Saturday Night Live | |
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Season 47 | |
No. of episodes | 21 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | October 2, 2021 May 21, 2022 | –
Season chronology | |
The forty-seventh season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 2, 2021, during the 2021–22 television season with host Owen Wilson and musical guest Kacey Musgraves,[1][2] and concluded on May 21, 2022 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast.[3] For the first time, the season's first five episodes and the remainder from episode ten onward were live-streamed on the streaming service Peacock in addition to its coast-to-coast live television broadcast.[4][5]
Cast
[edit]Prior to the start of the season, longtime cast member Beck Bennett departed after spending eight seasons on the show since 2013. Featured player Lauren Holt, who had joined the show for the previous season, departed the show after the finale. Despite Bennett and Holt's departures, the rest of the cast from the previous season was retained.
Three new featured players were added: comedic actor and filmmaker Aristotle Athari, impressionist and actor James Austin Johnson, and surrealist comedian Sarah Sherman.[6] Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang, who were both hired as featured players for Season 45, were promoted to repertory status this season, while Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson, both of whom were hired for Season 46, remained as featured players.[7]
Kate McKinnon did not appear in the first seven episodes of the season, as she was filming Joe vs. Carole.[8] Cecily Strong was absent from the first three episodes of 2022 due to her appearance in the Off-Broadway revival of the one-woman play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.[9] Pete Davidson was absent from the thirteenth until the twentieth episode due to filming the movie The Home.[10]
This was the final season for longtime cast members McKinnon (who had been with the show since 2012), Aidy Bryant (since 2012), Kyle Mooney (since 2013), Davidson (since 2014), Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, (both since 2016), Chris Redd (since 2017), and the only season for Athari.[11][12][13]
This was also the final season for longtime director Don Roy King, who had directed the show since 2006. King retired after the ninth episode, hosted by Paul Rudd, and was succeeded by Liz Patrick, a longtime director of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[14] In addition, longtime producer Lindsay Shookus, who had been with the show since 2002, left at the end of this season.
This season saw the deaths of four former cast members; on September 14, 2021, a month before the season began, former cast member and Weekend Update anchor Norm Macdonald died at the age of 61 after a nine-year battle with leukemia. Two months later, on November 6, former featured player from season 5 Peter Aykroyd died at the age of 65 from sepsis caused by an untreated abdominal hernia. Later in the season, on April 12, 2022, at the age of 67, season six cast member Gilbert Gottfried died after a long illness from a rare ventricular tachycardia disorder complicated by type II myotonic dystrophy. On May 6, short-lived season 11 cast member Dan Vitale died from heart disease at the age of 66.[15]
Cast roster
[edit]
Repertory players |
Featured players |
|
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Writers
[edit]Prior to the start of the season, the show hired ten new writers: Mike DiCenzo, Billy Domineau, Alex English, Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Vanessa Jackson, Tesha Kondrat, Ben Marshall, Jake Nordwind, and Ben Silva.[16] Herlihy, Higgins, and Marshall performed sketches throughout this season as the comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy. Anna Drezen, Michael Che, Colin Jost, and Kent Sublette continued as the show's head writers, though after the Paul Rudd episode, Drezen (who had been writing for the show since 2016) left to focus on her new show for Freeform.[17] It was also the last season for writers Jasmine Pierce (who joined the writing staff in 2019) and Steven Castillo (who had been a writer since 2017) (who also left after the Paul Rudd episode; though Castillo would return midway through season 49).
Alison Gates, who started writing for the show in 2018, was promoted to writing supervisor.[18] Gates and fellow writing supervisor Streeter Seidell (who has been writing for the show overall since 2014; and previously writing supervisor since 2017) joined Che, Jost, and Sublette as head writers beginning with the Ariana DeBose episode.
