SNL: Farewell Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant (and 2 other dudes)

[JasonEvans]

Saturday marked the end of the run for Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

Kate has been arguably the most important cast member on SNL for the past few years, at worst the co-MVP alongside Keenan Thompson. Aidy has to be in the running for third place. Those two were comedic gold and seemed to show up in most of the sketches each week. Luckily, there seems to be more female talent than male talent on the show right now so SNL should continue to thrive without these two great players. I'm looking forward to more from Sarah Sherman, who's appearances on Weekend Update have been real treasures lately.

Meanwhile, there have been tons of headlines about Pete Davidson leaving the show even though he rarely appears in more than 1 or 2 sketches per show and seems to almost be a parody of himself most of the time. Every sketch he does is all about Pete, he's never a supporting cast member. That is fine and he has done some memorable stuff, but some news outlets have led the departure news with his name, which is just absurd compared to Kate and Aidy. That said, he has this "superstar" kinda quality to him and you cannot stop watching when he is on because you never know when he will do something crazy and memorable. He's likely going to be an A-list comedy movie star very soon.

Oh, and Kyle Mooney is also leaving the show... if we are ranking cast members, he's in the bottom 5. I'm not sure what is next in his career, probably a lot of standup, but he won't be missed much at all.

Anyway, the cold open this past week was farewell to one of Kate's best characters, the UFO abductee who has a special relationship with the aliens. It may not be as iconic as her impressions (Fauci and RBG probably the most famous) but I suspect this is the character she wanted to use to say goodbye.

[JasonEvans]

There was a Pete Davison music video tribute to Lorne Michaels that was cut for time so it was not on the show (but found its way to YouTube). I'll say this about Pete, his comedy feels really honest. He's not afraid to reveal himself in his work and that is a rare quality. I truly think he loves Lorne Michaels and feels eternally grateful for all Lorne has done for his career.

[bundabergdevil]

Saturday marked the end of the run for Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

Kate has been arguably the most important cast member on SNL for the past few years, at worst the co-MVP alongside Keenan Thompson. Aidy has to be in the running for third place. Those two were comedic gold and seemed to show up in most of the sketches each week. Luckily, there seems to be more female talent than male talent on the show right now so SNL should continue to thrive without these two great players. I'm looking forward to more from Sarah Sherman, who's appearances on Weekend Update have been real treasures lately.

Meanwhile, there have been tons of headlines about Pete Davidson leaving the show even though he rarely appears in more than 1 or 2 sketches per show and seems to almost be a parody of himself most of the time. Every sketch he does is all about Pete, he's never a supporting cast member. That is fine and he has done some memorable stuff, but some news outlets have led the departure news with his name, which is just absurd compared to Kate and Aidy. That said, he has this "superstar" kinda quality to him and you cannot stop watching when he is on because you never know when he will do something crazy and memorable. He's likely going to be an A-list comedy movie star very soon.

Oh, and Kyle Mooney is also leaving the show... if we are ranking cast members, he's in the bottom 5. I'm not sure what is next in his career, probably a lot of standup, but he won't be missed much at all.

Anyway, the cold open this past week was farewell to one of Kate's best characters, the UFO abductee who has a special relationship with the aliens. It may not be as iconic as her impressions (Fauci and RBG probably the most famous) but I suspect this is the character she wanted to use to say goodbye.

I missed that Kyle Mooney was leaving but, like Pete, he's played a version of himself quite a bit.

Kate and Aidy continue a recent and significant stretch for SNL in which it's biggest, most talented stars are women. It has been a while since the "must see" skits were those that featured one of the male cast members. Maybe the Andy Samberg/Lonely Island stuff or Bill Hader/Stefon.

Of the new up and comers, I really hope to see more of Aristotle Athari. I thought some of the funniest --- and most specific --- recent content was his. The 'Angelo' skit with Ramek as the host and his Laughingtosh robot on Update both had me in stitches.

[aimo]

I haven't watched SNL in over twenty years.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I haven't watched SNL in over twenty years.

Kate McKinnon is easily the funniest part for me. My level of interest goes from "meh" to "oh. Huh."

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Saturday marked the end of the run for Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

Kate has been arguably the most important cast member on SNL for the past few years, at worst the co-MVP alongside Keenan Thompson. Aidy has to be in the running for third place. Those two were comedic gold and seemed to show up in most of the sketches each week. Luckily, there seems to be more female talent than male talent on the show right now so SNL should continue to thrive without these two great players. I'm looking forward to more from Sarah Sherman, who's appearances on Weekend Update have been real treasures lately.

Meanwhile, there have been tons of headlines about Pete Davidson leaving the show even though he rarely appears in more than 1 or 2 sketches per show and seems to almost be a parody of himself most of the time. Every sketch he does is all about Pete, he's never a supporting cast member. That is fine and he has done some memorable stuff, but some news outlets have led the departure news with his name, which is just absurd compared to Kate and Aidy. That said, he has this "superstar" kinda quality to him and you cannot stop watching when he is on because you never know when he will do something crazy and memorable. He's likely going to be an A-list comedy movie star very soon.

