Overall Thoughts on the Season:
Season 44, as a whole, was an average season of SNL – a typical season where a lot of the cast are vets churning out between excellent work (Cecily & Kenan) to occasional flops and showing signs of being a bit gassed-out (Kate & Aidy). This season, as a whole, got better and better as it went along, after a wildly up-and-down first half, to a more stable-though-unremarkable back half. Season 44, much like seasons 35-36, isn’t bad at all and there are wonderful highlights and several cast members having strong showings, but one of the more formulaic one. It just shows an SNL in autopilot mode but being enjoyable enough to still want to go back and watch (reminding me of seasons 48-49, both overall decent, but showing us the autopilot mode, the show is at till hopefully the potential exodus post-50.)
Much like the two aforementioned seasons, you get a bit of a cycle with vets doing what they’ve been doing for a several seasons now, while newer cast members seem to be struggling at times (especially Chris Redd this time around – Melissa had a solid back half compared to the first half). Heidi & Mikey both had yet another strong season (in fact, this season might be Heidi’s best, tied with the fantastic year she had in season 46), and Cecily & Kenan were easily the MVP’s of the season for me. Cecily had a particularly fantastic back half, and truth be told, while I always admired her as a utility player, I’ve been coming around a lot of the stuff she did I used to hate. (When I eventually retire, hopefully quite a number of years from now, I’ll put a number of Cecily’s sketches I trashed in the list of things I now I feel I underrated.) Also, Kenan, like the prior season, had a fantastic season all throughout season 44. Probably, these two seasons are the peak of his whole tenure for me. From what I remember of season 45, that was also yet another strong season for him, especially the utility work.
One of the main features of this season were the very impressive roster of hosts and musical guests. We, up to season 49, have yet to catch up with this season’s roster – between respected thespians such as Emma Thompson, Sandra Oh and Liev Schreiber, to unique choices blending both nostalgia and in-the-moment such as Adam Sandler, Matt Demon and Kit Harington. We also got some fascinating musical guests all throughout the season (ignoring the dud DJ Khaled season-ending choice). Some of which, such as Paul Simon, Anderson .Paak, Gary Clark Jr. and Sara Bareilles being some of my favorite musical performances from this entire SNL era. They made even the more mediocre/average shows they were in a bit better. Sadly, I do not remember this season’s trend of great music being continued next season, as besides very few picks (e.g. Billie Eilish, Lizzo, David Byrne) I remember it being pretty bad in that department. All-in-all, this is a season I feel, whole frustrating at times, is worth the watch to see the up-and-down nature of SNL. And the highs, all throughout, are worth wading through the worst of it.
And now data….
Episode Averages:
4401: 5.7 (Adam Driver / Kanye West)
4402: 6.2 (Awkwafina / Travis Scott)
4403: 6.1 (Seth Meyers / Paul Simon)
4404 5.5 (Jonah Hill / Maggie Rogers)
4405 7.1 (Liev Schreiber / Lil Wayne)
4406: 4.1 (Steve Carell / Ella Mai)
4407: 4.9 (Claire Foy / Anderson .Paak)
4408: 6.0 (Jason Momoa / Mumford & Sons)
4409: 6.2 (Matt Damon / Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus)
4410: 5.3 (Rachel Brosnahan / Greta Van Fleet)
4411: 6.7 (James McAvoy / Meek Hill)
4412: 7.4 (Halsey)
4413: 6.9 (Don Cheadle)
4414: 7.9 (John Mulaney / Thomas Rhett)
4415: 6.0 (Idris Elba / Khalid)
4416: 6.8 (Sandra Oh / Tame Impala)
4417: 5.6 (Kit Harington)
4418: 5.8 (Emma Stone / BTS)
