Sabrina Carpenter dressed as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City in a promo for SNL Season 51, Episode 3.Image via NBC
By
J.S. Gornael
Published 25 minutes ago
J.S. Gornael has a BA in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis in Poetry and an MFA in Fiction. He has taken workshops in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction (though mostly the second). Half-cinephile, half-bookworm, he is both a TV/Movie List Writer for Collider and a book review editor for IndieReader. He occasionally writes reviews himself, and looks forward to finally getting several novels out of his head and onto paper (published or not).
His favorite movie is Apocalypse Now, and, for those who care, his favorite version of it is 2019's Apocalypse Now: Final Cut. Though he gave up trying to watch every episode of The Simpsons when he reached season 10, he still loves writing about it. Other shows he would like to write about more range from House to Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Sign in to your Collider account
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
Saturday Night Live hit its 50th anniversary last season, which was followed by an eventful summer. As fans awaited the show's return, they learned that creator Lorne Michaels was in fact returning for Season 51. In the meantime, several cast members either were let go or left voluntarily: long-time veterans Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner, John Higgins, Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, and Michael Longfellow. Meanwhile, a handful of comedians joined the cast: Ben Marshall (a step up from exclusively being on "Please Don't Destroy"), Veronika Slowikowska, Kam Patterson, Jeremy Culhane, and Tommy Brennan.
Pretty big shake-up! But it's hardly the first, and it's certainly not the biggest. The media jumped on it nevertheless, creating lots of anticipation about how the changes would affect the show. Overall, it doesn't feel any better or worse than usual. SNL has almost always been a smorgasbord of inconsistency: the occasional night can be great, some evenings can be bad, some can be okay, and most are more like a mix of the three. Much of that has to do with the writing, but the following list is more about the guest hosts. They have to scramble—from choosing the sketches to learning their lines and collaborating with the cast in just a week. Sleepless nights, lots of pressure, plenty of room to fail on a live show. With six episodes put out so far, SNL 51 has had six hosts who've embraced the madness of this famous format: Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, Sabrina Carpenter, Miles Teller, Nikki Glaser, and Glen Powell. Some of these guests have been stronger than others, and we're going to rank every single one of this season—based on the sketches' comedic highs, the shows' overall consistency (not counting the parts the host was absent from), the host's performances, and the musical performances (in the rare event when they're also the musical guest). This is all subjective, all for fun, all for laughs. And it might help those who've missed certain episodes to decide if they're worth watching without having to find out the hard way.
6 Amy Poehler
Episode 2
Amy Poehler in a promo for Saturday Night Live Season 51 Episode 2.Image via NBC
Beloved by many an SNL fan, former cast member Amy Poehler didn't host as good of a show as one would hope. The cold open was boring, and the intro wasn't funny either. That's usually okay, since those are typically the worst parts of the show anyway. Unfortunately, there's little else that rises very far above them. "Psychic Talk Show" has a funny idea but overuses the joke, "The Rudemans" is mildly amusing but never really takes off, and "Work Birth" is more weird than funny. "The Hunting Wives Season 2" had a good concept, but that too wound up underwhelming (even with an unexpected Aubrey Plaza).
Another sketch that had potential was "Emo Mom," which showed Poehler's best character of the night: a menopausal mother going through phases like a teenager. It's the funniest sketch of the night, but it's not enough to make the rest of the show worth viewing. "Experienced Lawyers" is amusingly whacky but nothing to revisit, and "Theme Songs Masterclass" is only funny when Bowen Yang's character expresses his wish to punish the children. Poehler did go on Weekend Update as well, but the joke-off that ensued felt more like a half-baked reunion in which her individual jokes didn't stand out. But as an SNL veteran, Poehler understands as well as anyone that you can't win 'em all. You just have to try, and we look forward to her next attempt.
5 Bad Bunny
Episode 1
Bad Bunny on Studio 8H during the Season 51 premiere of SNL.Image via NBC
Bad Bunny starts with a decent intro, rocking a pair of sunglasses while showing viewers a video of him hopping on stage and the great Jon Hamm at a concert (who also came to the show). We get to see just how much Fox is (not) looking forward to the singer's SuperBowl halftime show, and it's funny how he tells non-Spanish speakers that we have four months to learn the language. As for the sketches, they're hit or miss. Bad Bunny's character in "Jeopardy" gets tired quickly, his character in "The Donor" doesn't really work out, and his delivery isn't quite there in the sketch about a guy obsessed with the recent Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters.
