Chadwick Boseman’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ debut was thisclose to being a great episode. But then …

Saturday Night Live
Chadwick Boseman & Cardi B.
April 7, 2018

First, let me be clear, my complaints about Chadwick Boseman’s episode of Saturday Night Live have nothing to do with Chadwick Boseman. The handsome and charismatic star of Black Panther was funny and charming and, it turns out, does a remarkably good R. Kelly. And the truth is because there were several very strong sketches in this episode, including both commercial spoofs and another episode of “Black Jeopardy,” I’m going to remember this episode as being one of the strongest of the season. This, despite having possibly one of the worst-written sketches of the season, and several just very mediocre ones. The worst sketch of the night still wasn’t as bad as one where the alien had a butt for a face and a face for his butt, but it was a close second. Small blessings, I suppose.

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‘Saturday Night Live’: Tom Hanks gits-r-done on ‘Black Jeopardy.’

Saturday Night Live
“Tom Hanks & Lady Gaga”
October 22, 2016

Tom Hanks is a known quantity. The man has, as of last night, hosted Saturday Night Live nine times now, which somehow is not the record. (Alec Baldwin has hosted 16 times — not including his guest appearances; Steve Martin some 15 times; John Goodman 13 times; and, fascinatingly, Buck Henry has hosted 10 times.) So I don’t really have much to say about Hanks as a host other than, you know, he’s good? You don’t get invited back 8 times if you’re not good?

tom hanks shrug i don't know.gif

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