Season 45 of Saturday Night Live was one of the most unusual and pivotal in the show’s long history, defined by both the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and lingering creative stagnation. In this episode, we each described the season with medically themed words—“viral” and “infected”—capturing its literal interruption by the coronavirus and the metaphorical symptoms of deeper artistic problems.

The pandemic played a defining role in this season, with production halting in March 2020. The final three episodes, known as the “SNL at Home” shows, were filmed remotely, with cast members recording sketches in their kitchens and bedrooms using whatever technology they had on hand. Though uneven, these episodes formed a kind of proto-TikTok aesthetic—short-form, DIY comedy that foreshadowed future trends in digital humor. Despite their limitations, the remote shows were endearing and occasionally clever, offering glimpses into cast members’ homes and personal lives. Opening credits were revamped accordingly, showcasing the performers in lockdown mode, which added a touch of humanity to the chaotic moment.

Season 45 began with a scandal before it even aired: comedian Shane Gillis was hired and then quickly fired after offensive podcast clips surfaced. His departure cast a shadow over what could have been a much-needed injection of edgy male energy into a cast lacking strong male leads. Gillis’ story, later revisited in his own words, remains one of the great “what-ifs” in SNL lore. Meanwhile, the season welcomed Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang to the cast, the latter becoming the show’s first Chinese-American cast member. Leslie Jones departed after several seasons.

A major highlight came mid-season with Eddie Murphy’s much-anticipated return to host for the first time since the 1980s. The episode leaned heavily on nostalgia, reviving Mr. Robinson, Gumby, Buckwheat, and Velvet Jones. Though not a groundbreaking night creatively, Murphy’s energy and charisma carried the episode, making it the clear standout of the season. Adam Driver also returned and solidified his reputation as a dependable host who throws himself into absurd material with gusto.

However, the rest of the season often faltered under the weight of formulaic writing and stale impressions. The political cold opens were frequently bloated, unimaginative, and crammed with cameos and impersonations with little satirical bite. Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Donald Trump continued to degrade in quality, and sketches often focused more on quantity of impressions than on substance or commentary. Characters like Elizabeth Warren (played by Kate McKinnon) were used more for performative cheerleading than actual satire, contributing to a sense of detachment from meaningful political critique.

The show leaned heavily on a comedic duo dynamic between Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, who appeared together in numerous sketches. While they had chemistry, their sketches were hit-or-miss, with Bryant receiving a significant uptick in screen time this season. Meanwhile, male cast members like Mikey Day and Alex Moffat were underused. Bennett and Mooney's brand of surrealist sketches wore thin, and Christian Schneider raised red flags about a growing collaboration between Beck Bennett and writer Andrew Dismukes, citing multiple sketches that felt lazy or derivative.

Season 45 marked the end of the road for veteran writer James Anderson, who had been with the show for 20 years. The writing staff was supplemented with new faces, including Dan Licata and Jasmine Pierce, but the overall tone of the show remained inconsistent and often uninspired.

Despite occasional bright spots—some quirky digital shorts, decent host performances, and nostalgic callbacks—the season was largely weighed down by political fatigue, repetitive sketches, and the existential shock of a global pandemic. As we concluded, SNL was not just infected by COVID—it was creatively ailing and in desperate need of a reboot.

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Never has any television show wanted anything more than Saturday Night Live wanted to see President Donald Trump imprisoned over his alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. In sketch after sketch this season, SNL writers pleaded with Special Investigator Robert Mueller to recommend criminal charges against Trump - and yet wh…

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Among the many complaints you always hear about Saturday Night Live these days is that the show is saturated with celebrity cameos. The actual cast members don’t get their chance to shine because the show is overstuffed with big names showing up to play the week’s newsmakers.

Season 42 certainly had its share of stuntcasting, with Melissa McCarthy showin…

On this free episode, we talked with Entertainment Weekly writer Andy Hoglund about his recent Vulture article in which he interviewed 65 former Saturday Night Live cast members and writers in advance of the 50th Anniversary show. Hoglund also discusses how he got into SNL and tells some stories about he collected signatures for his SNL autograph book.

You can find Hoglund’s SNL episode recaps at Entertainment Weekly here. And follow him on X at @SNLinReview.

Here’s video of our chat!

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We have said it in prior seasons - sometimes, huge political and cultural shifts push Saturday Night Live to rise to the occasion. It happened with the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the late 1990s. It happened when Sarah Palin joined the Republican presidential ticket in 2008.

And it happened again in 2016, as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton battled it out…

On Monday night, Wasn’t That Special co-host Scot Bertram joined WTMJ Radio host Sandy Maxx to recap the big SNL 50th Anniversary Special on NBC. Did it live up to expectations? What moments stood out? Who was missing?

You can find the appearance on the WTMJ page here or listen above. Christian and Scot shared some thoughts in the chat the night of the broadcast on NBC and also plan a full review of the festivities as part of the project.

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On Friday night, Wasn’t That Special co-host Scot Bertram joined WTMJ Radio host Sandy Maxx to preview the big SNL 50th Anniversary Special on NBC. Who might attend, what might happen, and what’s the special sauce the powers Lorne Michaels’ success?

You can find the appearance on the WTMJ page here or listen right here.

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Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has been political. But rarely has the show delved into politics more deeply than in Season 41, when President Barack Obama had one foot out of the door, Hillary Clinton was taking a presumptive victory lap, and a group of Republicans was battling to see who would challenge Clinton in 2016.

Clinton herself would s…

In this free episode, we run through the SNL 40th Anniversary Special that aired in February 2015, and list our five favorite sketches between seasons 26 and 40. (We did the same thing when SNL ran anniversary specials after seasons 15 and 25.)

Enjoy this free trip through fifteen years of SNL and please join us as a subscriber!

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Season 39 came as a shock to Saturday Night Live, with classic cast members Jason Sudeikis, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader all exiting. Executive Producer Lorne Michaels brought in six new players to replace what the show had lost, but by Season 40, four of them had been scuttled.

Season 40 saw some additions, such as new Weekend Update co-host Michael Che and previously uncredited writer Leslie Jones. But for the most part, it relied on the same core group it had for the previous two years: Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant, Bobby Moynihan, Kenan Thompson, and Taran Killam.

How did the show do? Find out in this free episode celebrating the 40th season. And stay tuned, as we will soon post our free episode digging into the 40th Anniversary special that ran in February of 2015.

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