Beginning with the John Mulaney episode, three new writers were hired: Rosebud Baker, Clare O'Kane and Nicole Sun.[19]
Episodes
[edit]No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original air date | Live+Same Day Ratings/ Share | |
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910 | 1 | Owen Wilson | Kacey Musgraves | October 2, 2021 | 3.5[22] | |
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911 | 2 | Kim Kardashian West | Halsey | October 9, 2021 | 3.8 | |
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912 | 3 | Rami Malek | Young Thug | October 16, 2021 | 3.4 | |
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913 | 4 | Jason Sudeikis | Brandi Carlile | October 23, 2021 | 3.7 | |
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914 | 5 | Kieran Culkin | Ed Sheeran[a] | November 6, 2021 | 4.89[27] | |
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915 | 6 | Jonathan Majors | Taylor Swift | November 13, 2021 | 4.97[29] | |
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916 | 7 | Simu Liu | Saweetie | November 20, 2021 | 4.70[30] | |
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917 | 8 | Billie Eilish | Billie Eilish | December 11, 2021 | 5.16[34] | |
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918 | 9 | Paul Rudd | none[b] | December 18, 2021 | 5.15[42] | |
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919 | 10 | Ariana DeBose | Bleachers[c] | January 15, 2022 | 5.05[44] | |
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920 | 11 | Will Forte | Måneskin | January 22, 2022 | 4.80[46] | |
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921 | 12 | Willem Dafoe | Katy Perry | January 29, 2022 | 4.97[50] | |
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922 | 13 | John Mulaney | LCD Soundsystem | February 26, 2022 | 4.74[51] | |
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923 | 14 | Oscar Isaac | Charli XCX | March 5, 2022 | 4.42[53] | |
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924 | 15 | Zoë Kravitz | Rosalía | March 12, 2022 | 4.36[54] | |
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925 | 16 | Jerrod Carmichael | Gunna | April 2, 2022 | 4.65[55] | |
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926 | 17 | Jake Gyllenhaal | Camila Cabello | April 9, 2022 | 4.85[56] | |
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927 | 18 | Lizzo | Lizzo | April 16, 2022 | 4.53[57] | |
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928 | 19 | Benedict Cumberbatch | Arcade Fire | May 7, 2022 | 4.50[59] | |
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929 | 20 | Selena Gomez | Post Malone | May 14, 2022 | 4.40[60] | |
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930 | 21 | Natasha Lyonne | Japanese Breakfast | May 21, 2022 | 4.60[62] | |
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Specials
[edit]Title | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
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"SNL Thanksgiving Special" | November 24, 2021 | 3.14[63] | |
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Reception
[edit]In January 2022, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote that he was "surprised with the mediocrity" of the season, suggesting that individual cast members did not have opportunities to stand out; he cited the high number of players compared to past seasons, the periodic absence of some cast members due to other commitments, and regular use of guest stars and cameo appearances in sketches as possible reasons.[64]
Conversely, Michael Boyle of Slate praised the season's filmed sketches featuring the Please Don't Destroy troupe, writing, "The basic character dynamics should be familiar to anyone who's watched SNL before, but they're done with an efficiency that puts the rest of the show to shame."[65]
New cast member James Austin Johnson and his impression of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which debuted on the show this season, received a positive reception from critics. Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club wrote, "Johnson's Trump is as exact as advertised, and his Trump's discursively narcissistic screed is more comically illuminating than four full years of Alec Baldwin making funny Trump faces."[66] Dan Spinelli of Mother Jones lauded the accuracy of Johnson's impression, writing, "Close your eyes and you'll think new cast member James Austin Johnson is the real thing. He nails the preening self-regard, the incessant need for attention, and the way Trump wields 'excuse me' almost as a verbal saber."[67] Gilbert, however, criticized Johnson's impression of President Joe Biden and opined it was not as good as his version of Trump.[64] Andy Hoglund at Entertainment Weekly concurs, citing Johnson's "commendable if slightly less transcendent work as" the president.[68]
