I’ve been waking up on Sunday morning to watch a streaming (or, back in the day, TiVoed) episode of last night’s Saturday Night Live since I was in middle school. It’s a ritual I’ve come to depend on, even when the episode in question is a little lighter on laughs than one might hope for. Last night’s 50th-anniversary episode of the late-night show, though, delivered on almost all fronts; sure, there were occasional flat moments–please, God, let ‘brat summer’ jokes fade gracefully away now that it’s officially fall–but with the 2024 presidential election just weeks away, it’s nice to see the SNL cast’s familiar faces and actually be able to laugh a bit about the hellscape that is American politics right now.
Below, find the 5 best moments from the first episode of SNL Season 50:
- Maya Rudolph reprising her role as Kamala Harris. Do coconut-tree jokes feel a little stale at this point? Yes. But honestly, Maya Rudolph could roll in reciting a ‘90s-era SNL punchline like “Schweddy Balls” and I’d still be thrilled to see her. Plus, Jim Gaffigan as Harris’s running mate Tim Walz was weirdly perfect, as was Bowen Yang’s take on J.D. Vance; Andy Samberg’s Doug Emhoff wasn’t quite as dead-on, but again, Andy Samberg doing anything is inherently funny to me, so I can forgive it.
- Jean Smart’s opening monologue. I’m on the record as having a large and pathetic crush on Jean Smart, but even if I weren’t obsessed with the Hacks star, I still would have enjoyed her half-spoken, half-sung ode to New York (and her substantial lesbian fan base.)
- Hannah Einbinder showing up to help Smart announce the musical guest. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear Jean Smart say “We’ve got a great show for you tonight, Jelly Roll is here!”, and I would very much like to know who was in charge of informing Smart about who Jelly Roll is. Genuinely, though, the IRL friendship between Smart and her Hacks costar Einbinder is extremely touching, and I’m glad Einbinder could be part of her friend’s big night.
- Moo Deng! I didn’t think anything could top Bowen Yang as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, but seeing the comedian dressed up as everyone’s favorite Thai baby pygmy hippo was exactly what I needed. Hose!!!!!!!!! (Also, it was an insanely busy night for Yang, who appeared in what felt like a dozen consecutive sketches; that’s what I like to see!)
- Smart’s delivery of the line “Are you gay?” The I Love Lucy parody that occasioned this one-liner was kind of meh, but hearing Smart as Lucy ask Desi this question genuinely made me spit out seltzer.