Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig & Raye
April 6, 2024
Kristen Wiig is arguably one of Saturday Night Live‘s greatest former cast members — which is why it is no surprise that she is one of only five cast members who has hosted enough times to be inducted into the Five-Timers Club. (Can you name the other four?)
But despite her greatness as a cast member and her success off the show, Wiig has not had the most successful run with hosting the show. In 2016, I said the episode “was the equivalent of putting on an old sweatshirt: comfortable, familiar and warm, but not something you’ll remember even two days from now”; in May 2020 — which was in the middle of the pandemic and one of those difficult at-home episodes — Wiig only appeared in two bits, one of which was a “weird-and-not-weird-in-a-funny-way-just-weird monologue”; and in December 2020, I found the material to be “mediocre” and gave it a B-. (I don’t have her first episode from 2013 here in the Foolish archives, unfortunately.)
So I am happy to report that for this momentous occasion, the writers gave Wiig some good material to work with and supported her with a bevy of superstars, and as a result, Wiig finally hosted the Saturday Night Live episode that her talents deserved.
The cold open features Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson covering the Men’s NCAA Championship but wanting to talk about women’s basketball instead because it’s so much more interesting. I have to admit, when I saw where this was going I braced myself for it taking a broad or even misogynistic turn, but was pleasantly surprised. Also, it ran for less than five minutes! Is that a record for a cold open?
Grade: A-
It’s Kristin Wiig’s fifth time hosting, and to help her into the iconic smoking jacket is fellow Five-Timer, Paul Rudd, along with a bunch of other famous folks including Martin Short, Fred Armisen, Matt Damon, Will Forte, Paula Pell, John Hamm, and next week’s host, Ryan Gosling. The real shock here is that none of these hilarious people are Five-Timers (or in the case of Paula Pell, hasn’t hosted at all). Let’s change that, Lorne.
Grade: A+
In this sketch, Wiig is a woman who refuses to play games for fear of being “Jumanjied” — even when not playing Jumanji. The party devolves into a lot of shouting about the technicalities of being Jumanjied … and, yeah, this is one of those bits that defies description, but is hilarious in large part to Wiig herself.
Grade: A-
It’s a horror movie trailer, but the horror is … pilates. ACCURATE. Also, Kaia Gerber shows up.
Grade: B+
Since they had a John Hamm lying around, the writers decided to dig up their 1960’s secretary bit with Heidi Gardner who isn’t as great at her job as she thinks she is, but also, her clothes blow off of her for some reason. And this time, there are two incompetent but sexy secretaries, with Wiig playing, Tootie.
While I appreciate Wiig’s manic energy here, the problem I have with this now recurring sketch is that it feels like a cartoon from a 1962 issue of Playboy Magazine come to life. It would be one thing if they were making fun of that kind of mindlessly sexist humor, but it doesn’t come off as a satire, it feels like it’s being played straight. If it is a satire of misogynistic mid-century humor tropes, it’s not successful. Slightly higher grade from the last time thanks to Wiig.
Grade: C
This isn’t technically a recurring sketch — but the set-up is similar each time: here it’s a retirement party, in the past it’s been a funeral or a wedding — an event where people might want to say a few words about the person being honored. A bunch of weirdos then commandeer the microphone to say a bunch of weird things, including Will Forte’s deeply creepy Hamilton, and Wiig’s Lady with an Oxygen Tank. This sketch in particular makes me miss both of them on this show.
Grade: A
“Weekend Update” is on-point this week, with jokes about the New York earthquake, the Florida abortion ban, and the threat to name an airport after Former President Straight to Jail.
Grade: A-
Speaking of the New York earthquake, it has some beef with the solar eclipse over who is the more powerful force.
Grade: B+
Aunt Linda is back and she really didn’t like the Barbie movie, you guys.
Grade: A+
The most tedious sketch of the night finds a couple warning their kids that they have something “terrible” to tell them … right after they ride these go-karts. I know what they were going for, but the audience ends up feeling as frustrated as the kids, demanding to know what this “terrible” news is.
Grade: C
The final sketch of the night is a celebration of a 1970s French variety show, “La Maison Du Bang!” which allows the majority of the cast to do wacky characters. I’m a fan — even if it is a blatant rip-off of the late great Viva Variety on Comedy Central.
Grade: A-
Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.
Jumanji was great and that’s what I ended up voting for – Wiig and Dismukes raising each other’s reactions was perfect! I did also laugh out loud at the Earthquake / Eclipse Weekend Update bit as well and it made me realize again there will be a day soon that Kenan Thompson isn’t on this show anymore and that will be a sad day