive comedy with SNL to delightful effect, and Timothée Chalamet, who helped bring about a very performance-driven, goofy, and occasionally even cerebral night of material. John also helped me foster more appreciation of the polarizing Issa Rae episode, and revisiting the doctored, dress rehearsal-laden version that NBC would put online made for a far more enjoyable experience considering how much I was misled by that live airing having perhaps the most cruelly dead audience that SNL has ever had. Lastly, both the Regé-Jean Page and Daniel Kaluuya episodes had their ups and downs, but their best material and well-rounded, amiable vibes help lift them above the pack as particularly rewarding outings to return to.
Hot takes?: I swear, I love Kabir, but every season he covers at least one piece that I absolutely love, but that he severely lambasts! In Season 44 it was that wild “Brothers” sketch with Beck and Kyle; in Season 45, it was Kyle’s Scooter Rineholdt commentary, and while I didn’t defend it since a couple others did, Beck’s “Boop-It” pretape. This season, continuing those Beck or Kyle trends, it’s Kyle’s Update segment alongside Bowen as Fran Leibowitz and Martin Scorcese. Like Scooter, it’s one of those segments which is just so ridiculous, so driven by goofy performances, that it hits this sweet spot for me from Kyle that I absolutely adore when he’s not just doing cringe comedy (or god forbid, Baby Yoda). Bowen also shines with his unexpected but delightful Fran Leibowitz impression, basically just an excuse to be an extravagant sourpuss while saying things like, “Gender doesn’t exist anymore! Y’know why? Ed Koch died!”; his greatest responsibility is keeping things going while Kyle responds to every one of her remarks with some reaction between raucous laughter and a honking seal, and while Bowen teeters on the edge of breaking, he rolls through it like an absolute champ. Also, as I noted in my review of the “Lifting Our Voices” sketch from the Dan Levy episode, Kyle’s ability to strike up chemistry with basically every cast member in the cast is one of his greatest, most deeply-underrated attributes. It’s a shame we didn’t see many more of these moments during his final season.
There are some other pieces I don’t agree with the rating of, though not to as substantial a degree. Mark me down with Carson as a defender of that “headless horseman” sketch from the Mulaney episode, for instance; it’s crude, sophomoric, and above all else aggressively stupid, but it just works for me. SNL can afford to be like that sometimes, and they really commit to it. As a more obscure pick, I’ve also always enjoyed Chris’ Smokey Robinson Update correspondence from the Kristen Wiig episode. It’s sort of a nothing piece, but Chris is one of the most insanely charming cast members the show has right now, and him saying the most inane shit with that falsetto voice is such a delight to me. Beyond that: not too many grievances this season! It’s a fine collection of work and I’m proud of us.
ANTHONY:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: In which we learned a global pandemic couldn’t stop SNL from SNLing. This season kinda passed in a blur; Ego said ‘Edith Puthie’ and Lauren said…well we never got around to that. It’s hard to come up with any new insight on a show as thoroughly analyzed as this. Would it shock you to hear I thought the debate sketches sucked, the elder cast shouldn’t have been there, the newbies should have been used more, the Musk episode was a trainwreck, Aidy Cruz was a bunch of bullshit and Pete did too many raps? Oh well. This season had to have just been the biggest headache to produce, so I don’t want to beat up on the show too much 2 years after the fact, but revisiting it for these reviews has just reminded how little I care for this season. There’s enough highlights in here (Ego steadily gaining a star spot on the show, Beck turning in some strong work, and some one-off great sketches I’ll get to below) to keep it from truly bottoming out like a S20 or even 30, but we’re a lot closer to that territory than I ever want to see the show in.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: Anya Taylor Joy was not only the best episode of the season, but getting to work on a review with Matt and Carson was maybe my favorite thing in general I’ve done for the site so far. Collab reviews! They’re fun guys. (This definitely isn’t me buttering y’all up for future collabs…)
Favorite sketches?: In terms of live sketches, “Proud Parents” is probably the strongest piece of the year, both on paper and in performance. “Birthday Gifts” and “NYU Guest Panel” are also just really solid, sturdy sketches as well. I’d say it’s the pre-tapes though that have an even split for my absolute favorite sketch of the season. “Picture With Dad” is the hardest I laughed at a sketch all season 46, and “The Maya-ing” was the piece that left me the most impressed with its ambition and ingenuity. Interesting to note one of those was written by Andrew Dismukes, a fresh face, and the other by Colin Jost, who’s been at the show in some capacity for over 15 years at this point. Is this a torch passing moment? Or will the show hold on to that torch so long it sets itself on fire? Join us next season to find out!
