Saturday Night Live with host Kit Harington should surprise fans this week

Saturday Night Live has the chance to bring something unexpected to the table with host Kit Harington.

The end is near for season 44 of Saturday Night Live but that doesn’t mean the show can’t still surprise audiences. The show should do just that this week when it welcomes Game of Thrones star Kit Harington as host.

The show has been understandably predictable in some ways. It’s usually pretty clear when we can expect Alec Baldwin to show up as President Trump or Robert De Niro to appear as Robert Mueller. Both impressions have seemingly run their course but they still serve their purpose in cold opens designed to address the week’s biggest political stories.

Cold opens have also provided some unexpected cameos well-received by fans. Matt Damon, Bill Hader and Steve Martin have all popped up to play political figures and were praised for their performances.

There have been some surprise hits among sketches as well. The R. Kelly cold open, John Mulaney’s “Bodega Bathroom,” and “Chad’s Horror Movie” have all stood out while “controversies” like Pete Davidson’s jokes about a congressman and President Trump’s Twitter tirades have also kept things interesting.

First time hosts like Jason Momoa, Idris Elba, and Rachel Brosnahan have also done well considering it was unclear what to expect. Kit Harington’s turn hosting this week is similar but he should surprise SNL audiences.

Harington’s performance as Jon Snow on Game of Thrones doesn’t lend itself to much comedy. Harington himself told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he considers himself the least funny person in the world. But the actor maybe selling himself short or just setting up Saturday Night Live fans for a nice surprise this weekend.

Harington proved he can parody himself and Game of Thrones when he filmed a bit for Late Night with Seth Meyers. “Jon Snow at a Dinner Party” was exactly something you’d expect to see on SNL and Late Night nailed the idea.

Harington also showed he could hold his own with another Saturday Night Live alum in Andy Samberg. Harington and Samberg faced off in the 2015 HBO mockumentary 7 Days in Hell. As a dim-witted tennis prodigy, Harington proved that he could do much more than brood and sulk as Jon Snow.

We’ve already seen a handful of hosts this year come to Saturday Night Live with next to no experience in comedy. Whether Kit Harington would admit it or not, he does have a leg up over those others thanks to his work with Seth Meyers and Andy Sambert. And knowing that many of the SNL writers and cast members are Game of Thrones  fans, Harington will be in good hands this week.

Kit Harington is surely looking to move his career beyond Game of Thrones now that the show is about to start airing the final season. A strong showing as host of Saturday Night Live could further open him up to the world of comedy. Just don’t be too surprised when he nails it.