Brittany Pichler
Managing Editor
For the past 45 years “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live” has been an iconic opening to the long-running comedy show. However, the legendary quote was one not heard during the April 11 episode of the show, titled “Saturday Night Live at Home.” Rather than being filmed live from Studio 8H, the show delivered a new episode from the homes of the cast while they social distance themselves.
Instead, “Hey, all you cool cats and kittens” was the first line delivered in the opening monologue from “America’s Dad” Tom Hanks. While Hanks’ opening monologue wasn’t laugh riot worthy like many of the other monologues delivered throughout the years, it was a breath of fresh air to see the host of the show telling jokes from his kitchen in good health after recovering from the novel coronavirus.
While skeptics feared jokes wouldn’t land with the social distancing episode, many of the sketches were clever and relatable. The show didn’t disappoint with joke-filled sketches including fan-favorite “Weekly Update.”
By far the most relatable skit of the show, Zoom Call, saw the likes of Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon playing a revival of their characters Henriette and Nan as technologically challenged receptionists. Bryant and McKinnon stole the show with this sketch. The hilarious skit demonstrated the awkwardness of Zoom conference calls as the two receptionists clearly don’t know what they’re doing and are easily worked up by the call. From an image of Wayne Brady to Bryant’s bathroom break and breakdown makes the skit an instant classic. Each actor flawlessly delivered comedy gold from their computer screens.
Other sketches included a Masterclass parody with Chloe Fineman delivering spot-on impressions of Timothée Chalamet, Jojo Siwa, and Carole Baskin. The segment gave the comedian a moment to shine on her own as she typically doesn’t get to during the live shows.
Next, Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of the best of the night. The hilarious animated short reimagined the cartoon classic “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” all grown up with typical adult problems. The sketch was beyond impressive and clever. The animation style of the original series is perfectly recreated, making the skit a complete believable episode of the original series.
“Mom I’m not being loud, you’re being loud. You’re being louder yelling at me for being loud,” Mikey Day said in the hilarious “Twitch Stream” sketch.
The former “Wild-N-Out” star portrayed a gamer, CamPlayzDat, during a Twitch stream playing Call of Duty Warzone where he is continuously killed, making excuses for his losing streak. The sketch was one of the funniest of the night and absolutely relatable for those of us with a gamer brother.
The show ended with a heart wrenching tribute to longtime SNL music producer Hal Willner, who died April 7 from COVID-19. Several past and present cast members paid tribute to Willner including Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph, Adam Sandler, John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. The ladies sang Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” together on Zoom while the men shared stories of working with Willner. The tribute to Willner was beautifully executed and a fantastic ending.
“Saturday Night Live at Home” demonstrated that, no matter the circumstances, the cast and crew can be just as creative and resourceful as ever, providing entertainment for audiences confined to their homes.
