Saturday Night Live with Dan Levy: What to watch for

Viewers saw actor John Krasinski finally host Saturday Night Live last week. With his appearance having previously been pushed back due to safety precautions related to coronavirus, he still came out and put on a great show. This weekend, we’re gearing up for the creator and star of Schitt’s Creek Dan Levy to host SNL and try to keep the momentum going. He’ll be joined by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers.

While the Krasinski hosted episode received above-average ratings, it wasn’t without a few missteps.  According to Out, Saturday Night Live went under fire for “some frankly lazy writing they called ‘jokes'”. This is in reference to the moment in Krasinski’s monologue where he kissed Pete Davidson, acting as Krasinksi’s love interest Pam from The Office. There was also a transphobic comment made by “Weekend Update” anchor Michael Che. These moments were criticized during the show’s viewer discourse on Twitter the following day.

With Dan Levy being at 30 Rock this week, here’s hoping the show can make up for this backlash by showcasing Levy’s quick wit and energetic presence.

The show released a promo on their official social media accounts featuring Dan Levy’s father, Schitt’s Creek co-star, and former SCTV cast member Eugene Levy. The clip featured Eugene Levy and John Candy making a cameo with host Billy Crystal in the March 2, 1985 episode of Saturday Night Live. The promo then continues to show a myriad of tweets exhibiting the excitement over Levy’s announced hosting gig and ends a graphic of his tweet after seeing the announcement on the SNL twitter.  While Eugene Levy was not a cast member of SNL, who knows? We might surprise ourselves and see a cameo.

Will host Dan Levy be able to keep up on Saturday Night Live?

While Schitt’s Creek does serve as a sample of Dan Levy’s comedic chops, the upcoming SNL host does not come from a live sketch comedy background, unlike his father. This means his performance in the live aspects in the show could be limited due to the program’s fast-paced nature. I expect to see him in at least one or two pre-recorded sketches just like we saw Krasinski in last week. Comedic timing is everything, especially right now with a limited audience. The introduction of the host is also crucial. If Levy kills it in his monologue, it sets the tone for how he’ll be received throughout the rest of the episode.

Traditionally, most hosts have a say in what goes. Again, with Levy in the building, it’s easy to assume that a Schitt’s Creek reference will be thrown in. Though, since Levy does come from a writing background, I’d assume he won’t be too coy to bring his own original ideas to the table.

Phoebe Bridgers joins Dan Levy in making her Saturday Night Live debut 

Not only is the 26-year-old appearing as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, but Phoebe Bridgers is also up for four Grammys: Best Rock Performance (“Kyoto”), Best Rock Song (“Kyoto”), Best Alternative Music Album (Punisher), and Best New Artist.

Bridgers has an impressive following on Twitter. She’s known for retweeting articles and/or people who make light of the fan culture that surrounds her music as well as tweets that poke fun at topical news stories. There’s hope that her incessant self-deprecating humor could be made useful as a surprise cameo in a sketch.

As the buzz from her multiple Grammy nominations continues, this is the perfect time for Bridgers to be featured on the show. It would also be nice to see the singer-songwriter in at least one sketch for this episode. Judging from some of the promos that feature Bridgers, Levy, and cast member Aidy Bryant, she seems to have her deadpan delivery down. If used properly, she could really be a fun sight to see during the show.

What are your predictions for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to check back with Last Night On for a full recap of the best sketches.