Oh, and Kyle Mooney is also leaving the show... if we are ranking cast members, he's in the bottom 5. I'm not sure what is next in his career, probably a lot of standup, but he won't be missed much at all.

Anyway, the cold open this past week was farewell to one of Kate's best characters, the UFO abductee who has a special relationship with the aliens. It may not be as iconic as her impressions (Fauci and RBG probably the most famous) but I suspect this is the character she wanted to use to say goodbye.

I watch SNL occasionally. I 100% agree with you about Kate - she has been the star of the show, is incredibly talented and will be missed. Also agree that Keenan is one of the best.

That being said, I would rank Davidson ahead of Bryant. Though he is not on that much, he brings that classic SNL edge (he is not as good as Belushi but that is my comparison) of "Pete Davidson is in this sketch, he might do something really wacky, I'm going to stay up the extra five minutes to watch him" that very few others bring. Perhaps it is my NY bias showing (though I am about as far from him in terms of personality as they get), but it is nice to have some really grit and edge on the show (the "dirtbag" factor). Agreed that it is often about him, but the fact that he can laugh at himself is great and seems to be a vanishing skill these days.

Maybe it is because I am getting older, but I think their choices of hosts in recent years have been a lot more hit or miss. If I don't know or care about the host, I am less likely to watch.

[duke74]

I haven't watched SNL in over twenty years.

Same.

[robed deity]

Saturday marked the end of the run for Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

Kate has been arguably the most important cast member on SNL for the past few years, at worst the co-MVP alongside Keenan Thompson. Aidy has to be in the running for third place. Those two were comedic gold and seemed to show up in most of the sketches each week. Luckily, there seems to be more female talent than male talent on the show right now so SNL should continue to thrive without these two great players. I'm looking forward to more from Sarah Sherman, who's appearances on Weekend Update have been real treasures lately.

Meanwhile, there have been tons of headlines about Pete Davidson leaving the show even though he rarely appears in more than 1 or 2 sketches per show and seems to almost be a parody of himself most of the time. Every sketch he does is all about Pete, he's never a supporting cast member. That is fine and he has done some memorable stuff, but some news outlets have led the departure news with his name, which is just absurd compared to Kate and Aidy. That said, he has this "superstar" kinda quality to him and you cannot stop watching when he is on because you never know when he will do something crazy and memorable. He's likely going to be an A-list comedy movie star very soon.

Oh, and Kyle Mooney is also leaving the show... if we are ranking cast members, he's in the bottom 5. I'm not sure what is next in his career, probably a lot of standup, but he won't be missed much at all.

Anyway, the cold open this past week was farewell to one of Kate's best characters, the UFO abductee who has a special relationship with the aliens. It may not be as iconic as her impressions (Fauci and RBG probably the most famous) but I suspect this is the character she wanted to use to say goodbye.

I'm definitely in the minority, but I'm gonna give some love to Kyle Mooney. I'd rank MANY present and past members below him but that's probably just me. Some of his skits were hilarious, and I thought he had a great chemistry with Beck Bennett. But I suppose it's a certain kind of style.

[JasonEvans]

Maybe it is because I am getting older, but I think their choices of hosts in recent years have been a lot more hit or miss. If I don't know or care about the host, I am less likely to watch.

Look, I love me some Natasha Lyonne (I'm a big fan of OITNB and Russian Doll) but getting her as the host of the season finale feels... well... small. She is hardly a household name and I think Russian Doll is quite literally the only thing she has done where she is the star of the program or movie. She's been around forever in smaller, supporting roles but the vast majority of America barely knows who she is (Russian Doll has done great with critics, but is far from one of Netflix most popular shows).

I get that Tom Cruise ain't spending a week in New York working on an ep of SNL, but what about Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, or Jon Hamm from Top Gun? Why not Millie Bobbie Brown from Stranger Things 4 (opening this week)? How about Chris Hemsworth to promote the upcoming Thor film?

This past season saw SNL hosts like Paul Rudd, Willem Dafoe, Kim Kardashian, Jason Sudekis, Owen Wilson, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mullaney, Oscar Issac, and several other A-listers. But it also featured Natasha Lyonne, Jonathan Majors, Jerrod Carmichael, Simu Liu, and Ariana Dubose. Each of those on the second list are extremely talented and interesting actors... but they feel too small for SNL if the show is as important as it claims to be.

[luburch]

I would argue that McKinnon should have left 2-3 years ago. Her star has waned a bit. Feels like the right time for Aidy and Pete to leave as well. I've long felt Mooney was a bit underused and can understand him moving on.

The Please Don't Destroy crew seems to be one of the few SNL bright spots. Hope to see more of them in the coming seasons.

