SNL51Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Overall Thoughts on the Season:

Season 51 was quite an interesting journey. The first two thirds, especially the first two runs of the back half and the November run, were overall really fun. Solid, fresh, with a lot of back-and-forth between the vets and newbies taking the spotlight (even Mikey Day churned out some of his best work in several seasons in that point). As soon as the Harry Styles episode came along, despite its highlights, the season sank and never recovered for me. That episode’s deadness crept into the last quarter and made it quite a tough watch, even with some excellent highs (as seen later in this post).

Most of the episodes had rough crowds, dead vibes and a really difficult time to sit through the sketches, as you could tell by my reviews. Some sketches were just absolute trash, some others, I could see promise, but both the length and the dead feeling made them just flops for me. Making matters tougher is the predictable route the show took, with the regression in cast use to select “stars” who still flop hard with the crowds and a weird directionless turn, which really increased by last quarter or so. (Regular commenters John and Michael Cheyne had spot-on comments about such in my season finale review.) All of which reinforces the bizarre lack of identity the show seeks to be in, especially these past two seasons. Seasons 48-49 were not flawless, but they were clearly slowly building towards a defined era and tone, and despite Season 51 having the highest amount of hits for me in a good while, it also had some of the worst sketches in a while as well, which makes it an overall mixed bag year, though definitely with more good episodes than bad.

I’m not sure, even a few days removed from the season, if I would call it an overall step up or down from Season 50. It had more highs, more good episodes, but not as many standout episodes. Most of the cast barely did much of note for me this season, outside of a few cast members (we’ll get there in a bit), and whenever they had a hit or two, they were scaled back for “stars” who then would flop again and again. The last quarter seemed to “delight” us with wretched “star” sketches that would get crickets from the audience and barely any response elsewhere. Weekend Update especially was egregious in having Marcello and Kam all the time, instead of getting more of the rest. Needless to say, I disliked most of their output there, though more the former performer than the latter. With that said, when this season had its highlights, and it certainly did, they were fantastic and very memorable. This season boasts the highest amount of “Best Of” sketches (4.5-5 stars) I dished out since my very first season of reviews (S47), alongside dozens of solid-to-great sketches. And that is something worth celebrating.

Weekend Update had its worst season in a long while. Some of the worst desk pieces from a select number of cast members and incredibly stale, safe jokes and length that was not justified. I have long been a defender of this duo in past seasons from more critical fans, but between this and last season, it is well beyond time to call it quits. Makes it even worse is Colin Jost, somehow two decades in the show, suddenly wanting to be all over the cold opens AND be a big part in practically every desk piece, even ones he is not the straight man to. Enough.

The Cast Breakdown:

Kenan: This was a terrible season for Kenan, especially compared to the past season, which wasn’t too good for him IIRC. He felt more like a crew member wandering on set at times than the reliable, polished vet who in the past had some incredible seasons and could save sketches with a look or a line. I have no idea if this is a long profess of phasing-out Kenan, but he has no reached the point where it is clear the show moved on past him.

Season Highlights: Missing Wives (Teller), The Gentlemen’s Code (Storrie), Pastor Update His Bandleader Teddy (Gosling), Husbands (Black)

Mikey: Like the season, Mikey had some bursts of real energy and strong pieces, and, at the same time, gave out some genuinely terrible performances, such as that embarrassing dreck with the dolphins. His “duo” with Marcello isn’t even one, as he totally takes over and screeches trying to pad the airtime as much as possible. Ugh. With that said, when he hit, Mikey was excellent. I just hope he leaves. If he is so nice, that would the coolest thing he does.

Season Highlights: Sorority Meeting & Pinwheel (Glaser), Characters on Characters (O’Connor), Dark Orbit (Wolfhard), OBAA Action Figures (Taylor), The Gentlemen’s Code & Ice Skating (Storrie), Sparkle of the Sea & Aerial Tramway & Red Heart Emoji (Styles)

Chloe: …. Yeah. I got practically nothing to say of her this season. Regular commenters James & Carson nailed Chloe under the comment section of my finale review. She has now become a non-entity. Just there to sit around a table or on a couch. The fact she has been in so many sketches this season shocks me, as I almost never notice her, besides of course her “breaking” in every sketch the last few months. I would like to think she is leaving, as she is so clearly done with this show and not even trying much, but I don’t know.

