But the cold open of Season 49 leaned into a strength the show has always had — knowing when to drop the jokes and appeal to a difficult, emotional moment.
Host and former cast member Pete Davidson opened with a short, somber note about the past week’s awful news from the Middle East. More specifically, the “horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza.” “I know what you’re thinking: “Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson?” said the comedian, who’s generally known for his stoner persona. “Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was seven years old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So I know something about what that’s like.”
The subdued tone was unexpected, especially given the source. But Davidson’s candor and authenticity — and the deeply personal reference to his father, a New York firefighter who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 — resulted in one of the most indelible moments “SNL” has produced in some time. “I saw so many terrible pictures this week. Children suffering, Israeli children and Palestinian children. And it took me back to a really horrible, horrible place. No one in this world deserves to suffer like that, especially not kids…
“My mom tried pretty much everything she could do to cheer me up,” he continued. “I remember one day when I was eight she got me what she thought was a Disney movie but it was actually the Eddie Murphy stand up special ‘Delirious.’ And we played it in the car on the way home. And when she heard the things Eddie Murphy was saying, she tried to take it away. But then she noticed something. For the first time in a long time, I was laughing again. I don’t understand that. I really don’t and I never will. But sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy. My heart is with everyone whose lives have been destroyed this week, but tonight I’m going to do what I’ve always done in the face of tragedy, and that’s try to be funny. Remember: I said ‘try.’”
From generation to generation, “SNL” has given rise to some of the best characters in television comedy: Dana Carvey’s The Church Lady, Eddie Murphy’s Mr. Robinson, Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna. The show’s daring parodies of pop culture and American politics didn’t always work, but when they did, they were gold: John Belushi as the Saturday Night Samurai; Tina Fey as Sarah Palin; Kate McKinnon as Hilary Clinton after she lost the 2016 election, singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” And the show has given us a who’s who of American comedy greats, from Steve Martin to Kate McKinnon to Chris Rock.
But it’s been some time since Lorne Michaels’ creation has moved the needle, or generated the kind of water-cooler moments that has did in the past. And, Davidson aside, Saturday’s season premiere was no different. In the series’ first episode since thee start of the Writers Guild of America strike, the live sketches were middling to flat. The cast recreated “Fox NFL Sunday,” where the panelists couldn’t stop talking about Taylor Swift. (“SNL” veteran Kenan Thompson is still supremely talented, but without strong material, even he looked bored.) Another number tried to make diarrhea jokes funny. Yet another riffed on the sexism of “Mad Men” era office culture… or something. Then there was the vagina cosmetics sketch, in which Davidson played a gynecologist and any semblance of clever humor played dead.
Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live” in 1996.
(Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Weak material is part of the issue, but the “SNL” has been slipping in ratings decade over decade. The premiere of Season 48 in 2022 was the least-watched in its history with only 4 million viewers. It’s not entirely the show’s fault. Viewing habits have changed, and network television is not exactly on the upswing thanks to streaming, and before that, cable. Today “SNL” draws just a third of the viewership it did back in the Clinton era, when Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers and Adam Sandler were on board.
Today’s “SNL” features many of the same players from last season, from the brilliant Bowen Yang to Chloe Fineman. Unlike the mass exodus of talent after Season 47, fewer folks from last season have left, though Cecily Strong and Chris Redd are among those who exited. Chloe Troast is the show’s one new featured player.
It was Davidson’s first time hosting the since he was an “SNL” cast member, before departing in 2022. He was originally set to host the May 6 episode, but the writer’s strike shut the show down the series and “SNL” has been dark, until now.
His stand-up-style monologue after the moving opener felt a bit awkward. The season premiere’s apex was a song-and-dance number, “I’m Just Pete,” spoofing “Barbie” earworm “I’m Just Ken.”
“I’m just Pete, looking like a meth head on the street,” sung Davidson. “I get publicity for everything but my comedy.” It ended with him crashing Barbie’s pink car into the side of the Dream House, parodying the comedian’s real-life accident and reckless driving charge earlier this year.
But the highlight of “SNL’s” return this weekend was the opener, when the show wasn’t trying to be funny, and that’s a problem when comedy is your currency — and legacy.