After a long summer of major cast shakeups and a growing curiosity about how Saturday Night Live would change and evolve, fans around the country tuned in excited for the new season. From celebrity cameos to new cast members, the premiere had a mix of old-school SNL charm and a new creative energy.
Royal Oak High School students were also excited about the show’s return.
“I have always loved SNL. After all the cast changes, I was excited to see if it would still feel like SNL.’’ said junior Angelina Bernacchi.
The late-night sketch variety show returned for its 51st season on Saturday, October 4th, with the Puerto Rican Latin trap singer Bad Bunny hosting and American singer and rapper Doja Cat performing. Expectations were high after the historic 50th season of SNL, which quickly became one of the most-watched seasons in the show’s history.
The season premiere with Bad Bunny made him a two-time host after appearing numerous times in prior seasons. Doja Cat made her first time performing on the show. The episode also featured surprise guests Jon Hamm, who made a cameo appearance in the opening monologue, and Benicio Del Toro, who appeared in the “Inventing Spanish” sketch.
The season brought many changes and adjustments, not only to the on-screen cast, but also the writing staff. SNL creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels, announced in August that changes were guaranteed. Long-time cast members Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, and Devon Walker all announced their departure from the show before this fall’s season premiere, while cast members Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim were not asked to return for the show. The writing staff also had many departures, including Auguste White, Rosebud Baker, Steven Castillo, and John Higgins.
Despite the casting changes, ROHS viewers are optimistic about the new cast members.
“I was definitely nervous about some of the cast changes,” said junior Layla Hazelwood.“I’ll miss some of the old cast, but the new cast doesn’t seem bad at all.”
The late night television show didn’t just lose staff; it also gained comedians and writers. Notable hires included Veronika Slowikowska, known for her TikTok account “verokika_iscool” where she posts short comedic sketches. The cast also included four additional members: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, and Kam Petterson. Also hired were seven new writers, including: Jack Bensinger, Jo Sunday, Maddie Wiener, Rachel Pegram, Claire McFadden, Maxwell Gay, and Tucker Flodman.
“I think they’re trying to reach a different audience with some of the new hires,” said junior Annabella Adams. “I feel like SNL bringing on new cast members is really going to help broaden their audience, and give some new energy into their skits.”
The episode featured ten different sketches, notably the cold open and the Weekend Update, which were massive hits. The cold open poked fun at United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s controversial speech to U.S. generals and admirals.
The Weekend Update segment featured comments and jokes about many current pop culture events, including a bit about controversial AI actress Tilly Norwood and JK Rowling’s many anti-transgender Twitter posts, with Repertory cast member Bowen Yang dressed as Harry Potter character “Dobby the House Elf”. The loudest cheers and whoops from the live studio audience came when Michael Che said New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s name.
Bad Bunny was featured in many sketches, notably in the ChatGptió, KPop Demon Hunters, and Jeopardy skits. ChatGptió was a commercial-like scene, advertising a more “authentic” version of AI. Despite the quick scene turnover, the show’s comedy remained, especially with the sketch “KPop Demon Hunters” featuring the voice actors from the hit movie. In SNL fashion, they reuse bits from past skits, like Jeopardy, which are predictable but entertaining to audiences.
“I really enjoyed some past sketches, like the Africa Tourism skit with Adele. When I saw some of these sketches, they reminded me of that one, so when I saw them, I got so happy.” said junior Vivian Lawrence.
Doja Cat made her first-ever appearance as the musical guest, and in regular Doja fashion, she pulled out all the stops. She was in an 1980s-inspired outfit, featuring a dark blue bodysuit, leopard print stockings, and yellow hair while performing “AAAHH MEN!” from her newest album, “Vie”. She also performed “Gorgeous”, wearing a red floral dress while sitting on a rose-shaped glittery throne.
Overall, the SNL season premiere demonstrated that, even after 50 years and 938 episodes of Saturday Night Live, the show still knows how to reinvent itself and bring something new to the table.
“It’s really cool how the show has lasted many years, and you can see how it has changed.” said junior Lola Lund.
Between the mix of strong performances, new writers, and breakout sketches, the show has set a high standard for itself as it continues the rest of its 51st season.
