Sure, Stranger Things parodies have more or less run their course by summer’s end, but we can’t fault SNL for having waited to get in on the Upside Down. So it is, that Lin-Manuel Miranda takes us into Stranger Things Season 2 by introducing us to Lucas’ family.
SNL burst out of the gate for Season 42 over the weekend, having spent a summer in transition with headline after headline passing them by. Leslie Jones in particular had something to say about the hack she suffered in August, recruiting Mr. Robot himself to track down the culprit in a new sketch.
SNL is built for a bit of turnover here and there, but that doesn’t remove the sting from losing some of its best not-ready-for-primetime-players. To wit, Season 42 has some surprising departures, including series veterans Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah.
Just when you thought Fred Armisen’s deleted SNL finale sketch the last of Season 41 to hold you over for summer, in swoops a bonus round of celebrity Star Wars auditions! SNL dusted off the November sketch for another round, this time including Matthew McConaughey, along with impressive impressions the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Shia LaBeouf and more.
Ratings might not have reflected as much, but Fred Armisen’s return to the SNL stage for its Season 41 finale definitely felt like one of the better, weirder outings of the year. We’ve a long ways to go before Season 42 starts gearing up this fall, so enjoy the last bit with a delightfully bizarre cut sketch of Fred Armisen in funny coats!
It may seem like it’s been forever since The Lonely Island delivered a new Digital Short on SNL, but it’s only been a little over a year (which is like, eight years in Adult Time). In any case, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are back with their latest music offering, this one taken straight from their upcoming film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping — which also happens to be an early contender for the best movie title of the year.
Last week it was Saturday Night Live. This week, it's the Last Week Tonight show with the hilarious John Oliver. Governor Paul LePage is getting some national attention for doing what we all already know he does best...saying WHATEVER is on his mind...
It’s been several years since Dana Carvey’s Church Lady graced us with her benevolent presence, but Church Chat finally returns to SNL — and not a moment too soon. With Donald Trump running for president (what a world) and pop culture run amok, we, as a nation, are truly in need of sage wisdom from Carvey’s shrewdly devout Church Lady.
SNL hasn’t yet revealed its final host of Season 41, let alone what, if any cast turnover to expect in Season 42, but a notable change is already afoot. The NBC mainstay will cut at least two commercial breaks from live airings next season, but what might replace the additional runtime?
SNL had always intended to take off the coming weekend in preparation for its final May shows, but given the tragic passing of music icon Prince, NBC will pay tribute to the late star with a special highlight of the artist’s musical performances.
SNL has had only a moderate April, between hosts Peter Dinklage, Russell Crowe and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but fans can easily agree on at least one gem: “Space Pants.” Were there further need to settle the debate, SNL has obliged with full-length rendition of the interstellar track, Gwen Stefani and all.
Maybe a better title for this fake trailer for a fake faith-based drama would be God's Not Gay, but you can see how that one might have been a bit too risky. In the one sketch that didn't feature guest host Julia Louis-Dreyfus, SNL offers this hilariously silly satire of movies like God's Not Dead (okay, mostly just that movie alone), complete with Lifetime Original movie production values and melodramatic courtroom scenes.
Naked & Afraid is an actual reality show that just began its fifth season on the Discovery Channel, but it sounds so much like something that was cooked up in the SNL writers’ room that you can be forgiven for thinking it’s entirely a gag. The premise is patently ridiculous: two strangers are thrown into the wild without clothing or supplies and must survive for 21 days. But SNL has devised a “celebrity” edition of the show and they tossed guest host Peter Dinklage and the incredible Leslie Jones into it.