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SNL Season 51 got off to a solid start, with Bowen Yang's Dobby calling out JK Rowling, a KPop Demon Hunters surprise, and much more.
Posted in: Current News, NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: bad bunny, saturday night live, snl
SNL 51: Dobby Takes On JK Rowling; KPop Demon Hunters Surprise & More
SNL Season 51 got off to a solid start, with Bowen Yang's Dobby calling out JK Rowling, a KPop Demon Hunters surprise, and much more.
NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend for its 51st season, with host Bad Bunny and musical guest Doja Cat kicking off the start of the show's next half-century. Think about that for a second. A live sketch comedy and music series has been on for 50 years, and it's still finding ways to make headlines. It's from that perspective that I'm approaching my review of the Season 51 premiere. Was it a perfect opener? No, there were definitely some "beautiful disasters" along the way. But there was also a whole lot to really like about this weekend's show.
Unlike Shane Gillis, Bad Bunny showed vast improvements during his monologue and sketch work. To be clear, I'm not saying Bad Bunny should be an SNL cast member (like SNL EP Lorne Michaels wanted Gillis to be), but he showed a marked improvement from his previous gig. Doja Cat didn't just give two musical performances; she gave us two theatrical-worthy performances that served her vocal stylings well. As for "Weekend Update," Colin Jost and Michael Che not only didn't miss a beat but hit with headlines that reminded everyone why they sit in those anchor chairs. New feature player Kam Patterson came into SNL with some not-so-great buzz from some regarding his comedic origins; all we know is that he made a strong first impression during his "Weekend Update" spotlight.
I mentioned earlier that SNL continues to survive because it continues to make headlines, and it continued doing that this weekend. We had a cold open that tackled Trump going after late-night and a monologue in which Bad Bunny had some fun at FOX "News" expense over Bad Bunny being booked for the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. Of course, we had Jost and Che skewering pretty much anything and everything deserving during "Weekend Update." On the social media side, a whole lot of folks got pissy over Bad Bunny joking in his monologue that NFL fans have four months to learn Spanish, while "El Chavo Del Ocho" plucked a whole lot of childhood heartstrings.
But the two sketches that seemed to get the biggest pops were "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Weekend Update: Dobby the House Elf on J.K. Rowling" – with Bowen Yang proving himself to be the all-star that he is in both. In the former, a man's (Bad Bunny) obsession with the animated Netflix film unnerves his friends (Sarah Sherman, Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day) – at least, until Yang's Jinu, leader of the demon boy band Saja Boys, arrives. Also, props to SNL for one-upping Jimmy Fallon by having Huntr/X singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami appear live and singing – makes Tuesday night's "The Tonight Show" visit a little less "first-time ever."
In the latter, Yang continues his winning streak of bizarre and random "Weekend Update" guests who kill, taking on the role of Dobby the House Elf from J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels to call out the author for her anti-transgender campaign. We could never do it justice by paraphrasing, but the fact that Yang pulled it off in the middle of a wardrobe malfunction is even more impressive. Also, those "They K. Rowling" t-shirts are going to be pretty popular.
Coming in hot from an off-season that included some big cast and writing team changes, attacks on late-night by Trump, and Michaels splitting time between the U.S. and the U.K. as he works to get SNL UK (working title) up and running, the kick-off to SNL Season 51 was a promising, solidly strong start.
Saturday Night Live Season 51: Bad Bunny & Doja Cat
7.5/10
NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend for its 51st season, with host Bad Bunny and musical guest Doja Cat kicking off the start of the show's next half-century. Think about that for a second. A live sketch comedy and music series has been on for 50 years, and it's still finding ways to make headlines. It's from that perspective that I'm approaching my review of the Season 51 premiere. Was it a perfect opener? No, there were definitely some "beautiful disasters" along the way. But there was also a whole lot to really like about this weekend's show.
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