Favorite episode(s)?: As I said, Anya Taylor Joy, though Burr, Chalamet & Kaluuya were all also highlights in a dreary year.
Hot takes?: Eh, Chappelle’s ep didn’t really do much for me, monologue included. I wasn’t really triggered, but I do think Dave’s a lot more rambly these days than people wanna admit. Even the Uncle Ben sketch kinda misses me once you get past the breaking. And I wanna like “Hailstorm”, but it also kinda just sits there for me. I do like the Beck sketch at least.
CARSON:
What are your general thoughts on the season?:
Season 46 depicts two shows at once: an overstuffed, overserved beast gasping its final breaths, and a plucky upstart looking to breathe new life into an old formula. In a way, it’s like Season 20 and 21 at once (or, essentially, Season 31). The first half of the season is a mess unlike any other in the show’s history: reduced, sleep-deprived audiences (yes, first responders need to laugh too, but do they want to??); the sad, sluggish, inevitable death rattle of the show’s celebrity cameo era; and the weird, disjointed overall pacing of the show (a half hour to get to the end of the monologue? Are you serious??). The second half made a concerted effort to avoid the cameo slog and gently tiptoe away from its safety net of the worst political satire in the nation’s history. Through it all, SNL remained…well, SNL. Even when it didn’t feel like SNL.
Those early episodes were gassed up and off-center, but not without moments of genuine excellence (The Blitz, Hailstorm) or near-excellence (The Birds). The post-election SNL had the air of new effort and found fresh pathways to success (The Maya-ing, Tiny Horse—though YMMV), but wobbled on its feet like a newborn calf. Ultimately, it didn’t look or feel like the SNL we have known and tolerated, but it really came out the same in the end. If you look at the season’s trajectory, however, you can see a tentative show grow into a confident show, with sporadic dips and faceplants along the way. That’s progress even if it didn’t always feel like it at the micro level (for example, the Britney cold opens weren’t any better than Trumpwin cold opens, but man did they feel like an oasis in a very shitty desert).
Ultimately, SNL had to entertain multiple adaptive elements at once. The execution was unruly and wobbly AF, but ultimately yielded enough moments of greatness or at least interest to justify its existence.
Some quick hits:
— Poor Lauren.
— Beck, always good, always providing terrific flavor to often thankless roles, delivers some of his best ever work. An MVP season.
— Ego has been steadily emerging for some time, but this felt like the year she became undeniable.
— Hey, Pete puts in his best ever work. Way to go, Pete! Two-and-a-half stars!
— There are versions of Kate that are great and some that I loathe, but I never loathe it more than when others are super receptive to it. Enter Dr. Weknowdis, peak Kate indulgence that audiences ate up in spite of being bloated on all the ticks and affectations that have made her a hard cast member to root for these last…several seasons.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: I got to cover some individually great sketches this season and even stumbled into an unexpected favorite (Hailstorm), but really, the most fun I have writing about SNL is debating about SNL. Getting to piggyback alongside site leaders Matt and Anthony was probably my favorite thing to do, if for no other reason than it allowed for a little back and forth between some very smart and insightful people (and also myself).
Favorite sketches?: Here’s my Best of 2020-2021:
COLD: What Still Works? (John Krasinski)
MONO: Bill Burr
COMM1: Lexus (Timothée Chalamet)
SKETCH 1: Birthday Gifts (Regina King)
SKETCH 2: The Blitz (Bill Burr)
SKETCH 3: Picture With Dad (Anya Taylor-Joy)
SKETCH 4: Hailstorm (Dave Chappelle)
SKETCH 5: Sportsmax (Timothée Chalamet)
SKETCH 6: Christmas Morning (Kristin Wiig)
WU 1: Andrew Dismukes discusses grandma (Keegan Michael Key)
WU 2: Dolly Parton (Timothée Chalamet)
WU 3: Iceberg That Sank The Titanic (Carey Mulligan)
SKETCH 7: Proud Parents (Daniel Kaluuya)
COMM 2: Five-Hour Empathy (Issa Rae)
SKETCH 8: Study Buddy (Carey Mulligan)
SKETCH 9: The Last Dance: Extended Scene (Keegan Michael Key)
SKETCH 10: Let’s Say Grace (Regé-Jean Page)
SKETCH 11: NYU Guest Panel (Anya Taylor-Joy)
SKETCH 12: The Maya-ing (Maya Rudolph)
Favorite episode(s)?: The finale, of course, felt like the big triumphant moment that the show had been struggling to work toward. Only hindsight diminishes what felt like a cumulative impact—what felt like an exclamation mark turned out to be an ellipsis. Beyond that, the Burr and Chalamet episodes felt like they had a little more voice to them. I also still feel that the Dan Levy episode woulda coulda shoulda kinda was a great episode.