[dudog84]

This past season saw SNL hosts like Paul Rudd, Willem Dafoe, Kim Kardashian, Jason Sudekis, Owen Wilson, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mullaney, Oscar Issac, and several other A-listers. But it also featured Natasha Lyonne, Jonathan Majors, Jerrod Carmichael, Simu Liu, and Ariana Dubose. Each of those on the second list are extremely talented and interesting actors... but they feel too small for SNL if the show is as important as it claims to be.

Which one of these is not like the others.

SNL hasn't been the same since Chevy left.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Look, I love me some Natasha Lyonne (I'm a big fan of OITNB and Russian Doll) but getting her as the host of the season finale feels... well... small. She is hardly a household name and I think Russian Doll is quite literally the only thing she has done where she is the star of the program or movie. She's been around forever in smaller, supporting roles but the vast majority of America barely knows who she is (Russian Doll has done great with critics, but is far from one of Netflix most popular shows).

I get that Tom Cruise ain't spending a week in New York working on an ep of SNL, but what about Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, or Jon Hamm from Top Gun? Why not Millie Bobbie Brown from Stranger Things 4 (opening this week)? How about Chris Hemsworth to promote the upcoming Thor film?

This past season saw SNL hosts like Paul Rudd, Willem Dafoe, Kim Kardashian, Jason Sudekis, Owen Wilson, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mullaney, Oscar Issac, and several other A-listers. But it also featured Natasha Lyonne, Jonathan Majors, Jerrod Carmichael, Simu Liu, and Ariana Dubose. Each of those on the second list are extremely talented and interesting actors... but they feel too small for SNL if the show is as important as it claims to be.

I think SNL is trying too hard to appeal to its older audience and be hip and cool for the younger crowd. I don't know what deals are struck to "place" people as hosts (it is like a product placement) but as much as many of the top grossing movies these days are the Marvel thrillers and other similar action movies, I'm not sure if there is that big of an intersection between those who see that type of movie and SNL viewers. So I disagree with the suggestion of the guy from Thor. I think the overlap with something like Top Gun or Stranger Things is a lot bigger.

On a somewhat related note, I recently saw an absolutely hilarious show on Broadway called POTUS. It stars seven women including Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Williams and Julianne Hough. Of the seven, Rachel Dratch's role is more secondary but it was almost written for her - she is hilarious. The show is very crass and not something you would want to take an elderly family member to, but I highly recommend it if anyone is passing through NYC. At first glance it is making fun of Trump but one could also argue that it is also making fun of Bill Clinton as well and to a lesser extent Obama.

[weezie]

It's just NOT funny! The writers must love hearing the sound of their own voices.

Post Malone was terrific last week though.

[bundabergdevil]

I don't know about this season (47) but SNL has been #1 in it's category for the coveted 18-49 adult demographic the last few years. I suspect absolute live viewership has declined as content consumption has changed but it is still extremely popular, which is amazing after being on the air for nearly half a century. It has it's peaks and valleys, to be sure, but I've also found a lot of the "SNL hasn't been funny in blah blah years" crowd is not in their target demographic anymore so SNL probably has the same opinion about it's critics' senses of humor that it's critics has about it's appeal.

The NBC series wrapped its 46th season as the top entertainment program (i.e., not including sports telecasts) among adults 18-49. It’s the top-rated comedy in the key ad demographic for the second consecutive season.


https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...on-1234963138/

[Bostondevil]

I still watch SNL. I still watch it live (although not every Saturday.)

[Skydog]

I think SNL is trying too hard to appeal to its older audience and be hip and cool for the younger crowd. I don't know what deals are struck to "place" people as hosts (it is like a product placement) but as much as many of the top grossing movies these days are the Marvel thrillers and other similar action movies, I'm not sure if there is that big of an intersection between those who see that type of movie and SNL viewers. So I disagree with the suggestion of the guy from Thor. I think the overlap with something like Top Gun or Stranger Things is a lot bigger.

On a somewhat related note, I recently saw an absolutely hilarious show on Broadway called POTUS. It stars seven women including Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Williams and Julianne Hough. Of the seven, Rachel Dratch's role is more secondary but it was almost written for her - she is hilarious. The show is very crass and not something you would want to take an elderly family member to, but I highly recommend it if anyone is passing through NYC. At first glance it is making fun of Trump but one could also argue that it is also making fun of Bill Clinton as well and to a lesser extent Obama.

Sounds like a show that this elderly person shouldn’t take his younger, more uptight relatives to.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Sounds like a show that this elderly person shouldn’t take his younger, more uptight relatives to.

Excellent point and my bad. My mother-in-law saw it yesterday and enjoyed it but was somewhat shocked by some of it so that is why I said that, but you are correct that is more a factor of her being prudish than her age.

[Skydog]

Excellent point and my bad. My mother-in-law saw it yesterday and enjoyed it but was somewhat shocked by some of it so that is why I said that, but you are correct that is more a factor of her being prudish than her age.

It’s all good. Now speak up so I can hear you!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

One of my favorite Kate McKinnon bits:

[Skydog]

One of my favorite Kate McKinnon bits:

Excellent!