4419: 7.1 (Adam Sandler / Shawn Mendes)
4420: 6.5 (Emma Thompson / Jonas Brothers)
4421: 5.4 (Paul Rudd / DJ Khaled)
Best Episode: John Mulaney – 7.9 (Runner-Up: Halsey – 7.4)
Worst episode: Steve Carell – 4.1 (Runner-Up: Claire Foy – 4.9)
Season Average: 6.2
5 Stars:
Career Day (Adam Driver)
The Poddys (Liev Schreiber)
House Hunters (Liev Schreiber)
Brothers (Liev Schreiber)
Dave’s Outside The Women’s Bathroom (Liev Schreiber)
First Impression (Jason Momoa)
Virginia State Capitol (Halsey)
Lollipop (Don Cheadle)
What’s That Name? (John Mulaney)
Toilet Death Ejector (John Mulaney)
Cha Cha Slide (John Mulaney)
The Actress (Emma Stone)
Romano Tours (Adam Sandler)
4.5 Stars:
Teacher Fell Down (Jonah Hill)
Divided We Stand (Jonah Hill)
CFT: Cars (Claire Foy)
Monologue (Matt Damon)
The U.E.S. (James McAvoy)
Weekend Update (Halsey)
Extreme Baking Championship (Don Cheadle)
Roach-Ex (Don Cheadle)
Monologue (John Mulaney)
Bodega Bathroom (John Mulaney)
Cinema Classics – To Have and Have Not (John Mulaney)
The Impossible Hulk (Idris Elba)
Soccer Broadcast (Idris Elba)
CFT: New Cast Member (Idris Elba)
Cheques (Sandra Oh)
Electric Shoes (Sandra Oh)
Fashion Coward (Emma Stone)
Rectix (Adam Sandler)
Chopped (Emma Thompson)
4 Stars:
Kavanaugh Hearing (Adam Driver)
Rad Times At Frat U (Adam Driver)
Monologue (Awkwafina)
Cricket Wireless (Awkwafina)
Weekend Update (Awkwafina)
Beta Force (Seth Meyers)
A Frightening Tale (Seth Meyers)
Monologue (Liev Schreiber)
Unity Song (Liev Schreiber)
The War In Words (Claire Foy)
Elf on the Shelf (Jason Momoa)
Them Trumps (Jason Momoa)
Weekend Update (Jason Momoa)
Rudolph’s Big Night (Jason Momoa)
85th Annual Westminster Daddy Show (Matt Damon)
Weekend Update (Matt Damon)
Weezer (Matt Damon)
Millennial Millions (Rachel Brosnahan)
Kool-Aid (Rachel Brosnahan)
Mr. H (James McAvoy)
Weekend Update (Jamea McAvoy)
New Orleans Vacation (James McAvoy)
Them Trumps (Halsey)
Parents Phone Call (Halsey)
Black History Month (Halsey)
Riverdale (Halsey)
CFT: Diene Feinstein Ad (John Mulaney)
The R. Kelley Interview (Idris Elba)
Discover (Sandra Oh)
The Duel (Sandra Oh)
Weekend Update (Sandra Oh)
Earthwar 3 (Kit Harington)
Weekend Update (Kit Harington)
Judge Court (Emma Thompson)
What’s Wrong With This Picture? (Paul Rudd)
Weekend Update (Paul Rudd)
2 Stars:
Monologue (Adam Driver)
Fortnite (Adam Driver)
Coffee Shop (Adam Driver)
League of the South (Adam Driver)
The Hidden Tales Of Egypt (Awkwafina)
So You’re Willing To Date A Magician (Awkwafina)
Cosby in Jail (Seth Meyers)
Trees (Seth Meyers)
The Ingraham Angle (Jonah Hill)
Monologue (Jonah Hill)
America’s Got Talent: Wait, They’re Good? (Jonah Hill)
HuckaPM (Jonah Hill)
The Ingraham Angle (Steve Carell)
HSN (Claire Foy)
Good Morning Goomah (Claire Foy)
Trump Brothers Bedtime (Jason Momoa)
Day Of The Dorks (Jason Momoa)
Happy Christmas, Britain (Matt Damon)
Deal Or No Deal: Government Shutdown Edition (Rachel Brosnahan)
Shark Tank – Legal Edition (John Mulaney)
The Unknown Caller (John Mulaney)
Bok Bok’s (Idris Elba)
The Mueller Report (Sandra Oh)
Empire Meeting (Sandra Oh)
Biden Headquarters (Kit Harington)
Jail Cell (Emma Stone)
Tracy (Emma Thompson)
CFT: Twinnings Extreme (Emma Thompson)
1.5 Stars:
A New Kyle (Adam Driver)
Late Night Battle (Awkwafina)
Kanye & Trump (Seth Meyers)
KCR News (Jonah Hill)
Pug Wigs (Jonah Hill)
RBG (Steve Carell)
Trump in Argentina (Claire Foy)
Khal Drogo’s Ghost Dojo (Jason Momoa)
An Extra Christmas Carol (Jason Momoa)
Sleigh Ride (Jason Momoa)
It’s A Wonderful Trump (Matt Damon)
Carnegie Lounge (Matt Damon)
CFT: Glitter Litter Automatic Litter (Matt Damon)
The Raunchiest Miss Rita (Rachel Brosnahan)
The Gold Diggers Of The WNBA (Idris Elba)
Posters 2 (Emma Stone)
Chalmers Reserve Event Wine (Emma Stone)