Hot takes?: You guys are going to hate me for this one. I don’t want to hate on anything you love (I like Tiny Horse, I don’t love it), but you know those sketches that you really really hate? Like really despise? Like, those ones on your worst ever lists? Yeah, I don’t mind them.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to argue for anything’s greatness. But Gen-Z Hospital? Fuck it, I laughed. In spite of myself, sure, but a laugh is a laugh is a laugh. LIke yes, it’s one joke and not a great one and Elon Musk’s active shooter energy is certainly not helping a damn thing. But for about 30 seconds of this thing, I’m pretty down with the cause even if I know it’s actually bad. Maybe I’m the perfect age where I’m young enough to place the joke but old enough not to muster up offense to everything.
You know what else? That Morgan Wallen reclamation turd? I don’t hate it either. The guy’s a shithead and SNL is always at its worst when it’s trying to make shitheads appealing, but Wallen is a garden variety shithead and, whatever, it’s a bad sketch with some fun ideas. I’m not too worked up.
Let’s see, what else…I’ve already defended the Headless Horsemen sketch and about half the Dan Levy episode, so you know I’m not grumpy about those. Regurgitations like Extreme Baking Championship and the sleepover sketch from the Jason Bateman episode? Don’t hate ‘em! Don’t love them, but not sure what the big problem is.
Yeah, if it weren’t for me trashing the Maya Rudolph episode, you’d think I was the least critical person on the planet.
JOHN:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: The further removed we are from season 46, the further removed season 46 seems from anything which has happened on the show since that time.
There’s the obvious (the heavy focus on Kamala Harris, who has since been an afterthought on the show, aside from a few digs during Update), but the sense of the season being an anomaly even trickles down to the cast.
There’s Lauren, Punkie and Andrew, debuting as cast members; Lauren is one of the most forgotten cast members of all time, while Punkie and Andrew, as of current writing, are lucky to even get into episodes. There’s Heidi, Ego and Bowen, who all provided strong writing and performances this season and seemed poised to only be at the start of their best work, but have instead never managed to top anything from this point, and in some cases (particularly Heidi’s), putting out a number of pieces which have made me wonder what I even saw in them.
And of course, Pete, who had a season where everything finally and fully clicked into place, with a chance to leave on a great note…only to undo most of those positives with a final season so half-assed, by the last months many no longer knew if he was even in the cast.
There are some constants, but as is often the case with this show, consistency is not a good thing—the show still doesn’t know how to write for Biden, or politics in general; the show still has no idea what to do with Chloe; Che and Jost still seem to be in purgatory redressed as Weekend Update.
Fortunately, we still had a few arcs which reached a positive conclusion. Chris Redd, after a shaky season or two, really starts to come into his own in 46, enabling him to dominate portions of 47 before leaving on a high. Beck Bennett also bounces back from a middling few years in a way that most late-stage cast members, including some in his own cast (poor Alex Moffat) rarely do, having a year that was strong on all fronts before getting one of the best final episodes I can remember of any SNL player.
There is also the cementing of part-time cast members, after flirtations in past years, and how it affected the show. At the time I wondered if this would become the norm, but I’m not entirely sure any cast members outside of those who have now left will ever be given such freedom. Looking back, Aidy’s tenure wasn’t affected as much as I may have felt in real time, but I do think Cecily felt out of place for the rest of that season—to be honest I think Cecily felt out of place starting from season 45, but it never came off to me quite as much as it did in 46 (I still shudder at the memory of some of her Update pieces).
