Sunday, October 2, 2022

'SNL' returns after winning an Emmy Award

As I promised yesterday, "Saturday Night Live" returned last night, so I'm covering its season premiere and its one Emmy Award today. I was curious about the effects of losing a lot of established cast members on the show, which ManningCast Cold Open had as a premise.

Peyton and Eli Manning (Miles Teller, Andrew Dismukes) take a break from their ManningCast to break down what's happening on the premiere of Saturday Night Live.
*Snork* And, yes, Miles Teller is the co-star of "Top Gun: Maverick," so while he's not Tom Cruise, he's big enough for the season premiere.

While the cold open made fun of the new cast members, they haven't seemed to have a detrimental effect on Weekend Update with both anchors returning. Watch Weekend Update: Russia Annexes Parts of Ukraine, Hurricane Ian Hits Florida.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green's husband filing for divorce.
What has changed is the logo, which is growing on me already, the pace of the segment, which seems a lot faster and covers more stories, and the pointedness of the jokes, which sound sharper. I think Standards and Practices is letting more go though. Notice how the next segment, Weekend Update: CIA Launches New Podcast, Italy’s New Prime Minister, ends.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the CIA launching a new podcast.
I'm not sure that exact language would have flown in past.

Now for the interview segments, beginning with Weekend Update: Michael Longfellow on Conservative Family Members.

New cast member Michael Longfellow stops by Weekend to talk about having conservative family members.
If the rest of the new cast members are like him, I'm not worried.

Now for two returning cast members in Weekend Update: Mitch McConnell and Herschel Walker on 2022 Midterms.

Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (James Austin Johnson) and Herschel Walker (Kenan Thompson) stop by Weekend Update to discuss the 2022 midterms.
It's hard for satire to be more ridiculous than reality these days, but this segment managed to do so.

I conclude with Weekend Update: A Spotted Lanternfly on Being an Invasive Species.

A spotted lanternfly (Bowen Yang) stops by Weekend Update to respond to people calling him an invasive species.
I couldn't resist a Bowen Yang segment about an invasive species. It showed that he's as funny and incisive as ever.

Follow over the jump for the categories won by SNL and "A Black Lady Sketch Show" that I covered in 'Saturday Night Live' earned ten Emmy nominations plus looks back at the 2021-2022 season.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/HBO Max)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
I'm going to be a good environmentalist by recycling my reaction from last year's It's Saturday night, so here are the 21 Emmy nominations for 'Saturday Night Live'.
This category almost disappeared after Comedy Central canceled "Drunk History" after initially renewing it. It would have merged with Variety Talk for a general Variety Series category. I'm glad the Television Academy didn't follow through with the idea and so are the Variety Talk Series and "A Black Lady Sketch Show." One of the first and the latter would likely have been left out of the nominations and the variety talk series would have had an uphill fight to beat SNL. Instead, two variety series get to take home trophies. In this case, I expect SNL to win this category again.
And 'Saturday Night Live' won eight Emmy Awards last year, including for this category. I expect it will do so again.
It did. Watch Variety Sketch Series: 74th Emmy Awards to see Lorne Michaels, the verbal inspiration for Dr. Evil, accept the Emmy.

Saturday Night Live accepts the Emmy for Variety Sketch Series for Saturday Night Live at the 74th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations! Now for the other variety sketch show to win Emmy Awards, "A Black Lady Sketch Show."

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show: "Save My Edges, I'm a Donor!" - Bridget Stokes (HBO/HBO Max)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "Union Busting" - Paul Pennolino and Christopher Werner (HBO/HBO Max)
Late Night with Seth Meyers: "Episode 1252" - Alexander J. Vietmeier (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "Artistic Musical Performance by Chance the Rapper; Monologue: Ukraine & Russian War, January 6 Committee Evidence on Trump & Donald Jr.; Guest Beanie Feldstein" - Jim Hoskinson (CBS)
Saturday Night Live: "Host: Billie Eilish" - Don Roy King and Liz Patrick (NBC)
"Saturday Night Live" has won this award four times in a row, so I consider it the favorite this year as well. Sorry, "Last Week Tonight."
...Congratulations to both King and Patrick on their nominations. I expect both of them will walk away with Emmys for this nomination.
Nope, Bridget Stokes of "A Black Lady Sketch Show" took home the award. I'm embedding Bridget Stokes (Black Lady Sketch Show director): 'If you’re not laughing, we haven't done our job' from Gold Derby to celebrate her win.

Bridget Stokes ('A Black Lady Sketch Show' director): 'If you’re not laughing, we haven't done our job.' She is Emmy-nominated for directing the season premiere, 'Save My Edges, I’m a Donor!’ Gold Derby editor Matt Noble hosts this webchat.
Congratulations!

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Area)
A Black Lady Sketch Show: "Save My Edges, I'm A Donor!" – Stephanie Filo, Bradinn French, Taylor Joy Mason, and S. Robyn Wilson (HBO / HBO Max)
Conan: "Series Finale" – Robert James Ashe, Mike Api, Christopher P. Heller, and Matthew Shaw (TBS)
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: "Jordan Klepper Takes On 'Wellness' Anti-Vaxxers + Fringewatching Rep. Lauren Boebert" – Storm Choi, Eric Davies, Tom Favilla, Lauren Beckett Jackson, Nikolai Johnson, Ryan Middleton, Mark Paone, Erin Shannon, Catherine Trasborg, and Einar Westerlund (Comedy Central)
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts – Simon Bryant, Jim Clark, James Collett, Bill DeRonde, Asaf Eisenberg, Will Gilby, Lior Linevitz–Matthews, Pablo Noe, Tim Perniciaro, and Jacob Proctor (HBO / HBO Max)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "The Confesstigators" (segment) – Anthony Miale (HBO / HBO Max)
While this category was one of the first Emmy Awards "Last Week Tonight" won, it lost last year to "Black Lady Sketch Show."
And "A Black Lady Sketch Show" won this award again this year. Congratulations!

Stay tuned as I have more Emmy Awards coverage coming up.

Previous posts about the 2022 Emmy Awards
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