SNL

SNL is having a banner year with its political sketches, but there’s no overlooking the absence of past favorites Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam. Pharoah in particular says the sketch comedy series had him in an “impression box,” and even had cast members commenting that he was undervalued.

Louis C.K.’s SNL return went smoothly enough, until Tig Notaro fans noticed some striking similarities between a prerecorded “Birthday Clown” sketch, and Notaro’s own “Clown Service” short. It might have been an earnest mistake, but Notaro now speaks out against SNL, calling the apparent rip “extremely disappointing.”

Just one week after Louis C.K. expressed his disdain for SNL’s flashy new promos, the originals are back! Jimmy Fallon and Harry Styles take us into SNL’s first live coast-to-coast shows, snapping it up in multiple promos for Saturday’s latest.

Forty-two seasons of comedy are bound to see SNL traversing some familiar ground, but a recent sketch from this past weekend’s Louis C.K. return may stepped over the line. Tig Notaro fans are accusing a pre-recorded clown sketch of aping one of the comedian’s short films, subbing in C.K. for her.

No one was exactly surprised to see Alec Baldwin kicking off the final five SNL episodes of Season 42 as Donald Trump, though the reluctantly recurring star added yet another major media impression. See Alec Baldwin face off with Alec Baldwin, as the reigning SNL host pulls double-duty as Trump and Bill O’Reilly for a Fox News sketch.

Recent months have seen SNL shifting away from the traditional guest star promos to something with a bit more production value, but don’t bother trying to get Louis C.K. on board. The comedian would like you to know he’s hosting this weekend, not presenting at the Grammys.

Once upon a time, Alec Baldwin taking on the role of SNL’s Donald Trump seemed like an amusing guest spot to take us through the debates. Now, the question remains how long Baldwin will play the beleaguered president, especially as the reigning host claims he never wanted the role in the first place.

SNL has one heck of a Season 42 finish ahead, to follow Louis C.K. with Jimmy Fallon, Chris Pine, Melissa McCarthy and The Rock, and live on every coast at that. Of all those names, however, McCarthy might build the most anticipation, as the Sean Spicer impressionist says she’s already squirreling away notes for the next appearance.

Dave Chappelle had perhaps one of the hardest SNL gigs in recent memory, to follow the still-stunning upset of Election Night with humor. His monologue in particular set a tone for soldiering onward, for which Chappelle now offers new insight into the SNL writers’ room that week, and the advice Louis C.K. gave him.

If perhaps SNL seemed to be sleeping on the job with its two-hosts-per-month in 2017, they had good reason. Not only have the final four hosts been announced, including Jimmy Fallon, Melissa McCarthy and The Rock, but shows will air live across the country for the first time in history.