I hate to even talk about politics on this show, of all shows, I’m mentioning this solely because I do wonder if this is the last time the show will get any real election boost, especially given how quickly the numbers wore off. A boost which was completely unearned (do you remember any good political commentary on SNL in those months, outside of a joke or two on Update?). I remember hoping the shift away from Trumpwin might finally bring change in cold open length and quality, while realizing that was as likely as an episode co-hosted by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The one positive of this period was the collective shrug toward Jim Carrey’s work as Joe Biden finally let Lorne and co see the virtues of having a cast member in these key roles. The writing is still lousy, but baby steps…
This was the only full season where Anna Drezen served as a co-head writer. I didn’t pay as much attention to this at the time, partly because I had become somewhat burnt out on her sketches and partly because I wasn’t sure how this would influence the show as a whole; I’m not sure how much power any head writer has over Lorne or network interference given the number of decades-long writing issues the show has had. I now find myself appreciating her tenure more, both because I think season 46 had longer-than-usual periods of sustained quality (or as close as you’re likely to get with the show, anyway) and because 46 was one of the only large-cast seasons to make an effort to get everyone onto Update, even just once. I wonder if these elements would have continued if she hadn’t left halfway through season 47, or if, like so many things in season 46, it was never going to last.
One reason I can walk away from this season with something of a soft spot is the season finale. SNL season finales tend to be an expectations game, expectations which can never go low enough due to burnout galore. For once, the season truly ended on a high note, allowing for a sense of joy and completion to carry through the summer months. Even if most of the forever cast still dragged their heels one more year, nothing can take away the commitment and heart that episode had.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: I’d probably choose the Issa Rae episode as a whole, because I think the episode is very unique, due to the host, where the show (and the country) was at that time, as well as the variety of material which represents a road the show did not end up taking for the rest of the season. Carey Mulligan I’m happy I got to talk about because for me it is one of those examples of a hostproof episode which doesn’t get as much coverage because it’s not about a host being bad or controversial, just about them being pleasant but average (sometimes a combination that leads to better nights than one might imagine…sometimes not). I’m also glad I got to choose two episodes with very strong Aidy sketches, because I feel like most of the shows I’ve covered haven’t given me that opportunity to praise the parts of her work that made me appreciate her even when her tenure ambled for several years longer than necessary.
Favorite sketches?: Not counting anything I covered, “Samuel Adams,” “Strollin’,” “Take Me Back,” “Tiny Horse,” “Dionne Warwick Talk Show” (#1), “Christmas Morning,” “It Gets Better,” “Murder Show,” “Bachelor Party,” “Viking Voyager,” “Dating After Lockdown,” “The Maya-ing.” “Viral Apology Video,” “Proud Parents,” “Every Conversation…” “”Last Dance: Extended Scene,” “Muppet Show,” “Hollywood Squares,” “Picture With Dad,” “NYU Guest Panel,” “AMC Theatres,” Andrew’s Update appearance, Cecily as Pirro, Pete’s final Update appearance, Heidi and Mikey “cancel” Update appearance, Melissa’s Dolly Parton Update appearance, “Home Makeover” (CFT), “Gospel Play Promo” (CFT).
Favorite episode(s)?: Rae, Chalamet, RGP, ATJ.
Hot takes?: I still think the Nick Jonas episode, which was all but ignored at the time, has a great deal of genuinely strong and offbeat material that might have gotten more notice if not for having such an incredibly bland host. I still don’t mind the quieter crowds of a number of episodes this season, and wish the show had used the opportunity to try a wider variety of material that doesn’t rely on generic laughs. I can take this season’s Mulaney episode over season 45’s, even if I’m not watching most of either again anytime soon unless you pay me. While I was never fond of Maya’s time in the cast, I didn’t have any problem with her making various appearances in the first months of season 46—I much preferred seeing her non-Kamaya roles, and the people she took airtime from continued to get little airtime after she left anyway. I wish Kenan had left after this season—I understand why he stayed, as I imagine even he knew his sitcom would not last very long, but once you get to the point of becoming successful enough to have a big venture elsewhere, it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain yourself in the fabric of SNL (and indeed, I feel like he has had a harder and harder time not sticking out, especially in this giggle-filled season).