Another new cast member, Sarah Sherman, received positive reviews from the entertainment press for adapting her unusual and surreal comedy style to the show. Luka Katic of Collider wrote, "Sherman certainly isn't the first unconventional comedian to be featured on SNL (i.e. Tim Robinson, Kyle Mooney, etc.). However, what makes her remarkable is her success in spite of that fact. Where actors like Robinson often felt they had to tone down their material for SNL, Sherman finds inventive alternative ways to channel her deranged sensibilities into the show."[69] Jesse Hassenger of Vulture listed Sherman's "Meatballs" sketch from the Oscar Isaac/Charli XCX episode as one of the best of the season, writing "In a crowded season, it was especially refreshing to come upon a sketch that feels like such a clear expression of its star's sensibilities."[70]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Sheeran performed despite having tested positive for COVID-19 thirteen days prior to show date. His performance was confirmed four days prior to show date after having been cleared of having the virus.[26]
- ^ Charli XCX was the scheduled musical act, but the rise of the COVID Omicron variant in New York City led to a limited cast and crew which meant her performances were dropped. However, she appeared in a pre-recorded sketch. She was rescheduled as a musical guest and performed in March 2022.[38][40]
- ^ Bleachers substitutes for Roddy Ricch, whose scheduled musical performance was cancelled due to a COVID-19 exposure.[43]
References
[edit]- ^ Saturday Night Live [@nbcsnl] (September 9, 2021). "SEASON 47 OCTOBER 2" (Tweet). Retrieved September 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (September 22, 2021). "Saturday Night Live sets new shows with Owen Wilson, Kim Kardashian West, Jason Sudeikis, Don Cheadle". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (May 13, 2022). "'SNL': Natasha Lyonne To Host Season Finale With Musical Guest Japanese Breakfast". Deadline. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ NBC (September 22, 2021). ""Saturday Night Live" to Premiere Season 47 on Oct. 2 with Four Consecutive Live Shows Aired Coast-to-Coast on NBC and Livestreamed on Peacock". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "Breaking News - "Saturday Night Live" Returns Jan. 15 with Host Ariana DeBose and Musical Guest Bleachers". The Futon Critic. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Tenreyo, Tatiana (September 27, 2021). "NBC announces who's leaving and joining SNL for its 47th season". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ Porter, Rick (September 27, 2021). "Beck Bennett Departs 'Saturday Night Live' After 8 Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ Wang, Jessica; Weakland, Russ (October 9, 2021). "Why Part-Time Kate McKinnon Is Still An 'Important' Part Of 'SNL' As She Films New Show". Hollywood Life.
- ^ White, Peter (February 27, 2022). "Kate McKinnon Moves Into Sixth Place For All-Time Sketch Appearances; Cecily Strong Returns & Pete Davidson Absent". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (February 27, 2022). "Pete Davidson to Miss Broadcast of 'Saturday Night Live' for Movie Role". Variety. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; White, Peter (May 20, 2022). "'SNL': Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant & Kyle Mooney To Exit Alongside Pete Davidson As Major Cast Shake-Up Set For Season Finale". Deadline. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Schwartz, Ryan (September 1, 2022). "SNL: Melissa Villaseñor and Alex Moffat Among 3 More Cast Members Out Ahead of Season 48". TVLine. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (September 19, 2022). "Chris Redd Is Latest to Exit 'Saturday Night Live'". Variety. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (September 28, 2021). "'SNL' Director Don Roy King to Retire; 'Ellen' Show's Liz Patrick Will Replace Him". TheWrap. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Turner, Ashley (May 8, 2022). "Dan Vitale, 'SNL' Actor, Has Died". PopCulture. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ "SNL Adds Ten New Writers For Season 47". September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (December 23, 2021). "'SNL': Head Writer Anna Drezen Leaving NBC Show To Focus On Freeform's 'Praise Petey'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ^ "Owen Wilson/Kacey Musgraves". Saturday Night Live. Season 47. Episode 1. October 2, 2021.
