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Molly Shannon’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ homecoming is a giddy hug
Saturday Night Live
Molly Shannon & The Jonas Brothers
April 8, 2023
Molly Shannon was on Saturday Night Live for only 6 1/2 seasons*, from 1995 until 2001, but she left a remarkable imprint on the series, creating a number of memorable characters, including Mary Katherine Gallagher who had her own feature film, Superstar. Shannon has a very specific comedic personality: sweet, awkward, and with a feralness burbling under the surface. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that her two most famous characters, Mary Katherine and Sally O’Malley are women on the opposite ends of the age spectrum, who are discovering and celebrating their own sexuality and power. And Shannon manages to get away with all of it, the armpit sniffing and the cameltoe brandishing, because she radiates an innocence and gentleness that you just can’t be offended by.
Shannon brought all of this goofy energy to this week’s Saturday Night Live — her second time hosting the series (the first was in 2007). It wasn’t a great episode like last week’s hosted by Quinta Brunson, but it was a comfortable and familiar blanket of an episode, and Shannon is welcome to come home anytime.
*Fun fact: Shannon replaced Janeane Garofalo in February of 1995 when Garofalo left the show over creative differences.
Continue reading “Molly Shannon’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ homecoming is a giddy hug”
Steve Martin and Martin Short give the gift of a solid ‘Saturday Night Live’
Saturday Night Live
Steve Martin and Martin Short, Brandi Carlile
December 10, 2022
Here’s a fun little SNL fact: this is not the first time Steve Martin and Martin Short have co-hosted the show. Back in 1986, Martin, Short, and their Three Amigos co-star, Chevy Chase shared hosting duties for what was also a holiday-timed episode.
As a matter of fact, the most enduring sketch of that night was “Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish,” a bit that I’m sure you’ve seen as it is often included in SNL Christmas holiday specials:
Just note-perfect Steve Martin.
This week’s SNL was lacking Chevy Chase — but not missing him. Over the years, Martin and Short have developed their own delightful comic dynamic, which carried the monologue. The two veterans kept the entire proceedings tight, funny, and professional and seemed to delight in playing off the younger cast. It was a warm satisfying cup of cocoa of an episode.
Continue reading “Steve Martin and Martin Short give the gift of a solid ‘Saturday Night Live’”
Late night had some thoughts about Former President White Nationalist’s Nazi-themed Thanksgiving
We should ban James Corden from all public spaces, frankly.
‘House of the Dragon’ is doing great … but ‘Game of Thrones’ is somehow doing even better?
Maya Rudolph will never escape ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and that’s just fine.
Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph & Jack Harlow
March 27, 2021
Saturday Night Live has been on hiatus for a month (a well-earned break, honestly) and I was a little worried the gears would be a little rusty when they returned this week. It was a fear that wasn’t entirely unfounded: the cold open was off, the monologue was off, the sketch that was clearly supposed to be the cold open but was so stiff and unfunny that they buried it mid-episode was waaay off. However, the show was helmed by a consummate professional, former cast member, and sketch legend, Maya Rudolph, who saved a number of bits and tried her very damnedest to salvage a few otherwise unsalvagable others (specifically those mentioned above).
That said, I don’t want to come off too harsh. Despite some weak spots, this episode was fairly solid and had bright spots that did not rely on a vet to prop them up. Notably, Bowen Yang’s heartfelt plea to stop anti-Asian hate, and a music video that reminds us that Boomers will always shove their way to the front of the line were bits that did not depend on Rudolph and I think were moments that we will remember long after this season ends. All in all, the positive outweighed the negative in this episode; a mixed bag if you will, which honestly is the best you can hope for in a variety show that is made up of 12-14 individual sketches an episode. Good job, kids.
Continue reading “Maya Rudolph will never escape ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and that’s just fine.”
‘Saturday Night Live’ and Tina Fey offer a prayer to mothers as the season’s parting gift.
Saturday Night Live
At-Home, Part 3
May 10, 2020
Saturday Night Live‘s season came to a premature end last night for obvious reasons, but considering what they were up against, it’s truly a TV miracle that they were able to produce three episodes of solidly funny television. And this week’s episode was no different, thanks to help from a number of friends of the show, including Martin Short, Josh Gad, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Wiig, Danny Trejo, and the aforementioned Tina Fey.
Were there some duds of sketches? Of course there were; as Tom Hanks reminded us the first time we did this, there always are. But at least in my estimation, because the writers and performers were forced out of their standard process for creating a show, they became more creative and less lazy, and the result was three episodes of Saturday Night Live that will be remembered in television history. Great job, everyone — even you, Kyle Mooney. Here’s to hoping y’all are back home at Studio 8H in the fall, and that you bring this creative spark back with you.
Just look at Hillary Clinton, making all kinds of trouble up in here.
