I gotta say… It felt good to be back! Expectations, hype, and intrigue are all sky-high for season 50 and I think this episode mostly delivered.

Jean Smart was funny and classic in a great way. It was hard not to get a lump in your throat during her joke-flecked “I happen to like New York” opening monologue. The history of the show is grand, culturally critical, and embedded in the souls of many — and it all came live from Studio 8H. The start of a new season always hits, but the 50 year milestone is pretty astonishing.

Many were curious about what to expect from season 50’s cast after Lorne Michael’s interview with Michael Che and Colin Jost in the Hollywood Reporter where he talked about the upcoming year: “A lot of the places like Second City and UCB and Groundlings closed down [during the pandemic], so there was a whole generation that didn’t get to come and audition. And then there were the strikes. So, this was the first time in a while where I could just look at the show and go, ‘This is what’s happening’ — and we just had to make changes. So we did and we’re excited about the new people because we felt they really belonged at SNL.”

It was a shame to lose Chloe Troast this year — her Little Orphan Cassidy sketch was a highlight of last season. I hate to say I didn’t miss  Punkie Johnson or Molly Kearney, although I think they’ll both find other places to shine. We didn’t see too much of the new cast members in this premiere, but Michaels’ optimism was clear.

The sketches

The cold open was one for the books. It wasn’t a surprise to see Maya Rudolph back as Kamala Harris, but it was exciting all the same. The introduction of Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff was just incredible — you love to see the cast reunited — not to be outdone by Jim Gaffigan’s Tim Walz. Rarely has the Midwest been so hilariously represented on-screen. But all of these incredible impressions fell down at the feet of the master: Dana Carvey as Joe Biden. “Hey, guess what, and by the way…” Carvey’s got his reputation for a reason, folks!

Jean Smart killed in her “Textbook Writer” and “I Love Lucy” sketches — despite Marcello Hernandez’s Ricky Ricardo in the latter.

The “Real Housewives” series continued on strong from previous seasons with great performances from everyone at the table, including newcomer Ashley Padilla. Andrew Dismukes’ waiter character cracked me up!

Devon Walker did great in his first episode as a full cast member, bringing back his very timely Eric Adams impression during Weekend Update and taking on Michael Strahan with ease for “$100,000 Pyramid.”

Ego Nwodim is a forever favorite of mine, Chloe Fineman and Heidi Gardner were excellent as always — very dependable players — and Weekend Update was action-packed and hilarious after the months off. *Insert social comment about Colin Jost’s Hitler joke.*

Bowen Yang

Look — everyone’s saying it, this is not a unique opinion, but Bowen Yang is the star of SNL. His versatility and ability to transform into almost anyone (from Charlie XCX to J.D. Vance) are unmatched in the moment. He’s thrilling to watch live in the way I imagine Phil Hartman was. He’s utterly believable in every sketch, carries the humor to every line, and is just plain impressive. We’re big Bowen fans around here.

The musical guest

Jelly Roll came seemingly out of nowhere to storm the cultural landscape this past year and was a great choice for SNL’s season premiere. As always, his vocals were beautiful, his songs soulful, and his vibe on point. You could feel his genuine joy through the screen, it was radiating. It’s rare to find people who seem truly and honestly good in the land of celebrity today, and he’s one of them. If you haven’t watched his CMA Best New Artist acceptance speech from 2023, take 2 minutes out of your day to do so. You just might close the tab in an even better mood.

Final thoughts

Michael Che recently said: “Any other show loses a star like Will Ferrell, and the show is not the same. SNL has lost maybe 30 of the biggest comedy stars of all time, and it’s still on and relevant.”

And for me, that’s proving true in year 50. I’m sure there’s tons more to come this season, and although Jean Smart wasn’t my all-time favorite host, we’re off to a pretty strong start.

My rating: 3.5/5