Season Highlights: Emo Mom (Poehler), White House Makeover (Teller), MacGruber (Powell), She’s a Dancer (Styles)

Andrew: A quieter year for our oddball resident. Still, on the whole, a damn solid season. Just not as strong as his prior two years. Andrew definitely had a strong first few months, hurt by slump in airtime and a dip in quality that both thankfully were proven to be a fluke around the halfway point as he had a solid final quarter to his season. I’ve been going back-and-forth wondering if Andrew is leaving, as I felt there were signs he is and signs that he is not. I still would love a few more seasons in the cast, especially that, you know, certain flop “stars” get the hell out.

Season Highlights: Non-Alcoholic Beer & Experienced Lawyers (Poehler), Couple Who Just Hooked Up & Murder Press Conference (Teller), Elf on the Shelf Support Group (Grande), NFL on ESPN (Taylor), The Gentlemen’s Code (Storrie), Words to Live By & Husbands (Black), Prep School (Domingo), Rasta Driver (Rodrigo)

James: This was simply a fantastic year for JAJ, overall. His most complete season for me, and he already had some of the strongest, most impressive first few seasons for a cast member in the past 20 seasons. (Only Jason, Kristen and Kate are stronger in their first 5 seasons.) JAJ showed, even more than ever, he truly can do it all. Between dads, weirdos, the incredible singing he did and the creative, original sketches that made me such a huge fan of him since his first season. In fact, he has been my personal favorite cast member since S47. I believe, with 3 or 4 more seasons at this level, JAJ will cement his status as a top 10 cast member of all-time. (Ashley Padilla [more on her later], if she keeps it up for 4-5 more seasons, I also totally see in that top 10 levels.)

Season Highlights: Experienced Lawyers & Emo Mom (Poehler), White House Makeover (Teller), Runaway Mechanical Bull, American Girl Doll XL, Pilot Announcement (Glaser), Bob Army (Powell), Random Duets Christmas Spectacular (Grande), Boy Band & Stranger Things Promos (Wolfhard), Gate Agents, NFL on ESPN, The Incident (Taylor), Pastor Update & His Bandleader Teddy (Gosling), Words to Live By & Husbands (Black), Tidy Care Crystals (Damon)

Sarah: Contrary to the star-making season her fellow classmate had, I sadly felt this season was easily Sarah’s weakest. By no means was this a bad year for Sarah, but she was just there for most of the time. Blandly playing straight roles here and there, standing around, delivering lines… blandly. With that said, when she had highs this season, they were fantastic. Runaway Mechanical Bull & Auctioneers will stand as two of her top 5 moments in her tenure, in my eyes. Sarah is a wonderful performer, but she cannot add that spark Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner (sob) added to their most basic roles before her. While I assume Sarah is staying at least two more seasons to fulfill her contract, I have hopes she could make more of a mark and not just be Sarah in a Wig for half the time.

Season Highlights: Experienced Lawyers (Poehler), Runaway Mechanical Bull (Glaser), Blowing It & The Incident (Taylor), 30 Rockefeller Plaza & Play Date (Skarsgård), Auctioneers (Damon), Season 51 Reflection (Ferrell)

Marcello: Putting it simply, this was a mediocre season for Marcello, overall. Even with such, I would still rank him above Chloe & Kenan, as he had a few good moments, though mainly a desk piece or two and the Sebastian Maniscalco impression. The thing with Marcello, I see a lot of talent and energy there, but he is just not suited for the “star” role and his constant bombing during this season, especially the last quarter, really symbolized that. There were definitely some highlights, but like Sarah, I feel his tenure keeps getting worse by each passing season. Not sure how many more season I can honestly take with this guy. He is the epitome of being fine in small doses. But, weekly “showcases” that are just forced character voices and bugged eyes? No.