KABIR:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: Not as polarizing as the last election season (2016-17), it felt like the show was equating “being political” with “being relevant”; there’s no requirement that politics had to be the focus of so much of the show. But that gave the non-political sketches (or the ones which were subtle) a chance to shine. There was also a much better mix of hosts than I think we’ve had in recent years: stand-ups, comedic actors, serious actors, established stars, former cast members, a few musicians… and the musical guests were almost uniformly solid. Almost.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: I only covered two episodes (John Krasinski and Adele), which were both kind of sub-par. Both of them are very engaging performers, but Adele hasn’t done much comedy and Krasinski hadn’t done much in a long time. So I guess I’ll say it was fun seeing them in this new/revisited arena. Even if the episodes didn’t turn out great, the hosts put in a good effort and seemed to be having fun.
Favorite sketches?: Uncle Ben, because it married the ridiculous to politics and then had the infectious character breaks. Also, Lexus (Timothee Chalamet) because it was just so perfectly done.
Favorite episode(s)?: Dave Chappelle. The recent tradition of having him host after an election has been a nice touch.
Hot takes?: I am extremely tired of the cameo-fest cold opens that are just 1) a press conference, 2) a politician in one, 3) debates.
SNL has always had political humor and always will. So the whole “SNL is too political and not funny anymore” thing is ridiculous. But the show needs to find ways into political humor that are not just same old tropes. Some of the funniest political sketches were more inventive with their settings: Perot/Stockdale taking a drive, Bush 41 and Bob Dole fishing, Reagan (Chevy Chase) playing the organ, Jimmy Carter and family generating electricity with an exercise bike, the Three Mile Island sketch, Reagan’s staff briefing, Palin being interviewed, etc.
VAX NOVIER:
What are your general thoughts on the season?: Looking back, it’s best to view this season on a tempered measure than the average year due to the show having to deal with the global pandemic going on in order to keep running. Production shifts to accommodate safety protocols led to larger blocks of episodes never attempted before, as the uncertainty of completing the season and making it to May, or even to the end of October, loomed over the proceedings.
This season had so many tonal shifts it can almost be divided into severely mini-seasons:
— the initial six week stretch where the opening 10+ minutes were dedicated to debate material helmed entirely by a set of recurring guest stars, and a hollow atmosphere in the studio due to limited capacity made way for traces of offbeat sketches atypical for the era, complete with scattered Maya sightings throughoutthe December shows that relished in its post-Trumpwin world while slowing easing back into the normal pre-Covid routine broadcast
— the extended block starting out the new year marked by cold opens with less politics in the foreground, the return of senior cast members stabilizing the ongoing hierarchy, along with peaks and valleys of varying levels on a sketch-by-sketch basis
— the remainder of the season with the entire cast in the studio, whether all of them were used or not, that provided consistent quality material for the most part (and a dark stain on the show’s reputation) that left hints of opportunity for the next generation of players as things began to open once more.
It’s easy to get upset that many long-time cast members didn’t depart after this year, but I can understand why given the circumstances. The main goal that year was completing the season rather than wrapping up their tenures in the long run.
What was your favorite thing that you covered this season?: When signing up for this project, there was only one episode I initially planned to cover from this season. While Nick Jonas didn’t host the best show of the year, it carried a consistent quality that was needed during a troubling period and benefited the overall proceedings. Highlights include Viking Voyager which coasted on low-key energy, and a quality performance from later-season Kate boosting Dating After Lockdown.
Favorite sketches?:
Favorite Live Sketches:
The Dionne Warwick Show (Timothée Chalamet)
Rap Roundtable (Timothée Chalamet)
Amusement Park (Nick Jonas)
Dating After Lockdown (Nick Jonas)
Proud Parents (Daniel Kaluuya)
Dog Park (Daniel Kaluuya)
The Muppet Show (Keegan-Michael Key)
NYU Guest Panel (Anya Taylor-Joy)
AMC Theaters (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Favorite Pretapes:
Enough is Enough (Bill Burr)
5-Hour Empathy (Issa Rae)
Strollin’ (John Mulaney)
Take Me Back (Dave Chappelle)
Lexus (Timothée Chalamet)
Tiny Horse (Timothée Chalamet)
I Got a Robe (Kristen Wiig)
It Gets Better (Dan Levy)
Job Interview (Regé-Jean Page)
The Last Dance (Keegan-Michael Key)
Picture with Dad (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Favorite Update Pieces:
80’s Cocaine Wife (Issa Rae)
Pete Davidson (Jason Bateman)
Melissa as Dolly (Timothée Chalamet)
Joke Swap (Kristen Wiig)
The Iceberg (Carey Mulligan)
Favorite episode(s)?: Timothée Chalamet & Daniel Kaluuya (with Nick Jonas at a distant #3).
