Jean Smart fights for attention in SNL's nostalgic season 50 promo

Saturday Night Live is back. Well, almost. The beloved sketch show returns on September 28, and Emmy winner Jean Smart will be making her debut as host. As the promo for the season 50 premiere shows, though, Smart will have a lot to compete with.

Saturday Night Live is celebrating five decades on the air, and the show is going to have to juggle new and vital guests, while at the same time looking back and honoring the legends that came before. It's something the show hilariously reckons with, courtesy of Smart's comedic timing.

Jean Smart gets overshadowed by old SNL clips

The promo starts off wistful and soft, with Jean Smart walking down the halls of the SNL offices. She stops and looks at photos of past generations on the wall. The promo then intercuts clips of people like George Carlin, Steve Martin, and the countless other hosts who have left their mark.

It's all very nice, but in typical SNL fashion, the rug gets pulled out from under the viewer. Jean Smart waxes poetic about having her time to shine, but then she realizes that the promo is highlighting clips from every season of the show. "You're not actually gonna show a clip from every seas-," Smart asks before getting cut off.

The actress demands more of the spotlight

The editing between a frustrated Smart and clips from SNL cast members like Eddie Murphy and Chris Farley speeds up until the actress eventually puts her foot down. "Can we make this a little bit more about me," she asks. She proceeds to get very sincere about the honor she feels hosting, but the promo runs out of time and cuts to her name, alongside musical guest Jelly Roll.

It's a tongue in cheek way to address the balancing act that Saturday Night Live is going to have to strike in the new season, and Smart, eternally irreverent, is the perfect actress to sell the bit. We're excited to see how she fares over the course of an entire episode!