Saturday Night Live preview with host Rachel Brosnahan

After a long holiday hiatus Saturday Night Live finally returns with a new episode hosted by Rachel Brosnahan with musical guest Greta Van Fleet.

The stoppage is finally over. After weeks of nothing happening and the public left wondering when it would end, we finally have our answer. No, we’re not talking about the government shutdown. We’re talking about the return of Saturday Night Live.

For a month fans have been asking if Saturday Night Live was back yet. We were last left with Matt Damon hosting the Christmas episode . Viewers still tuned into the NBC each Saturday after that expecting to see a new batch of sketches. However, even the comedy machines in Studio 8H need a break to recharge over the holidays.

But now the cast, writers, and crew are back to work and ready for the second half of season 44. Rachel Brosnahan, star of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, will host. Greta Van Fleet will be the musical guest, making it only the second band behind Mumford and Sons to take the Saturday Night Live stage this season.

So now that we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that Saturday Night Live is back, let’s take a look at what to expect this week. It should be a big episode with a lot of eyes glued to the screen!

Playing catch up

Like we said, it has been a long time since we’ve seen a new episode from Saturday Night Live. And in that time a lot has happened. The show has made its name by being a topical comedy show that millions of people look to whenever a big story hits.

Now more than ever that means people want to see how the show responds to President Donald Trump. SNL hasn’t tried to hide its position on the president, his administration, and those in his orbit. Cold open after cold open has taken aim at Team Trump.

So after the holiday hiatus, what story will the show decide to focus on this week? A lot has happened since December. Will they try to make up for last time and use jokes they’ve been sitting on? Or will they treat it like any other week and focus on what has happened in the past seven days?

Chances are we will see something looking at the government shutdown. Expect Alec Baldwin to return as the president and rant about border walls, medieval strategies, and Mexican supercars. The first episode after a long break like this could also mean we have a cameo or two from a surprise guest.

Marvelous Ms. Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan will be making her first appearance as a Saturday Night Live host. She is a fantastic choice considering the popularity of her series Marvelous Mrs. Maisel streaming on Amazon. In fact, she seemed to be too obvious of a choice as host to be included on Last Night On’s list of potential hosts in 2019.

If you’re a fan of her show then you know there is no concern over Brosnahan’s comedic skills translating to SNL. Brosnahan has won a Golden Globe, Emmy, and Critics’ Choice award in comedy for her work on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

We also know that Brosnahan has been on the radar of Saturday Night Live writers. She was parodied by Cecily Strong during a sketch on potential Oscar hosts:

With the real Brosnahan on hand, there is a good chance we will see a sketch based on the show. Past hosts like Jason Momoa and Claire Foy appeared as their popular television characters for sketches already this season.

Greta Van Fleet love/hate

Typically it is the host that gets the most attention and fan reaction when it comes to Saturday Night Live. Like Rachel Brosnahan this week, they are usually met with a positive reception and given a chance to show what they can do.

Musical guests don’t make or break the show the same way a host can. They may bring a few extra fans to the show whereas people usually tune into Saturday Night Live whether they like the host or not.

This week will be interesting, however. Greta Van Fleet comes with a lot of very strong opinions. Some see the band as the saviors of modern rock music. Others see them as a glorified tribute act ripping off Led Zeppelin.

Just a quick search on social media proves that fans are pretty divided in their response to Greta Van Fleet performing on Saturday Night Live. Expect even more back and forth on Twitter and Facebook during the show’s broadcast on Saturday.

Overall, it is a good thing that Greta Van Fleet is the musical guest. It adds some diversity to the acts who have already performed this season. Mumford and Sons is the only other band that we’ve seen this year. Maybe a live performance can convert some haters?

Saturday Night Live with host Rachel Brosnahan and musical guest Greta Van Fleet airs on Jan. 19 at 11:30 on NBC. Let us know what you’re looking forward to this week in the comment section! Check back in with Last Night On for a recap of the episode and a break down of all the best sketches of the night.