Hot takes?: While I can still enjoy the ATJ finale as a victory lap for the season, it can still be difficult to enjoy the moments that were teased as farewells for certain cast members. Especially when Pete had a solid year to go out on, an entire sketch was anchored by all three of the senior women (or “the new girls whose names I can’t remember” as Martin Short once called them), and Cecily’s Pirro bit, that was really a sendoff in all but confirmation, feels diminished due to backtracking it as a farewell for the season, having their cake and eating it at the expense of any underused newbies.
BLUE:
What are your general thoughts on the season’s musical performances?: As one might have assumed from all the 3-star ratings (and frequent comments on performers’ fashion, as that’s what I always resort to pointing out if I can’t think of anything to say about the music), the majority of S46’s musical performances were, in my opinion, just okay. I can’t even use my excuse of being a pop music snob, because even a few rock artists like The Strokes, Foo Fighters, and Bruce Springsteen received mediocre ratings. (Then again, I was never a specific fan of those three… but considering how much I dug Foo Fighters’ S43 performances, I was hoping to enjoy their performances this season just as much.) Very few performances specifically wowed me, not only in terms of music, but in terms of its presentation. Obviously not every artist on the SNL stage has to smash a guitar like Phoebe Bridgers or attempt a pole-dancing routine like Lil Nas X, but I’d like to see more of them try it… I got the impression that there was more of a focus on “ooh, pretty light projections” this season, but that could be my recency bias of having reviewed the previous seasons’ performances so much longer ago and having had them fade from memory.
With all that said, I did come away from this season with generally positive feelings towards the musical performances. Notably, there was nothing I specifically hated. For the first time since this project started, I didn’t give any musical performances a 1-star rating. I’m sure being a fan of some of the artists who played this season has something to do with that, but hey, I’m never going to complain about a favorite artist getting their chance to be on SNL. And if St. Vincent and Phoebe Bridgers are going to serve as a mental blind spot to help me forget Jack Harlow, Morgan Wallen, and Machine Gun Kelly, then so be it…
Pop, pop, pop was the genre of the season, as per usual, and I have nothing to say about that, given my aforementioned snobbish tendencies. As I said in the S45 wrap-up post, SNL could have picked someone better for their obligatory country artist (I’ll reiterate Jason Isbell as my personal pick, in case that helps manifest it), but I’m glad they chose the obligatory indie artists that they did (now let’s see if Phoebe’s boygenius bandmate Julien Baker will come on as well… or hell, I’d enjoy seeing the entire boygenius trio on SNL, even though I can take or leave Lucy Dacus). I’d love for someone who’s more knowledgeable about current names in hip hop to weigh in on their feelings for hip hop picks this season, though I have a feeling they might feel close to what I feel about the country artists. Finally, while I felt that there was a stronger emphasis on rock than in the previous couple seasons, I would love to see more younger, up-and-coming rock bands on the show as opposed to older acts like The Strokes and Foo Fighters. (Then again, be careful what you wish for or you might end up with Greta Van Fleet. Anyway, as long as I’m tossing out dream SNL picks, might as well give Thunderpussy a mention. If you want classic rock done by people who weren’t alive when classic rock wasn’t considered classic, they’re the group to go to, imo.)
Favorite performances?: As mentioned above, I am a fan of Phoebe Bridgers and St. Vincent, with the latter’s album Daddy’s Home being my personal pick for Album of the Year 2021, so naturally I was delighted to see them both bring their A-game to the show. And how the hell did I make it this far without mentioning Jack White?? I’ve never quite known what to make of him– sometimes he strikes me as pretentious, other times profound– but it goes without saying that he really knocked those performances out of the park.
Overall rankings: Based partly on my ratings, and partly on my subjective opinion.