But that's not to say that nothing works. "Parent Teacher Conference" is carried smoothly by Ashley Padilla as a principal who tries to underplay a student's alarming illustrations once she meets the boy's attractive father, "Inventing Spanish" does a decent job of making fun of how gender stereotypes might have played a part in the masculine and feminine articles of Spanish, and "El Chavo del Ocho" is a playful kids' show parody. The host's best segment is also the finest conceit of the night: a pre-taped commercial for "ChatGPTío," a much more blunt version of ChatGPT. Marcello Hernández shines at the center of it, but Bad Bunny is excellent as the rude uncle's friend. Though this episode had its ups and downs, the host still gave us a few things to remember from it.
4 Nikki Glaser
Episode 5
Nikki Glaser smiling in a promo for SNL.Image via NBC
Nikki Glaser recently joined the small club of female comedians to host SNL and not be a former member of the cast. Unsurprisingly, this was raunchier than the typical episode. As is common for comedians, Glaser did a stand-up monologue that lasted about nine minutes. Although on the dark side, it was pretty solid for fans of her humor as she talked about spray tans, a six-year-old who doesn't have a good side, posters about sex-trafficking, and her short boyfriend. The show features a concise take on Jennifer Hudson's spirit tunnel, a Beauty and the Beast-meets-Mr. Beast commercial (which sets itself apart from the Studio C sketch on the same subject with a bouncy song about depression), and an American Girl Doll segment that displays why life-sized dolls would appeal more to men than women.
Glaser does well enough in all of those, but the best sketch of the night ironically shows her flubbing a few lines. No big deal; it's captained by James Austin Johnson as a pilot who gives his passengers an unsolicited play-by-play of his flirtatious back-and-forth with a young woman. "Pinwheel" offers some laughs, too, though the sketch overdoes the bit a little. "Karaoke Night" definitely isn't for everybody, "Mechanical Bull" is a silly throwaway, and "Sorority Meeting" falls flat after the first joke. Though far from perfect, Glaser's episode produced enough laughs to hope she returns soon.
3 Miles Teller
Episode 4
Miles Teller during his monologue on 'SNL' Season 51.Image via NBC
Though it's not something expected of hosts, Miles Teller decided to go the extra mile and play someone in the cold open: mayoral candidate and former NY governor Andrew Cuomo. Teller gets a few good lines in, and his monologue feels natural as he talks about dressing up as SNL characters for Halloween when he was a kid. One of the better sketches of the night would be "Newsroom," in which Teller plays a pervert whose office etiquette is put on full display during an ill-conceived broadcast. "Hungover Halloween Game" is another winner, in which three extremely hungover people answer questions about the previous night for prizes that wouldn't be considered prizes in any other context.
"White House Makeover" is a nice Property Brothers parody, as they give the East Wing of The White House an unnecessary makeover during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. (Teller is good as the brothers, though it's hard to compete with James Austin Johnson when he's in his element.) The funniest segment of the night may just be the pre-filmed "Missing Wives Docuseries," showing the idiocy of three men who don't pay attention to their wives or general surroundings. Teller is hilarious as perhaps the most irresponsible husband of the bunch. Regarding the lesser skits, "Murder Press Briefing" is playfully random but nothing special, "Hockey PSA" is basically just slightly clever wordplay in service of the same joke, and "Italian Restaurant Date" is such a throwaway that they didn't even write a proper ending to it. Overall, though, that still makes for a pretty good evening.
2 Glen Powell
Episode 6
Glen Powell grinning in a brown suit in a promo for SNL, Season 51, Episode 6.Image via NBC
Glen Powell starts off strong with a monologue that's both funny and wholesome, thanks to a story about the UPS driver who arrived at Powell's house just as the movie star got a call about hosting SNL a few years ago. The strongest sketch of the night is probably "Norwegian Movie," in which Powell and the terrific Chloe Fineman show excellent chemistry as Norwegian actors shooting a very, very serious movie. It's a bit surprising that this wasn't in the form of a pre-filmed trailer, but the contrast between the actors' vibrant personalities and their characters' ice-cold demeanors is amusing enough. There's also "Haircut," in which Ashley Padilla shows yet again why she's one of the show's rising stars. Then there's "AI Photos," a comically disturbing take on what artificial intelligence has been trying to do lately.
