Is There a New ‘SNL’ Episode Airing This Week?
We’re deep into the 45th season of “Saturday Night Live” now, and also deep into the holiday season. In the most recent episode of “SNL,” which aired on Dec. 21, was hosted by Eddie Murphy. The host had several big moments in his return to the sketch show for the first time in 35 years, like throwing major shade at Bill Cosby and bringing back his Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood sketch.
In season 45, Alec Baldwin has made four appearances as Donald Trump thus far — he’s shown up in the last two episodes, as well as in the premiere episode, and in the cold open on October 26, when he shared the stage with Darrell Hammond, the former “SNL” cast member who played Trump on the show for years. Baldwin popped up less often in season 44 than he did in the previous two seasons, when he would appear as Donald Trump in the cold open most weeks. Thus far he’s made one appearance per month in season 45.
This week, on Saturday, December 28, there WILL NOT be a new episode of “SNL.” NBC’s sketch comedy will resume its 45th season on January 25, when Adam Driver will host, with Halsey as the musical guest. As usual, the “SNL” rerun will not be simulcast from coast to coast — on the West Coast it’ll air at 11:30 p.m.
Also Read: 'SNL': Eddie Murphy Gets Even With Bill Cosby in Monologue - 'Who's America's Dad Now?' (Video)
While season 44 saw “SNL” seemingly tire of doing political commentary late in the season, season 45 has seen it return its politics-heavy form. Every cold open this season has been political, and each has featured some surprise celebrity cameos. Including, perhaps most shockingly, Darrell Hammond’s brief appearance — Hammond was devastated three years ago when it picked Baldwin to play Trump over him. We’ve also seen Lin-Manuel Miranda and Billy Porter feature in one cold open, and Matthew Broderick in another.
The start of the 45th season of “SNL” is not that different from how season 44 began — though later in the season it shied away from the political stuff in favor of general pop culture jokes.
Last year, the Season 44 premiere was eventful for a number of reasons. Matt Damon appeared as Brett Kavanaugh in the cold open. Musical guest Kanye West wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on stage and giving a pro-Donald Trump speech that didn’t air. Cast member Pete Davidson addressed West’s pro-Trump speech during the “Weekend Update” portion of the Oct. 6 episode the following week.
Also Read: 'SNL': Will Ferrell's Gordon Sondland Shows Up to Ruin Things for Alec Baldwin's Trump (Video)
The political bent did, of course, continue throughout the season. Ahead of the midterm elections, we got a cold open sketch that parodied Fox News’ hysterical coverage of the immigrant caravan ahead of this week’s midterm elections. The sketch saw cast member Kate McKinnon playing “Ingraham Angle” host Laura Ingraham, with guest appearances by Kenan Thompson as right-wing former sheriff David Clarke and Cecily Strong popping up as “Judge” Jeanine Pirro. The three took turns spouting false narratives about the caravan and presenting videos of things like a mob of Black Friday shoppers and crabs scrambling around on a beach as being footage of the caravan.
We’ve been surprised to see Robert De Niro pop up fairly regularly as special counsel Robert Mueller — he showed up in two episodes late last season and has returned for several more episodes as Mueller in the past couple months, such as when he bid farewell to Kate McKinnon’s still tremendously impression Jeff Sessions impersonation after Sessions was fired as Attorney General.
Alec Baldwin’s most recent appearance, his sixth time this season portraying Donald Trump, came in a sketch mocking the way the Mueller Report was initially filtered by Attorney General William Barr and Trump himself.
Also Read: 'SNL': Paul Rudd, Jimmy Fallon and James Corden Bully Alec Baldwin's Trump in Cold Open (Video)
In the previous two seasons of “SNL” you’d have been hard pressed to find many cold open sketches that dodged the political happenings of the week, but the second half of season 44 saw the show delving more into general pop culture stuff and — aside from eternally mocking Trump — even taking more of a neutral stance in its political sketches. But thus far in season 45, the show has not really tried to avoid the big political topics of the week.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'SNL': Paul Rudd, Jimmy Fallon and James Corden Bully Alec Baldwin's Trump in Cold Open (Video)
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