1. Jack White
2. Lil Nas X
3. St. Vincent
4. Phoebe Bridgers
5. Megan Thee Stallion
6. H.E.R.
7. Nathaniel Rateliff
8. Dua Lipa
9. Foo Fighters
10. Miley Cyrus
11. The Strokes
12. Nick Jonas
13. Olivia Rodrigo
14. Machine Gun Kelly
15. Justin Bieber
16. Bruce Springsteen
17. Kid Cudi
18. Jack Harlow
19. Bad Bunny
20. Morgan Wallen
And now that that’s out of the way… I’d like to take a moment to announce that Season 46 is the last season from which I will be covering musical guest performances for this project. Other creative projects have taken precedence in my life– most notably my band’s first EP & music video, and a novel– and unfortunately the One SNL a Day project has become less of a priority. That being said, I’ll still continue to read site updates and follow along with what my fellow reviewers have to say about the show. Many thanks to Rose, Anthony, Matt, John, Carson, Kabir, and Vax for allowing me to be a part of this project, and of course thanks to Stooge for starting the original project and leaving a significant gap in each review that I found myself longing to fill. If anyone who enjoyed my reviews wants to keep up with my thoughts on whatever music happens to be striking my fancy lately, I have a (very sporadically updated) music review account on Instagram under @52recordsayear. That’s all, folks… goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow!
AND NOW, SOME DATA!!
4601: 5.4 (Chris Rock) – Vax Novier
4602: 6.9 (Bill Burr) – Matt
4603: 6.6 (Issa Rae) – John
4604: 5.1 (Adele) – Kabir
4605: 5.1 (John Mulaney) – Anthony
4606: 7.5 (Dave Chappelle) – Carson
4607: 5.6 (Jason Bateman) – Matt
4608: 6.9 (Timothée Chalamet) – Matt
4609: 5.5 (Kristen Wiig) – Anthony
4610: 6.2 (John Krasinki) – Kabir
4611: 5.3 (Dan Levy) – Matt
4612: 5.8 (Regina King) – John
4613: 6.7 (Regé-Jean Page) – John
4614: 6.5 (Nick Jonas) – Vax Novier
4615: 4.6 (Maya Rudolph) – Carson
4616: 6.5 (Daniel Kaluuya) – Anthony
4617: 6.8 (Carey Mulligan) – John
4618: 3.5 (Elon Musk) – Matt
4619: 5.4 (Keegan-Michael Key) – Anthony
4620: 8.3 (Anya Taylor-Joy) – Carson / Anthony / Matt
Best Episode: Anya Taylor-Joy – 8.3 (Runner up: Dave Chappelle – 7.5)
Worst Episode: Elon Musk – 3.5 (Runner up: Maya Rudolph – 4.6)
Season Average: 6.0
HIGHEST RATED SKETCHES
5 STARS:
The Blitz (Burr; Matt)
Strollin’ (Mulaney; Anthony)
Hailstorm (Chappelle; Carson)
Lexus (Chalamet; Matt)
Birthday Gifts (King; John)
Dating After Lockdown (Jonas; Vax)
The Maya-ing (Rudolph; Carson)
Proud Parents (Kaluuya; Anthony)
The Last Dance: Extended Scene (Key; Anthony)
Picture With Dad (Taylor-Joy; Matt)
Weekend Update (Taylor-Joy; Matt)
NYU Guest Panel (Taylor-Joy; Anthony)
AMC Theatres (Taylor-Joy; Anthony)
4.5 STARS:
CFT: Sunday Night Plans (Rae; John)
Take Me Back (Chappelle; Carson)
Weekend Update (Chappelle; Carson)
Tiny Horse (Chalamet; Matt)
Christmas Morning (Wiig; Anthony)
A Teacher (Wiig; Anthony)
It Gets Better (Levy; Matt)
The Job Interview (Page; John)
Just Say Grace (Page; John)
Viral Apology Video (Kaluuya; Anthony)
Weekend Update (Mulligan; John)
L’eggs (Mulligan; John)
The Muppet Show (Key; Anthony)
4 STARS:
The Drew Barrymore Show (Rock; Vax)
Monologue (Burr; Matt)