Let's not forget the one about comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, where Powell gets to let loose with an impression of Maniscalco (though of course Marcello Hernández is the star here). "I Miss My Ex's Dad" is fine, and Powell playing a Liam Neeson-type in "Airport" is funny enough. "Bob Army" is the nuttiest sketch of the night, and it works as Powell yet again doesn't hold back. The "MacGruber" stuff doesn't take long to run out of steam, but having only one particularly weak segment all evening makes for a pretty successful host. Powell's long wait to get on the show was worth it, and he's clearly having a blast. This episode may not go down as a legendary evening, but it will probably go down as one of the most consistently enjoyable of the season.
1 Sabrina Carpenter
Episode 3
Sabrina Carpenter on Studio 8H in Season 51, Episode 3 of SNL.Image via NBC
Sabrina Carpenter's 2024 hit "Espresso" inspired one of last year's best sketches, "Bridesmaid Speech," but subsequent returns to it made the idea go stale even before Carpenter's episode opened with yet another rendition of it. She also has a forgettable monologue, but the mediocrity stops there. The rest of the episode adeptly showcases her impressive acting range without over-relying on her singing abilities; and even the sketch that does involve singing (about a washer and dryer that might prove more entertaining than useful) is a fun time. "Boys Podcast" sends up the ridiculously limited vocabulary of modern middle schoolers while making an amusing political twist half-way through, which works surprisingly well. The two pre-filmed shorts are both hilarious, one about making plans that you forgot about and the other about a school dance. Carpenter was also the musical guest of the evening. She dropped two F-bombs while singing "Nobody's Son," which Lorne Michaels probably didn't appreciate. But eh—she's hardly the first to make that mistake on SNL, and her performances seemed to work fine otherwise for those interested in her music.
The "ShopTV: Pillow" sketch is a variation on a tried-and-true concept that works every time, which Kenan's creepy character makes especially funny. Then there's "Surprise," which is centered on an uproarious performance by Ashley Padilla. Like the podcast skit, "Girlboss Seminar" is a strong idea that requires precise dialogue. Carpenter has to remember a dizzying amount of loony lines, and she doesn't slip at all. The sketch gets even wilder than expected when Kenan makes a hysterical improvised decision near the end. One might compare hosting SNL to getting spun around at high speed and tossed out a window, and Carpenter didn't go totally unscathed. A few scratches notwithstanding, however, she's still the queen of the season so far.
Like
Saturday Night Live
TV-14
Comedy
News
Music
Release Date
October 11, 1975
Network
NBC
Showrunner
Lorne Michaels
Directors
Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel
Cast
See All-
Michael Chernus
Self
-
Mikey Day
Self / Various
Expand
Collapse
-
Sabrina Carpenter
-
Glen Powell
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
Feb 10, 2025
The 10 Most Iconic 'SNL' Sketches, Ranked
Nov 22, 2025
8 Series Finales That Can Be Called Masterpieces
7 days ago
The 8 Greatest '80s Shows Nobody Remembers
6 days ago
8 Animated Sitcoms That Are Almost As Good as 'The Simpsons'
More from our brands
How Old Are the Main Characters in Each Season of Stranger Things?
37 Shows on Netflix That Couples Can Binge-Watch Together
50 Best New Movies on Streaming to Watch Right Now
25 Best R-Rated TV Shows of All Time, Ranked
30 Funniest Female Stand-Up Comedians You Can See On Netflix Right Now
35 Best Stand-up Specials on Max to Watch Right Now
10 Perfect Sitcom Episodes That Are Flawless From Beginning to End
What To Watch
July 20, 2025
The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
Trending Now
The Controversial Reboot of a Chick Flick Classic Is Heading to Netflix This December
A Scrappy Sci-Fi Flop That Sparked a Major Controversy Seeks Redemption on New Streaming Home
The 10 Most Essential Sci-Fi Movies of the Last 100 Years, Ranked