Family Feud: Game of Thrones vs. The Avengers (Adam Sandler)
Don’t Stop Me Now (Paul Rudd)
Music Box (Paul Rudd)
1 Star:
Jeff Sessions Farewell (Liev Schreiber)
Paranormal Encounter (Liev Schreiber)
Dumb Dad (Steve Carell)
A Message From Jeff Bezos (Steve Carell)
Thanksgiving Song (Steve Carell)
Space Thanksgiving (Steve Carell)
GPYass! (Steve Carell)
Charlie’s Grandparents (Claire Foy)
A Holiday Message From The Women of SNL (Claire Foy)
Monologue (Rachel Brosnahan)
Magic Show (Idris Elba)
Sinatra Impersonator (Kit Harington)
A Day in the Life of Theresa May (Kit Harington)
A Journey Through Time (Paul Rudd)
My Favorite Moments From the Entire season, Represented with Screencaps:
Up Next:
- In a few weeks, SNL returns for its landmark 50th season. Till then, have a wonderful time and see you all there!
Congrats on finishing the season Blood!
I agree with you that this season is overhated. Sure, there’s fatiguing elements with the senior cast creeping in, which will only increase next season before hitting a nadir in S46, but there’s still a lot to love this season, both from the vets and the newbies.
To begin with, you have Heidi having a truly fantastic season and coming into her own as a prominent cast member, Melissa being solidly used and getting decent airtime (sadly it wasn’t to last), Cecily & Kenan being this season’s MVPs and churning out quality work week after week (all the more remarkable considering how long both had been on the show by this point) and a succession of good/terrific hosts especially in the 2nd half, even if the material wasn’t always up to snuff. There’s certainly a lot to love and appreciate from this season.
Unfortunately, you also get some lowlights, courtesy of the perpetually interminable cold opens with the usual half-assed Trumpwin cameo parade, Aidy and especially Kate being more indulgent and hammy than ever (this, imho, is easily Kate’s weakest season), and, in some episodes and sketches, a cold and dead feel (ex. the Steve Carell episode).
All in all though, this isn’t a bad season. Just an “autopilot” type season for this era, much like S35-S36 as you mentioned. The lows are disappointing and frustrating but the highs make it worth it. Just like SNL in general.
I’ve enjoyed reading your reviews and reconnecting with some of these sketches. Now feel free to get plenty of rest and take a break before the season premiere of S50. 🙂
Great job getting through the season, all the highs and lows. I will always have a certain soft spot for 44 as it was the season where I started watching again on a full time basis, and although there were many frustrating moments, many non-Trumpwin/resist/Pete aspects have aged better than one might have expected. The pre-tapes are much better than most from the last few seasons, this is the last hurrah for Julio Torres, this is the last viable season for Cecily, a positive goodbye for Leslie, and yes, as you said so well, the new hosts do so much to help get the season over. They bring a fresh energy and commitment – even when they aren’t the greatest you still get the sense that they are enjoying themselves.
And in another sense of good timing, congrats to Sandra Oh on winning her first Emmy tonight.
John, I actually would argue S45 is still a great season for Cecily overall. You’ve got Marrying Ketchups, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Love at First Sight, Hot Tub Christmas, and Science Room with Adam Driver, plus a lot of great support moments including her usual fun Jeanine Pirro making appearances. Sure, there’s some warning signs of the inside joke indulgence that would reach a nadir for her in S46, and the million sketches pairing her with dogs are more cutesy than anything else, but I’d argue the highs still far outweigh the lows from her for that year.