Enough is Enough (Burr; Matt)
Samuel Adams Jack-O-Pumpkin Ale (Burr; Matt)
First Date Exes (Rae; John)
Weekend Update (Rae; John)
Your Voice Chicago (Rae; John)
Jack Flatts (Rae; John)
Cinema Classics: The Birds (Mulaney; Anthony)
Monologue (Chappelle; Carson)
Uncle Ben (Chappelle; Carson)
Stu (Bateman; Matt)
Bits (Bateman; Matt)
The Dionne Warwick Talk Show (Chalamet; Matt)
Rap Roundtable (Chalamet; Matt)
Weekend Update (Wiig; Anthony)
What Still Works? (Krasinski; Kabir)
Now That’s What I Call Theme Songs (Krasinksi; Kabir)
Pandemic Game Night (Krasinski; Kabir)
Lifting Our Voices (Levy; Matt)
The Negotiator (King; John)
The Grocery Rap (Page; John)
Viking Voyager (Jonas; Vax)
Monologue (Kaluuya; Anthony)
Dog Park (Kaluuya; Anthony)
CFT: Beanie Babies (Kaluuya; Anthony)
What’s Wrong With This Picture? (Mulligan; John)
Study Buddies (Mulligan; John)
What I Remember About Last Year (Taylor-Joy; Carson)
Hollywood Squares (Taylor-Joy; Carson)
Making Man (Taylor-Joy; Carson)
It’s Pride Again (Taylor-Joy; Anthony)
LOWEST RATED SKETCHES
2 STARS:
Stunt Performers Association (Rock; Vax)
Bonjour Hi! (Rae; John)
The Haunted Manor (Adele; Kabir)
Trump Addicts of America (Adele; Kabir)
Weekend Update (Adele; Kabir)
Visiting Grandma (Adele; Kabir)
Africa Tourism (Adele; Kabir)
Biden Beats Trump (Chappelle; Carson)
Michigan Election Hearings (Bateman; Matt)
The Situation Room (Chalamet; Matt)
The Grinch (Wiig; Anthony)
Home For Christmas (Wiig; Anthony)
Monologue (Krasinski; Kabir)
Weekend Update (Krasinski; Kabir)
Monologue (Levy; Matt)
Hot Damn (Levy; Matt)
Tucker Carlson Tonight (King; John)
Gorilla Glue (King; John)
Bridgerton Intamcy Coordinators (Page; John)
Snatched, Vaxed, or Waxed! (Rudolph; Carson)
2021 Barfly Awards (Rudolph; Carson)
Weird Little Flute (Mulligan; John)
The War In Words (Mulligan; John)
Mother’s Day (Musk; Matt)
The Astronaut (Musk; Matt)
No More Masks (Key; Anthony)
Commencement Celebrations (Key; Anthony)
1.5 STARS:
Dueling Town Halls (Rae; John)
Biden Halloween (Mulaney; Anthony)
Headless Horseman (Mulaney; Anthony)
New York PSA (Mulaney; Anthony)
Another Uncle Meme (Mulaney; Anthony)
Holiday Baking Championship (Chalamet; Matt)
Super Bowl LV (Levy; Matt)
Women’s Theatre (King; John)
Cinderella (Jonas; Vax)
Choreographers (Rudolph; Carson)
Oops, You Did It Again (Kaluuya; Anthony)
Weekend Update (Musk; Matt)
Gemma & DJ Balls (Key; Anthony)
1 STAR:
Presidential Debate (Rock; Vax)
Vice Presidential Debate (Burr; Matt)
Presidential Debate (Adele; Kabir)
Sleepover (Bateman; Matt)
Morgan Wallen Party (Bateman; Matt)
Pence Takes the Vaccine (Wiig; Anthony)
Secret Word Holiday Edition (Wiig; Anthony)
Wedding Friends (Levy; Matt)
Monologue (Rudolph; Carson)
A Kamala Harris Unity Seder (Rudolph; Carson)
NFTs (Rudolph; Carson)
Half Brother (Kaluuya; Anthony)
Monologue (Musk; Matt)
Gen Z Hospital (Musk; Matt)
The Ooli Show (Musk; Matt)
Wario Trial (Musk; Matt)
Cowboy Standoff (Musk; Matt)
Line (Key; Anthony)
CFT: Star Quality (Taylor-Joy; Matt)
OUR PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
COMING SOON
After some delay, the Best of Beck Bennett should be next in our queue!
The “One SNL A Day” Project 2.0 