SNL's Second Quarantine Episode Was One of Its Strongest

With the entertainment industry as a whole currently put on hold due to COVID-19, one would have naturally assumed that a live ensemble sketch show would be the last show to keep on trucking. But not only has Lorne Michaels managed to keep SNL afloat, but the show has produced two of its strongest (and more importantly, consistent) episodes in its nearly 50 year history. Since its debut, every episode of Saturday Night Live has had at least a few clunkers. With a live format and generally rather long sketch run times, that’s inevitable. But forcing the current cast to each work from home, and having the luxury of editing, SNL has produced one solid sketch after another in the last two weeks. It should also be noted that each sketch was nearly half the length as a regular sketch, some as short as a couple of minutes, which not only resulted in considerably tighter bits, but also a show with nearly 20 sketches in total, an incredible amount given the short turn around. I’d be curious to see how the current production schedule is in regard to writers meetings, rehearsals, etc, compared to the regular production schedule, which is usually very regimented.

Last night’s episode was “hosted” by Brad Pitt, which entailed the actor appearing in the very funny cold open as Dr. Anthony Fauci, and introducing a performance by Miley Cyrus (which showcased that behind the media circus that is Miley Cyrus’ life is a very talented artist). The rest of the sketches primarily addressed the current quarantine environment, though we did get the triumphant return of Kenan Thompson’s “What’s Up with That” (a sketch that is always funnier than it ever has the right to be), including cameos from “What’s Up with That” staples Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen, plus guests Charles Barkley and DJ Khaled. Paul Rudd shows up as himself in a sketch that pokes fun at taking the time to catch up with family members during the pandemic, and in what is probably one of the funniest sketches in decades, a commercial addresses the issues with pandemic grocery shopping.

The current incarnation of the show is also allowing cast numbers like Chloe Fineman, Melissa Villaseñor and Aidy Bryant to shine in sketches of their own. Even the sketches that didn’t hit as hard as the others were still really solid. The chances that SNL will stick to this format after the world goes back to normal are thin, but I do hope that it leads to a separate digital format of the show.