Live From New York! ‘SNL’ 48 Premieres

Whether you grew up on the hallmark sketch comedy television show or gripe about how it hasn’t been the same since the ‘70s, “Saturday Night Live” premiered its 48th season Saturday featuring host Miles Teller and musical guest Kendrick Lamar. The premiere follows a profound upheaval in the show’s cast following the last season. Although it is natural for the show to flush cast members out, the newest departures occurred at an unusually high volume. 

Preceding the 48th season, SNL ushered out repertory players Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd and Melissa Villseñor, along with featured performer Aristotle Athari. The show welcomed two stand up comedians in Marcello Hernandez and Michael Longfellow and two actors and stand-up comedians in Molly Kearney and Devon Walker. 

The net loss of four actors is notable as it is the largest cast switch-up SNL has experienced in almost a decade. Executive producer Lorne Michaels even called this season “a transition year,” noting that actors stayed at the show longer due to the Coronavirus and a lack of other acting opportunities for existing cast members.

Nonetheless, SNL seems to be leaning into this theme of change in the season opener. Aside from the logo change, switching from modern to a more chic ‘80s style, there is a devastating level of self-awareness demonstrated in the show’s writing. 

The cold open followed a parody of “ManningCast,” Peyton and Eli Manning’s new sports analysis show, but instead of sports, the two hosts broke down and analyzed the sketch being performed in front of them. Right off the bat, there were biting jokes about player archetypes in the cast (e.g. Bowen Yang and his attempt to create a new catchphrase). 

It also encapsulates some of the anxiety the actors, writers and crew are likely experiencing with this new season: is this funny? The answer: yes. The introspective take and review on the show’s own humor provided for unique comedy, an aspect the show has struggled with during  the post-Trump era, and it was a great kick-off to the episode. 

Teller, fresh off of his summer blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), quipped some adorable anecdotes about how integral SNL was to his childhood, even playing a home video of him and his siblings recreating the Spartan Cheerleaders characters. Of course, he made references to his other career endeavors, like during a quick jab to “Whiplash”(2014) and J.K. Simmons: “I even took piano lessons. My instructor was J.K. Simmons, who was surprisingly nice.”  

Overall, Teller, especially given the fact that this was his first time hosting, brought fantastic charm to sketches and complemented other cast members well. Despite being Kendrick Lamar’s third appearance on SNL, he delivered phenomenal yet subtle performances with “N95” and “Father Time,” both tracks from his album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”  

SNL is notable for timely and irreverent sketches, which the show delivered. One of the strongest from the night was “Send Something Normal,” a game-show-style sketch about having male celebrities, such as Armie Hammer and Adam Levine, responding to direct messages on social media platforms in an average manner. It was a simple yet hilarious commentary on trending recent celebrity scandals. 

A similar sentiment is seen within the “BeReal” sketch, another great execution of approaching a trend in a thought-provokingly funny way. SNL’s shake-up has scored initial success in catering towards the younger generation in a way that has avoided (thus far) cringe comedy. 

For example, the “Nicole Kidman AMC Ad” is catered directly towards Gen-Z Twitter users. SNL is definitely not how it was in the ‘70s, but is there a greater pleasure than seeing Kenan Thompson salute a faux Nicole Kidman? 

The show’s youthful energy was even prevalent in “Weekend Update.” Continuing their tenure behind the desk, Michael Che and Colin Jost delivered quick and constant punchlines, an action they have been able to complete for their many seasons behind the desk. One of the strongest moments was new featured player Michael Longfellow’s brief appearance. 

Longfellow’s performance was reminiscent of Pete Davidson’s appearances on “Weekend Update” as he leaned more into a stand up than character based comedy. Longfellow performed a great, tight set and was a natural performer — his presence behind the desk made it appear as though he was a veteran cast member. 

SNL’s premiere promised a vigorous start to the season that demonstrates the show distancing itself from “easy comedy,” bits about absurd and wacky current events that leave little wiggle room for creativity to shine. Given the upheaval within the cast, it’s fun to see the new sketches and styles being brought to the table this season. SNL is definitely not how it was in the ‘70s, with cast members being scouted off of TikTok followings (a vital aspect of Longfellow’s stand up career), but it is indicative of perhaps a greater trend being seen in comedy: The kids are taking a seat at the “grown-ups’ table” and they’re taking it with spunk, a whole lot of silliness and a new font for the logo in tow.