Season Highlights: El Chavo del Ocho (English Version) (Bad Bunny), Sebastian Maniscalco (Powell & Styles), Gen-Z slang (Taylor), Aerial Trameway & Red Heart Emoji (Styles), Busted (Rodrigo)

Ashley: Yes, the hype is real. Ashley had a fantastic season overall. A definite star-making season. She truly seized the moment after her seniors left and made her mark, retaining her core and identity while delivering some absolutely stellar sketches and performances. The writing for her… the performances…. I was many times left in awe watching this fantastic performer in her precise, adept performances and deliveries. Layered, lived-in characters and sketches that you forget you are watching a sketch comedy show. With JAJ, Ashley is easily the best cast member currently and I believe I should treasure these moments with both of them. She’s only going to get higher and higher if she keeps it up and remains herself.

Season Highlights: Student Drawings (Bad Bunny), Office Surprise (Carpenter), Couple Who Just Hooked Up (Teller), White House Briefing, AI Photos, New Haircut (Powell), Uber Eats (O’Connor) Home Alone (Grande), Confidence Class (Taylor), Mom’s Confession (Skarsgård), Injured Stripper (Storrie), Otezla, Cyclops, Passing Notes (Gosling), Mom The Movie & Tidy Cars Crystals (Damon)

Jane: A nice growth arc for Jane this season. After an up-and-down rookie season, where she often came off rough and out-of-place, this season was quietly solid for her. She really found her niche, now being able to steal entire sketches with a single line delivery or mere entrance. The warmth and natural likability she possess were displayed better than ever, especially in a few strong desk pieces. And, goes without saying, the duo she formed with Veronika was fantastic. A pleasant surprise of a season for her and I genuinely hope she gets renewed for another season, her first as repertory player.

Season Highlights: Snack Homiez (Carpenter & Wolfhard), Cousin Planet (McCarthy), Elf on the Shelf Support Group (Grande), Tamara (Wolfhard), Winter Olympics & Play Date (Skarsgård), Car Song (Storrie), White Castle Drive-Thru & She’s a Dancer (Styles), Lindt Greer (Domingo)

Jeremy: I am overall happy for Jeremy’s season. Despite what I felt was odd underuse for such an experienced, total natural of a hire, when Jeremy had his chances, he nailed them. Getting both a memorable impression and a fun recurring character up and running. I am hoping next season (and I’ll be stunned if he isn’t back), Jeremy gets more starring sketches on the air, as I can see him being a reliable, solid player for a long time.

Season Highlights: Pinwheel (Glaser), Free Samples (McCarthy), Elf on the Shelf Support Group (Grande), Mr. On Blast (Taylor & Ferrell), Tucker Carlson (Styles)

Ben: I am feeling mixed on Ben. He got the obvious experience for sketch comedy, but a lot of his humor came off to me bland, generic. I also sensed some desperation and attempts to pander to the audience. With that said, I don’t want to dismiss him entirely, as he certainly had some highlights and could see him growing moving forward.

Season Highlights: Work Birth (Poehler), Plans (Carpenter), Beauty and Mr. Beast (Glaser), I Miss My Ex’s Dad (Powell), Mom’s Camera Roll (Taylor), Tutoring the Cool Kid (Storrie), MAHAspital (Styles)

Veronika: It might be partly my bias, as I have known of Veronika for a while before SNL and considered her a creative, talented performer who would be ideal for SNL, but she had a really solid, impressive rookie season. In just a single season, I feel I know her comedic voice and range. She even managed to make her smallest roles likable and memorable to say nothing of the great duo she formed with Jane. She only has got to go higher, in my eyes.

Season Highlights: Snack Homiez (Carpenter & Wolfhard), Appliance Store (Carpenter), Missing Wives (Teller), Lily Allen Brunch (O’Connor), Guy’s Girl (Wolfhard), Mom’s Camera Roll (Taylor), Beth’s Maid of Honor & Car Song (Storrie), White Castle Drive-Thru (Styles)

Tommy: I felt a little bad for Tommy, as he got cast in such a mess of a cast, especially the male side which is log-jammed with vets who refused to go. He displayed likability and decent utility strengths, especially his underrated singing. I want him to get another season, as I feel he deserves more of a chance to succeed. His duo with Ben is especially underrated and should be showcased more.

