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Host Quinta Brunson, musical guest Benson Boone, and the SNL cast and writers welcomed viewers back with a return show that hit hard.
Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL Season 50 Return in Good Hands with Quinta Brunson, Benson Boone
Host Quinta Brunson, musical guest Benson Boone, and the SNL cast and writers welcomed viewers back with a return show that hit hard.
From James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump celebrating his first 100 days with another round of executive orders, to host Quinta Brunson offering a look at the tragic (and masochistic) life and times of overlooked boxing legend Jerry "Jackrabbit" Tulane, there was a whole lot to like (if not love) about this weekend's return episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. We had an opening monologue that turned into a musical number honoring short folks (with Sabrina Carpenter, Marcello Hernandez, and Dwayne Wade), a lot of 31-year-old women feeling seen, "Weekend Update" anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che going all-in on the cringe (and we liked it), and musical guest Benson Boone living up to his hype and blowing past it with two incredible performances. If it's sounding like we don't have any complaints, you would be right. Everything hit to varying degrees – no misses – during what was an excellent return show. Here's a look at the five sketches that stuck out the most:
"Will and Todd's Radical Experience": Harriet Tubman (Brunson) and Frederick Douglass (Kenan Thompson) make it clear to a pair of "Bill & Ted" wannabes (Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernández) that they're more than fine staying where they are in the present. Brunson and Thompson make this sketch pop, so much so that we found ourselves laughing at a "Bill & Ted" sketch in 2025.
"OnlySeniors": Once again, Brunson and Thompson shine (we need to see more of them together) as an elderly couple explaining the details of their very unique life insurance policy to their kids (Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker). They remained convincing even as the details got a bit more graphic, and props to Nwodim and Walker for offering great reactions for them to work off of.
"Ferry Altercation": Brunson vs. Mikey Day, Round II. Our highly creative and very agitated drivers are back, with Chloe Fineman riding shotgun as Day's seemingly very experienced daughter and Thompson as Brunson's father. Anticipating how each of them is going to "charades" what they're saying is worth the price of admission alone, with Brunson displaying some great facial reactions that heightened the laughs.
"Two Bitches vs. a Gorilla": A twisted take on the current "Who would win between 100 men and a gorilla?" social media debate, the abusdity of it all was anchored by the team-up we were hoping to see. Brunson and Nwodim's characters have black belts when it comes to verbal beatdowns, and the two played off of one another with ease. Assuming they survived the ending (tombstones don't mean anything, right?), we're hoping for a return visit. Maybe "Two Bitches vs. Trump"?
"Weekend Update: Two Applebee's Barflies Darlene and Duke": Casual dining franchises are hurting, and Applebee's barflies Darlene and Duke (Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman) aren't happy about it. SNL's "Weekend Update" has always been known for having some great cast members roll out some great characters to offer commentary. But in terms of SNL cast members who have consistently offered banger after banger character-wise, season after season, it's Yang and Sherman. Bonus points to Yang for dropping "Fudd-raggot" mid-skeetch and then following it up with some fun "clean-up."
Saturday Night Live Season 50: Quinta Brunson/Benson Boone
9/10
From James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump celebrating his first 100 days with another round of executive orders, to host Quinta Brunson offering a look at the tragic (and masochistic) life and times of overlooked boxing legend Jerry "Jackrabbit" Tulane, there was a whole lot to like (if not love) about this weekend's return episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. We had an opening monologue that turned into a musical number honoring short folks (with Sabrina Carpenter, Marcello Hernandez, and Dwayne Wade), a lot of 31-year-old women feeling seen, "Weekend Update" anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che going all-in on the cringe (and we liked it), and musical guest Benson Boone living up to his hype and blowing past it with two incredible performances. If it's sounding like we don't have any complaints, you would be right. Everything hit to varying degrees - no misses - during what was an excellent return show.
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