Tag: snl

Finn Wolfhard hosts a strangely disappointing ‘Saturday Night Live’

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 51

Saturday Night Live
Finn Wolfhard & A$AP Rocky
January 17, 2025

Finn Wolfhard has spent the last ten years of his life as one of the stars of Netflix’s biggest series, Stranger Things, and he (along with the rest of the cast) is VERY READY to move on with their adult careers now, please and thank you. To that end, he hosted the first Saturday Night Live of 2026 where Wolfhard … talked about Stranger Things, starred in a Stranger Things sketch, played Harry Potter, portrayed a 16-year-old podcaster, and was cast as a teen who rejects his boy band family legacy. To be fair to SNL, 23-year-old Finn Wolfhard is young-looking (just check out those 12 hairs on his chin), so I get casting him over and over again as a teenager. But to not be fair to SNL, they could have tried to write better teen sketches for him to lead.

As a host, Wolfhard seemed a little nervous at first, but by the end of the night, he had relaxed into the role and seemed to genuinely be having fun with it. As for the episode itself, I’m going to assume that it appealed to Wolfhard’s natural audience who are my kids’ ages — if not younger. It just wasn’t particularly appealing to me. /oldpersonrant

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‘The Hunting Party’ will give us the ‘Manifest’ reunion no one asked for

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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Everything is furiously spinning out of control, so let’s talk about Miss Piggy

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Ariana Grande was the perfect parting gift for Bowen Yang’s final ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 51

Saturday Night Live
Ariana Grande & Cher
December 20, 2025

Ariana Grande returned to host Saturday Night Live for the third time, tasked with helming what is traditionally one of the best episodes of the year: the holiday episode. Recent previous hosts include SNL alums and royalty, including: Kate McKinnon, Martin Short and Steve Martin, Paul Rudd and Eddie Murphy, and so choosing her to host this episode suggests a degree of trust and faith SNL and Lorne Michaels have in Grande to deliver. On top of all that pressure, this episode was also now-legendary cast member Bowen Yang’s final show. So not only did Grande have to carry the Christmas episode, it also fell to her to usher Yang’s goodbye. And I’m happy to report she pulled it off.

This episode was easily the consistently funniest of the season so far. Grande was her delightful elfin self, leaning into whatever ridiculous task she was given, while also providing emotional support for Bowen’s final bow. All in all, a terrific episode, and she’ll be back for her Five-Timers jacket in no time.

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Looks like tomorrow’s ‘SNL’ will be Bowen Yang’s last

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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Josh O’Connor kisses his way through the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 51

Saturday Night Live
Josh O’Connor & Lily Allen
December 13, 2025

I do not know who Josh O’Connor is. Despite having watched and enjoyed Challengers, and having seen Peaky Blinders and The Crown, I have no idea who this man is.

And it would seem that the SNL writers were in a similar quandary this week, because they placed this man in so many sketches where he basically just filled space. He also occasionally made out with a male cast member, playing off the homoeroticism of Challengers, which I am guessing is the only thing the writers’ room saw him in.

It’s a shame, Josh O’Connor seems like a perfectly endearing actor: his monologue was self-deprecating and amusing, and I’m sure they could have done something more with his British charm. But it certainly feels like the show sandwiched him between two reliable hosts, Melissa McCarthy and Ariana Grande, and they decided to just take this week off.

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Melissa McCarthy pratfalls her way back into our hearts on ‘Saturday Night Live’

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 51

Saturday Night Live
Melissa McCarthy & Dijon
December 6, 2025

NOTE: I am obviously running behind with my SNL recaps because I was out of town for the last couple of weeks. This week’s recap will be up sometime hopefully later today or tomorrow. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Melissa McCarthy is an SNL pro, but you know that already. McCarthy is maybe our funniest female physical comedian (maybe our funniest physical comedian, full stop), but she is also gifted at creating endearing weirdo characters whole cloth. She’s a natural fit for the show; every time she’s on, it’s a joy; and you just know Lorne Michaels would hire he in an instant if he could afford her.

So why is it that this is the first time for McCarthy to host in over EIGHT YEARS? I know it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since she hosted, thanks to a handful of cameos here and there, but the last time she hosted was in May of 2017. HOW? Did Lorne Michaels lose her phone number? Did she go live on an island for a few years? Did she have beef with someone on the cast in those missing years? Did she just really hate Chris Redd?

It’s a mystery for the ages. But after this episode, which I thought was solidly funny, I hope McCarthy isn’t a stranger for so long again.

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Netflix was unprepared for how excited you people were for ‘Stranger Things’

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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Scrub in: We have our first peek at the return of ‘Scrubs’

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Move over ‘When Harry Met Sally’: This is the absolute funniest version of the ‘enemies to lovers’ rom-com trope ever

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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