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SNL Returns: Finn Wolfhard Gets By With a Little Help From His Friends
SNL Season 51 returned in a big way this weekend, with host Finn Wolfhard and musical guest A$AP Rocky. Here's a look at what worked...
Article Summary
- Finn Wolfhard shines as SNL host, embracing comedy with support from the cast and sharp writing.
- Season 51's midseason return features standout sketches like "Snackhomiez" and "Space Emperor."
- James Austin Johnson and Veronika Slowikowska impress with versatile performances this episode.
- A$AP Rocky delivers visually exciting performances, elevating SNL's energetic midseason premiere.
After a bit of a winter hibernation, NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend with host Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things 5) and musical guest A$AP Rocky. Heading into the show, we shared five key points we were keeping in mind about SNL's midseason return – with Wolfhard being the topic of one of them. We've been saying since the end of Season 50 that the SNL writing team has been producing sketches that really play to comedic actors rather than comedians. When we heard that Wolfhard was set to host, we were a little concerned. We know he can hold his own acting-wise, and he has seemed pleasant enough in interviews, but whether or not he could survive live sketch comedy was a whole other matter.
We're happy to report that Wolfhard did a great job by playing to his strengths in the dramatic parts, while knowing when to rely on the SNL cast for more of the comedic heavy lifting. By giving himself over to the process and showing that he's more than willing to go the self-deprecating route, Wolfhard won us over more than we expected. Of course, none of that would've been possible if it weren't for some spot-on writing and skillful comedic work from the SNL team (along with two visually stunning performances from A$AP Rocky).
SNL's Season 51 was a midseason return filled with all hits, no misses. Trying to pick a Top 5 is tough, so we're going with some random thoughts we had about the show along the way.
"Cabinet Meeting Cold Open": We're already a fan of Jeremy Culhane's JD Vance, and Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth continues to grow more and more "dudebro douchey" with each Cold Open.
"Boy Band": James Austin Johnson continues to remind us, with an incredibly insane lineup of characters, that he's much more than just Donald Trump.
"Snackhomiez": A sketch that's done a 180-degree turn on me. Chloe Fineman, Jane Wickline, and Veronika Slowikowska are in top form, with a surprise appearance by Sabrina Carpenter adding an extra jolt to it. Bonus points to Wolfhard for his pretentious teenage streamer, and A$AP Rocky for being the perfect guest.
"Weekend Update: Tamara on Her Confusing New Year's Resolution About Buttons": Heading into this weekend's show, we wondered who would step up to take over Bowen Yang's role as "Weekend Update's" most versatile MVP when it comes to guest interviews. As impressed as we've been with Jack Wickline's "WU" work in the past, Tamara felt like Wickline was drawing a line in the sand. Look no further than how the audience reacted to her as the segment went along (with Michael Che working perfectly off of Wickline's vibe).
"Space Emperor": Don't think we didn't see what you were trying to do, Mikey Day. Shame on you! Okay, not really. But what made this sketch work was seeing just how much food Wolfhard could handle and still keep the sketch going. It was like SNL hazing, and Wolfhard passed the test (though there were some fun break moments along the way).
"Stranger Things Promo" & "Heated Wizardry": Though we covered both in more detail prior to our review hitting (check out the links), we wanted to take a second to say that these might be the two best filmed sketches this season so far. "Stranger Things Promo" saw Wolfhard get a little help from some very familiar friends, playing into how Netflix is going to squeeze every sequel, prequel, and spinoff it can think of (even playing into the "Episode 9" conspiracy). And in case you're wondering what the writers were watching over the break, having Wolfhard's Harry Potter and Ben Marshall's Ron Weasley going "Heated Rivalry" was genius on a number of levels (with bonus points to Jason Momoa for appearing as Hagrid).
"Guy's Girl": This was one of those sketches we could relate to from a number of different perspectives, so there was some enjoyable PTSD. The only way this sketch works is on the comedic shoulders of Slowikowska, and she carries the weight like a champ. Bonus points to Wolfhard, Marshall, Culhane, and Marcello Hernández for being the kind of solid backup that allowed Slowikowska to own her performance.
Saturday Night Live Season 51: Finn Wolfhard & A$AP Rocky
9/10
After a bit of a winter hibernation, NBC's Saturday Night Live returned this weekend with host Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things 5) and musical guest A$AP Rocky. Heading into the show, we shared five key points we were keeping in mind about SNL's midseason return - with Wolfhard being the topic of one of them. We've been saying since the end of Season 50 that the SNL writing team has been producing sketches that really play to comedic actors rather than comedians. When we heard that Wolfhard was set to host, we were a little concerned. We know he can hold his own acting-wise, and he has seemed pleasant enough in interviews, but whether or not he could survive live sketch comedy was a whole other matter. We're happy to report that Wolfhard did a great job by playing to his strengths in the dramatic parts, while knowing when to rely on the SNL cast for more of the comedic heavy lifting. By giving himself over to the process and showing that he's more than willing to go the self-deprecating route, Wolfhard won us over more than we expected. Of course, none of that would've been possible if it weren't for some spot-on writing and skillful comedic work from the SNL team (along with two visually stunning performances from A$AP Rocky).
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