Saturday Night Live
Martin Short & Hozier
December 21, 2024
Merry Christmas! In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Saturday Night Live has gifted us an episode helmed by the brilliant and always hilarious Martin Short on the event of his fifth time to host, and packed to the brim with some of the show’s favorite hosts from the past, including Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, and Melissa McCarthy.
Was the episode perfect? No. But it was filled with warmth, some familiar comforts, cheeky nonsense, and happy surprises, which, in the end, is all you can ask from a Christmas episode.
Somehow, this is only Martin Short’s fifth time hosting Saturday Night Live (this number feels low because he’s cameoed 11 times) — and two of those times hosting, he was co-hosting, once with Steve Martin and Chevy Chase, and once with only Steve Martin because Chevy Chase is notoriously an asshole. But hosting five times — no matter how you get there — means one thing: entry into the Five-Timers Club. Now, induction into the Five-Timers Club always includes at least a couple of cameos from fellow Five-Timers. But this isn’t just any episode: this is the Christmas episode of the 50th season. And so it shouldn’t be any surprise that so many legendary Five-Timers showed up: Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, Kirstin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Emma Stone and John Mulaney all returned to the 8H stage to welcome the newest member, along with Jimmy Fallon for some reason. It’s a lot!
Grade: A-
For his monologue, Martin Short cracks a few jokes about Cybertrucks and Steve Martin before breaking into a song about needing anxiety meds to get through the holiday season. I liked the sentiment and the tone, but it could have used more rehearsing.
Grade: B+
A man (Mikey Day) and his teen daughter (Chloe Fineman) are doing some last-minute holiday shopping when they get into a fight over a parking spot with another driver (Martin Short). They fight via ridiculous pantomime, and it’s a funny enough revisiting of a sketch they originally did with Quinta Brunson. But then Melissa McCarthy shows up and the sketch reaches outrageous new heights.
Grade: A+
A woman decides to help a homeless man get back on his feet on Christmas Eve: taking him for a makeover, buying him a new suit and watch, and taking him out to dinner, only to have him reveal himself to be a dangerous lunatic and take advantage of her generosity. I have to admit, I was taken aback by the anti-empathy, anti-homeless messaging. That was, until they delivered the final punchline, which almost works as something of a reverse uno — directing the mockery towards the powerful instead of the powerless. And it almost works. Almost.
Grade: B
SNL brings back the Airport Parade, this time Christmas-themed. Bowen Yang and Ewo Nwodim are back as Newark airport TSA agents along with Martin Short’s overly-aggressive Delta lounge employee to offer commentary on passengers like The Guy Way Too High on Edibles; The Woman Saving Stinky Food for the Flight; and the White Woman Who is About to Make This Flight Entirely About Her — while also refusing Paul Rudd entry into the Delta lounge. I liked it when it originally debuted; I still like it now, maybe because I have flown multiple times every single month of this past year. TOO MUCH AIRPORT TIME.
Grade: A-
“Weekend Update” featured some solid jokes about Diddy, Luigi, Matt Gaetz, and George Santos.
Grade: A
Bowen Yang is yet another unexpected object to visit the “Weekend Update” desk: this time a drone flying over New Jersey and he just wants everyone to know he’s not a threat, despite hovering over people’s houses and maybe being weaponized. It goes on too long.
Grade: B-
It’s the last episode of the calendar year, which means it’s Joke Swap time. Colin gifts Che some jokes about his sex life and his thoughts on Jay-Z’s innocence; Che makes Colin deliver his jokes in a “Black voice” and takes shots at Colin’s wife, Scarlett Johansson as she watches on from backstage. It’s wildly inappropriate and it is amazing.
Grade: A++
We visit the Sabado Gigante set again, this time with Paul Rudd playing the befuddled white guy, unsure what is happening around him. It’s fine, but it’s not nearly as funny as the first time it aired for a couple of reasons: 1. it lacks the surprise and novelty of the first time; 2. it’s not nearly as unhinged; 3. Goddammit, Dana Carvey, what are you even doing here?; 4. WAY TOO MUCH ENGLISH.
The beauty of the first time this aired is that there was almost literally no English spoken, which I’m sure left some non-Spanish-speaking viewers confused. But that’s the point! By dumbing down the sketch and doing half of it in English, you lose the humor in not having ANY IDEA what is going on. Less English, zero Carvey next time, guys.
Grade: B-
In the final sketch of the night, Short and Yang direct the Peanuts Christmas pageant which mostly involves them insulting the children and swapping hackneyed gay jokes. Biggest misstep of the night.
Grade: C+
Unfortunately, I assume because of timing issues, they went with the Peanuts bit instead of this taped spoof of How the Grinch Stole Christmas that takes a grisly turn. If you remember the Christmas Carol sketch from the last time Short hosted, you’ll know (or think you know) how this one ends. It’s a shame they cut this bit, because it was better than the last two sketches of the night.
And I rarely include the musical performances, but Hozier’s cover of the Pogie’s classic “Fairytale of New York” — one of my favorite dark little songs — was too lovely to exclude. Merry Christmas, friends, and Happy New Year.
Final Grade: A-.
Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.