Saturday Night Live
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Inseveralunprecedentedshows, performers valiantly pre-taped sketches at home or over Zoom.
While its once again being filmed live, audience memberswere masked and given temperature checks.
Backstage, actors kept their masks on until just before their entrances.
And God knows how much bleach the crew used to swab down the Update desk.
Chris Rock was, at once, a smart and intuitive choice to host this very unusual season premiere.
As per tradition, this weeks sketches are ranked here from best to worst.
In particular, the line Stand here and look lucid sends Carrey off into a minor frenzy of tics.
The irony, Che insists, is almost too funny.
Bowen Yang then comes on as Chinese trade representative Chen Biao, dismissing a possible TikTok ban.
Aidy Bryant returns as overexcited travel expert Carrie Krum, who has to make do with her permanent staycation.
(Lets just imagine theyre in a pandemic pod in real life.
Because its fun.)
Think about it for half a second, though, and it must be true.
As the titular ghost, Rock looks great but doesnt add much.
Somehow, the sketch manages to save its best bit for last.
Once the premise of this sketch is spelled out characters will have funny names thats pretty much it.
Well, some names, e.g., Tess Tichol and Mike Litt, get innuendo layered on top.
While the players dont have much to do here, Kenan Thompson is still a stand-out.
As usual, he grounds the sketchs wackiness and makes things feel more accessible for a moment.
And because it is an audition, this sketch is essentially a rapid parade of characters and caricatures.
(Unfortunately, Baldwin still looks trapped inside a cartoonish character of his own design.)
