Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL 50 Sees Gaffigan as Walz, Samberg as Doug Emhoff, Yang as Vance

SNL introduced Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff, and Bowen Yang as Sen. JD Vance to kick off Season 50.

It's a match made in satirical heaven – and for the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series, it just feels right. Of course, we're talking about NBC's Saturday Night Live kicking off its milestone 50th season this weekend with host Jean Smart (Hacks) and musical guest Jelly Roll – less than two months before U.S. voters will choose between Vice President Kamala Harris and ex-reality show host, multi-impeached ex-POTUS, and convicted felon Donald Trump. That wasn't the case when Season 49 ended its run – with President Joseph Biden still standing as the Democratic nominee. But all that changed over the summer – and not long after it was official that VP Harris would be the new nominee (with running mate Gov. Tim Walz), both social and mainstream media put out the call to Maya Rudolph to return to SNL as VP Harris – a portrayal that Rudolph has made famous over the seasons. But that left three unanswered questions heading into tonight's season premiere. Who would portray Walz? Who Would portray Trump's VP pick, Sen. JD Vance? Would James Austin Johnson return as Trump?

In an opening sketch that saw Andrew Dismukes portraying ABC News' David Muir, addressing whether he was biased towards VP Harris or not before cutting to Rudolph's Harris. From there, we learned that actor/comedian Jim Gaffigan had been cast as Walz – giving us a great first impression. But that wasn't all! SNL alum, actor, and comedian Andy Samberg joined the opener as VP Harris' husband, Douglas Emhoff. From there, Muir cuts to Trump – with Johnson returning with a great new take on Trump and SNL star Bowen Yang as Vance. But before the sketch ended, we had another surprise – with Dana Carvey coming out as President Joseph Biden to share a bit about how he has been feeling.

Saturday Night Live Season 50 & SNL EP Lorne Michaels

Back in May, the word went out regarding early plans to celebrate the milestone 50th season of Saturday Night Live. The network confirmed that there will be a "celebratory weekend" that wraps up on Sunday, February 16th (from 8-11 p.m. ET), with a live, primetime special. Now, thanks to an interview he had with The New York Times at the end of the most recent season, we're learning some additional details on what's ahead – and Michaels's thoughts on those rumblings about his retiring after Season 50.

Along with the primetime special on February 16th, music producer Mark Ronson and Michaels will produce a "homecoming" of sorts at Radio City Music Hall on the Friday of that weekend. In addition, it was noted that musician and producer Questlove (The Roots) is co-producing a documentary for the anniversary season spotlighting the impact that SNL had had on music and culture, and Morgan Neville (Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces, Won't You Be My Neighbor) is producing five documentaries focusing on both Michaels and the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series. As for those rumblings that the 50th anniversary will also be his last hurrah, Michaels is basing that decision on how he's feeling and not committing to anything. "I'm going to do it as long as I feel I can do it," he shared. "But I rely on other people and always have."

Heading into Season 50, SNL said goodbye to Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney, and Chloe Troast – and hello to new featured players Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline. In addition, Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker were promoted to the main cast. After the season opener, we have Oct. 5th: Nate Bargatze / Coldplay; Oct. 12th: Ariana Grande / Stevie Nicks; Oct. 19th: Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish; Nov. 2nd: John Mulaney / Chappell Roan. The long-running late-night sketch comedy series is executive-produced by Lorne Michaels, with Liz Patrick directing and SNL alum Darrell Hammond announcing. Broadcasting from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, Saturday Night Live is produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video.

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