Season Highlights: Stand-Up (Carpenter), I Miss My Ex’s Dad (Powell), ICE in Minnesota (Wolfhard), Mom’s Camera Roll (Taylor), Husbands (Black)

Kam: I will admit, I might have been tough on Kam before watching him on the show (those terrible Kill Tony clips didn’t help). On the actual show itself, however, besides a few desk pieces (one of which he was silent next to Marcello mugging and screaming), I got the feeling Kam isn’t taking this gig seriously. With that said, Kam has a likable, laid-back vibe to him that I hope is used as he finds his voice (if he tries) and he could be a fun support player.

Season Highlights: Social Experiment (Carpenter), Elf on the Shelf Support group & Che’s Cousin (Grande), Michael Irvin (Wolfhard), Mom’s Camera Roll (Taylor)

My Ranking of the Entire Cast from the MVP to LVP:

Ashley

James

Veronika

Andrew

Jeremy

Jane

Mikey

Sarah

Tommy

Ben

Marcello

Kam

Kenan

Chloe

And now, the data:

Episode Averages:

5101: 5.2 (Bad Bunny / Doja Cat)

5102: 6.1 (Amy Poehler / Role Model)

5103: 5.0 (Sabrina Carpenter)

5104: 6.4 (Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile)

5105: 6.9 (Nikki Glaser / sombr)

5106: 6.9 (Glen Powell / Olivia Dean)

5107: 6.1 (Melissa McCarthy / Dijon)

5108: 5.3 (Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen)

5109: 5.9 (Ariana Grande / Cher)

5110: 6.5 (Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky)

5111: 6.9 (Teyana Taylor / Geese)

5112: 6.7 (Alexander Skarsgård / Cardi B)

5113: 6.4 (Connor Storrie / Mumford & Sons)

5114: 7.9 (Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz)

5115: 6.2 (Harry Styles)

5116: 5.3 (Jack Black / Jack White)

5117: 5.2 (Colman Domingo / Anitta)

5118: 5.1 (Olivia Rodrigo)

5119: 5.3 (Matt Damon / Noah Kahan)

5120: 4.5 (Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney)

Best Episode: Ryan Gosling – 7.9 (Runner-Ups: Nikki Glaser / Glenn Powell / Teyana Taylor – 6.9)

Worst Episode: Will Ferrell – 4.5 (Runner-Up: Sabrina Carpenter – 5.0)

Season Average: 6.0

Highest-Rated Sketches:

5 Stars:

Experienced Lawyers (Amy Poehler)

MacGruber 2 (Glen Powell)

New Haircut (Glen Powell)

Free Samples (Melissa McCarthy)

One Battle After Another Action Figures (Teyana Taylor)

Blowing It (Teyana Taylor)

Mom’s Confession (Alexander Skarsgård)

Funny Boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgård)

Otezla (Ryan Gosling)

Passing Notes (Ryan Gosling)

White Castle Drive-Thru (Harry Styles)

4.5 Stars:

Social Experiment (Sabrina Carpenter)

White House Makeover (Miles Teller)

Mechanical Bull (Nikki Glaser)

Brad and His Dad – An SNL Animated Short (Nikki Glaser)

Pinwheel (Nikki Glaser)

MacGruber 1 (Glen Powell)

MacGruber 3 (Glen Powell)

A Helping Hand (Melissa McCarthy)

Brad and his Dad: Christmas – An SNL Animated Short (Josh O’Connor)

CFt: Mochi (Josh O’Connor)

Boy Band (Finn Wolfhard)

Weekend Update (Teyana Taylor)

Weekend Update (Ryan Gosling)

Lies (Ryan Gosling)

Husbands (Jack Black)

The Knowledge Hour (Colman Domingo)

Rasta Driver (Olivia Rodrigo)

Mom The Movie (Matt Damon)

Tidy Care Crystals (Matt Damon)

Auctioneers (Matt Damon)

4 Stars:

Student Drawings (Bad Bunny)

El Chavo del Ocho (English Version) (Bad Bunny)

The Fast Psychic (Amy Poehler)

Missing Wives (Miles Teller)

Murder Press Conference (Miles Teller)