- ^ Wright, Megh (February 27, 2022). "SNL Adds 3 New Writers for Season 47". Vulture. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Willman, Chris (October 4, 2021). "Yes, Kacey Musgraves Was Really Naked on 'Saturday Night Live'". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Kilkenny, Katie (October 3, 2021). "James Austin Johnson Makes 'SNL' Debut With Joe Biden Impression". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 3, 2021). "'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Stay Low In Season 47 Premiere Hosted By Owen Wilson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Peters, Mitchell (October 17, 2021). "'SNL' Takes on 'Squid Game' With Country Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- ^ "Please Don't Destroy - Rami Wants a Treat". NBC. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (October 23, 2021). "'SNL': Colin Jost Breaks Seth Meyers' Weekend Update Record". Deadline. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Lash, Jolie; Roth, Madeline (November 2, 2021). "Ed Sheeran Says 'SNL' Performance Is 'Still On' After Leaving COVID-19 Quarantine". The Wrap. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 9, 2021). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 11.1-11.7.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (November 13, 2021). "Watch Taylor Swift Perform All Too Well 10-Minute Version on SNL". The Wrap. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 16, 2021). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 11.8-11.14.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 23, 2021). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 11.15-11.21.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ @nbcsnl (December 9, 2021). "Billie Eilish is host AND musical guest this Saturday!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ @benmarshallstyle (December 12, 2021). ""Future Selves" for @nbcsnl by @pleasedontdestroy featuring new castmembers George Aloi, James Ciccone, and Tim Hayes" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Saturday Night Live recap: Billie Eilish is the latest guest to pull double duty," from Entertainment Weekly, 12/12/2021
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 14, 2021). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 12.6-12.12.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Saturday Night Live [@nbcsnl] (December 18, 2021). "Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight's taping of "Saturday Night Live" and the show will have limited cast and crew" (Tweet). Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Saturday Night Live (SNL) Standby Line [@Standbyline] (December 19, 2021). "Since everyone was wanting to know - tonight's planned special guests were as follows: Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Fallon, Candice Bergen, and Tom Hanks. So sad we all didn't get to see this iconic group together. Maybe in the future Crossed fingers #SNL #PaulRudd" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Wang, Jessica (January 4, 2022). "Jimmy Fallon reveals he tested positive for COVID-19 before scheduled SNL appearance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "'SNL' Drops Live Audience and Musical Guest Charli XCX Due to COVID Spike". NBC Boston. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ Hussey, Allison (December 17, 2021). "Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens to Join Charli XCX on SNL". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Squires, Bethy (December 19, 2021). "Charli XCX Did Get to Be on SNL (in a Pretaped Sketch)". Vulture. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Late Night with Seth Meyers (April 20, 2022). "Tina Fey Spills on Saving Saturday Night Live During the NYC Omicron Wave". YouTube. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 21, 2021). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 12.13-12.19.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (January 12, 2022). "Roddy Ricch Pulls Out of 'Saturday Night Live' Due to Covid Exposure". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 19, 2022). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 1.10-1.16.2022". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Architect Presentation". NBC. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 25, 2022). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 1.17-1.23.2022". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ @patrickscottmcdermott (January 30, 2022). "@nbcsnl! thank you to @pleasedontdestroy for this opportunity, you guys are awesome! here is the skit :) also link in bio @stewarttalentnewyork @stewarttalentchicago @moxieartists @sherrykayne @bonshumobloom @theprepnj" – via Instagram.
- ^ @jawnhiggins (January 30, 2022). "our boy Con (played by @patrickscottmcdermott who will win an Oscar one day). Steak stick made by Josh. Directed by @mikediva" – via Instagram.
- ^ White, Peter (January 29, 2022). "'SNL': Michael Che Passes Seth Meyers In Weekend Update Appearances". Deadline. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 1, 2022). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 1.24-1.30.2022". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 1, 2022). "Broadcast News & Late Night Series 2.21-2.27.2022". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Kenan Thompson Hits 1,500 Sketch Milestone on Saturday Night Live,Yahoo!, 6 March 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (March 8, 2022). "Saturday 3.5.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (March 15, 2022). "Saturday 3.12.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (April 5, 2022). "Saturday 4.2.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (April 12, 2022). "Saturday 4.9.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (April 19, 2022). "Saturday 4.16.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2022). "Benedict Cumberbatch, 'SNL' Cast Members & Arcade Fire's Win Butler Show Support For Roe v. Wade". Deadline. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
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- ^ Mitch Metcalf (May 17, 2022). "Saturday 5.14.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Cigarette Show - SNL" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Saturday 5.21.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 29, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Wednesday 11.24.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Matthew (January 24, 2022). "This season, viewers who complain 'SNL' isn't what it used to be might have a point". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ Boyle, Michael (January 22, 2022). "Why Please Don't Destroy's Warp-Speed Absurdity Is the Future of Saturday Night Live". Slate Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Perkins, Dennis. "SNL in sketches: The most memorable moments from season 47". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Spinelli, Dan. "SNL finally has a truly great Trump impersonator". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Hoglund, Andy. "Saturday Night Live recap: Willem Dafoe makes hosting debut". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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- ^ Hassenger, Jesse (June 2, 2022). "The 17 Best SNL Sketches of Season 47". Vulture. Retrieved July 26, 2022.