Saturday Night Live: Season 46 in review
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 15: “Maya Rudolph/Jack Harlow“
Maya Rudolph had already appeared many times this season in her beloved role as Vice Presidential candidate Kamila Harris, but it was nice to see her get a full episode to herself. She shared her monologue with the new featured players, which was a nice touch, and former cast members Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch made cameos in the final sketch, which was also nice to see.
Most memorable sketch: The most talked about sketch was the “NFTs” song, but personally I thought “Boomers Got The Vax” was the better tune. Plus, it’s another great depiction of life in early 2021.
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 16: “Daniel Kaluuya/St. Vincent“
In the weeks leading up to the Oscars, SNL invited two of this year’s nominees to host: Daniel Kaluuya and Carey Mulligan. Kaluuya fit right in with the cast, perhaps because he got his start acting on several British sketch comedy shows before he became a famous dramatic actor. He showed off his acting skills by playing several ridiculous characters, and he even came up with the idea for “Salt Bae,” one of the funniest cut-for-time sketches of the season.
Most memorable sketch: I could’ve picked another COVID sketch here (“Vaccine Game” was certainly memorable) but I’ve decided to go with “Dog Park” instead. Kaluuya is now an Academy Award-winning actor, so it’s even more exciting to get to watch him be utterly ridiculous in this sketch.
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 17: “Carey Mulligan/Kid Cudi“
Carey Mulligan was at her best in sketches like “The War in Words: Bertie and Mary” and “Lesbian Period Drama,” where she got to use her dramatic acting skills for comedic purposes. This episode will also go down in SNL history as the first appearance of Bowen Yang’s character “The Iceberg That Sunk The Titanic,” which is almost certainly going to become a recurring character.
Most memorable sketch: “Lesbian Period Drama” is the best genre send-up that SNL has done this season.
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 18: “Elon Musk/Miley Cyrus“
This was one of the most talked-about episodes on the internet for obvious reasons; the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk is a highly divisive figure and he was undeniably a strange choice to host SNL. One really cool thing about this episode is that it was broadcast live on YouTube around the world so that people outside of the United States could access it for free. It’s the first SNL episode ever to premiere at the same time all around the globe.
Most memorable sketch: I still don’t know if the “Wario” sketch was good or not, but one thing is for sure – I can’t stop thinking about it.
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 19: “Keegan-Michael Key/Olivia Rodrigo“
Keegan-Michael Key is a sketch comedy legend with a brand new TV show coming out this summer, so he made perfect sense as a choice for host. He clearly had a great time goofing around with the Saturday Night Live cast, and he even got to do a MADtv style sketch where he and Kenan Thompson beat up a bunch of muppets.
Most memorable sketch: “No More Masks Cold Open” was great because it utilized almost the entire cast. SNL should find a way to do more vignette-style sketches.
Saturday Night Live season 46 episode 20: “Anya Taylor-Joy/Lil Nas X“
It was a little surprising to see an up-and-comer like Anya Taylor-Joy hosting the season finale because that responsibility usually goes to a major movie star or a former cast member. However, Taylor-Joy quickly proved that she was a perfectly deserving choice, and the finale ended up being one of the best episodes of the season. Unfortunately, Taylor-Joy’s stellar performance was slightly overshadowed by rumors that long-time SNL stars Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, and Pete Davidson might be leaving the show.
Most memorable sketch: There were plenty of choices from this episode, but I’m going with “Making Man” because Anya Taylor-Joy really impressed me in this one, and it’s just such a well-written sketch. I’ll be sharing this sketch with friends for years.
Related Story. Peacock has every season of Saturday Night Live. light
What was your favorite Saturday Night Live episode from season 46? Which sketch was the most memorable? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!