American Girl Doll XL (Nikki Glaser)

Pilot Announcement (Nikki Glaser)

Cousin Planet (Melissa McCarthy)

Elf on the Shelf Support Group (Ariana Grande)

Home Alone (Ariana Grande)

CFT: Espresso Martini (Ariana Grande)

Weekend Update (Finn Wolfhard)

Dark Orbit (Finn Wolfhard)

CFT: Euphoria Writer (Finn Wolfhard)

NFL on ESPN (Teyana Taylor)

Confidence Class (Teyana Taylor)

CFT: Mom’s Camera Roll (Teyana Taylor)

Winter Olympics Promo (Alexander Skarsgård)

The Gentlemen’s Code (Connor Storrie)

Office Dance (Connor Storrie)

Injured Stripper (Connor Storrie)

CFT: Car Song (Connor Storrie)

Wedding Tradition (Ryan Gosling)

Weekend Update (Harry Styles)

She’s a Dancer (Harry Styles)

Words to Live By (Jack Black)

Prep School (Colman Domingo)

My Room (Olivia Rodrigo)

Lowest-Rated Sketches:

2 Stars:

Jeopardy! (Bad Bunny)

ChatGPTío (Bad Bunny)

The Donor (Bad Bunny)

KPop Damon Hunters (Bad Bunny)

Weekend Update (Bad Bunny)

ShopTV: Pillow (Sabrina Carpenter)

Girlboss Seminar (Sabrina Carpenter)

Grind Song (Sabrina Carpenter)

Weekend Update (Sabrina Carpenter)

Italian Restaurant Date (Miles Teller)

Taken: Airport (Glen Powell)

UPS Driver (Melissa McCarthy)

Let’s Find love! (Josh O’Connor)

Weekend Update (Josh O’Connor)

Dancing 101 (Ariana Grande)

Skyscraper Live (Finn Wolfhard)

Gate Agents (Teyana Taylor)

Backstab Island (Tayana Taylor)

Norwegian Movie 2 (Alexander Skarsgård)

Mr. Fronzi (Connor Storrie)

Kathy (Jack Black)

Weekend Update (Jack Black)

Airbnb Superhost (Jack Black)

Trump Making Calls (Colman Domingo)

Weekend Update (Colman Domingo)

My Ex (Olivia Rodrigo)

Bar Meeting (Matt Damon)

Post-Op (Will Ferrell)

1.5 Stars:

The Rudemans (Amy Poehler)

Theme Songs Masterclass (Amy Poehler)

Karaoke Night (Nikki Glaser)

Bob Army (Glen Powell)

Christopher and Guillaume (Melissa McCarthy)

The Wizard of Oz (Josh O’Connor)

Black Santa (Ariana Grande)

Love Is Bland Reunion (Ariana Grande)

Immigrant Dad Talk Show 3 (Alexander Skarsgård)

Best Buy (Harry Styles)

Ultimate Dojo (Jack Black)

Artemis II (Colman Domingo)

Grandpa’s Wake (Colman Domingo)

Edge of Destiny (Olivia Rodrigo)

ShopTV: Lava Cake (Olivia Rodrigo)

Monologue (Matt Damon)

Godzilla Movie (Matt Damon)

Weekend Update (Matt Damon)

Jeffrey Epstein’s Ghost (Will Ferrell)

Weekend Update (Will Ferrell)

The Nudemans (Will Ferrell)

1 Star:

Domingo Birthday (Sabrina Carpenter)

Truth or Dare (Melissa McCarthy)

College Kid (Josh O’Connor)

CFT: Last Stop Christmas Stop (Ariana Grande)

Heated Wizardry (Finn Wolfhard)

Hegseth/Patel Iran Press Briefing (Olivia Rodrigo)

Tough Guys (Matt Damon)

What It Feels Like Talking to a Mechanic (Will Ferrell)

My Favorite Moments From the Entire Season, Represented with Screencaps:

• Thanks for you all for another fun season of reviews. I say it every year, but this year it rings even more true than ever. The growth of the site and the increasing members of regular commenters and readers makes this exhaustive process of reviews such fun. I cannot wait to see you all in the fall, as we cover Season 52!