Well, how about that? Saturday Night Live is 1 for 1 for the new year.
This is because of an ace hosting job by “Jack Ryan”, and “Office” alum, John Krasinski, who just rode the even humor through the entirety of the show.
And it was a good time.
The “What’s Working” cold open featuring Kate McKinnon managed to be pretty funny taking a pretty real look at the insurrection, the GameStop surge, and OJ Simpson being among the first to get a COVID vaccine.
We had skits like the Ratatouille sex gag, which was funnier than it should have been and the insurrection game night segment, which reminded all of us that we don’t really know who our neighbors are.
The Subway creative skit was fine, and the Supermarket Sweep spot that highlighted McKinnon and Aidy Bryant was also good.
None of these segments were “fall on the floor” hilarious, but they weren’t dumb and the energy was great with the cast and it’s host.
And that really matters, especially during this season when the crowd is smaller and everything requires an extra step.
Machine Gun Kelly was okay. Unlike the show’s host, Kelly performed during a season where the musical guests have been excellent.
Weekend Update was still pretty unfunny. As switch calendars into a new year, I’m still waiting for a change here. There was a time when this was the highlight of the program, now it’s a bathroom break.
Overall though, I’ll take it. This is a very different season, but SNL can still cobble together a fun time when it has to.