Forty years in, and Saturday Night Live has not lost any of its charm. The show returned this weekend for its season premiere with host Chris Pratt and a couple new cast members.
Feature players who were only on the cast for one season John Milhiser, Noël Wells and Brooks Wheelan did not return this season as they were let go by producer Lorne Micheals; Nasim Pedrad, who had been around for five seasons, departed from the show.
The absence of the previous cast was replaced by two new additions: Micheal Che and Pete Davidson. Their presence was minimal for their first show, but it seems like they both have a lot to offer.
Che has previous experience with SNL as a writer and was recently a correspondent for The Daily Show. Davidson is the first member of the cast to be born in the ‘90s, which should make him more relatable to younger audiences.
Chris Pratt started the show by saying he had always had a special connection with the show. Being a host made him recall a time when he dropped out of college, moved to Hawaii and lived in a “van down by the river,” a reference to a classic sketch by Chris Farley.
To conclude the monologue, Pratt sang a song on the guitar about singing a song on the guitar on SNL. Pratt’s character, Andy Dwyer from “Parks and Recreation,” came to mind during the performance. Fans of meta-humor were in for a treat when Pratt showcased his musical talents.
The popularity of the film “Guardians of the Galaxy” made Pratt an obvious choice as a season opener.
An ad parody poked fun at “Guardians” and the unending success of Marvel Studios. The commercial featured unknown heroes that would become the next unexpected summer hit.
Weekend Update, the fake news segment of the program, introduced the viewers to Che who will now co-anchor with Colin Jost.
The change was a bit jarring at first considering that Cecily Strong and Jost had great chemistry taking over for Seth Meyers when he left during mid-season last year.
Che couldn’t help but giggle during some of the jokes, but he remained composed during the punch lines.
Strong was present during the Weekend Update segment and reprised her role as “The girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with at a party,” which audiences may remember from before she was co-anchoring the segment.
The return of her character was long over due. She made absurd statements that made absolutely no sense. There is beauty in the absurdities the writers of the show provide for Strong’s dialogue.
One of the stronger sketches featured Pratt, Strong and Kate McKinnon as incompetent veterinarians. Kyle Mooney’s character was concerned that his turtle had a rash; Pratt took the turtle in behind closed doors, and seconds later said the animal had died. The premise was quick and simple, but often unpredictable, which made for genuine laughs.
Ariana Grande was the musical guest; she performed “Break Free,” and her second song “Love Me Harder” featured The Weekend.
Throughout the night, Pratt was full of charisma in roles that he portrayed; as always he brought his playful personality to the stage.
The next episode of the season will air on Oct. 4 with Sarah Silverman as host and Maroon 5 as musical guest.