It’s SNL in Review: the anniversary (recap) season. As always, honored to have you skimming along. Last fall’s Saturday Night Live episode host by Nate Bargatze was a season 49 highlight, in particular the puntastic George Washington sketch. It’s no surprise that the stand-up comedian is back for round 2, but the burning question is: Can the show resist the urge to revisit last year’s highlight, or will it inevitably rehash what previously worked? (Bargatze already relived the sketch earlier this week on Seth Meyers, which increasingly acts as PR for NBC’s occasionally lethargic live comedy tentpole.)
This week’s musical guest is Coldplay, back for their eighth appearance at Studio 8H. That’s Foo Fighters and Tom Petty territory. I am joined tonight by former SNL cast member Jeff Richards. While Jeff hasn’t performed music as much as Petty or Chris Martin at the show, but he recently put out his own album, Love on Ice, as well as a music video for the eponymous lead single. Given that it’s SNL50, I asked Jeff which musical performances across the show’s history he loves the most. He cites the Strokes, Outkast, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — “loved those.” He also considers Beck and Kylie Minogue to be inspiring. And while Coldplay just released their own album, Jeff hopes they “mix it up tonight — and cover my album.” Maybe!
I’ll be honest with you, reader, I think our comedy overlords stumbled out of the gate last week. The cold open was putrid. But now that this season’s election casting stunt has been formally established, maybe the writers will settle in. Sometimes, I think, comedy premises and sketch structure are helpful tools. Who knows? (For the record, I asked Jeff if he thought the show just needed to shake loose the summer vacation cobwebs — he quipped no, not with “Halloween around the corner.”)
Okay, Conehead nation, stay tuned for our live recap, updating in real time.