What Happens Next? Saturday Night Live Season 51
Written by: Kharis Ott
After a triumphant fiftieth season of Saturday Night Live, it’s easy for the fifty-first to be a disappointment. The show earned its place in the American zeitgeist and has stayed there throughout its run. Yet, executive producer and creator, Lorne Michaels, says SNL 51 will be a “big change,” especially with cast and crew leaving. His philosophy is that change is not only a good thing, but “essential” to the show itself. Will this next season be a victory lap, the start of a new era, or the beginning of the end?
Similar to the show itself, the cast is set to undergo some big changes. Though stars like Keenan Thompson, Colin Jost, and Michael Che are staying, big names like Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner are leaving. The beloved awkward sketch-comedy trio, “Please Don’t Destroy,” broke up and is also leaving the show. However, Savannah native Ben Marshal was promoted to be a cast member! Ben Marshal graduated from Savannah Arts Academy in 2013, and was later hired as a member of the SNL writing staff.
I’ll admit it, I was underwhelmed by the premier episode. The show opened with Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth and James Austen Johnson as Donald Trump, playfully jabbing at the censorship of late-night TV. Bad Bunny hosted, and Doja Cat was the premier’s musical guest. I don’t love her music, but she captivates the audience whether she’s dressed head to toe in roses or running across the stage in a Rocky-Horror-esque performance. My favorite moment of the show was Bowen Yang as Dobby the House Elf on Weekend Update. It was perfectly ironic, and the prosthetics and costume completed the ridiculous scene. Other sketches like "Jeopardy" and “The Donor” just didn't work. The premises felt corny, and I couldn’t tell what was meant to be a laugh and what wasn’t. Frankly, it felt like SNL’s big “shakeup” was playing it safe.
Right now, Saturday Night Live has to set the standard for television. In July, Stephen Colbert announced that CBS was cancelling “The Late Show,” which came after backlash from President Trump. ABC initially pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air indefinitely due to Kimmel’s comments about the MAGA right’s reaction to the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, and after Kimmel’s return to air, Trump threatened to sue ABC. The First Amendment exists, so we can express our opinions and beliefs, laugh and cry, and celebrate and protest however we please. In many ways, it makes our country America. However, when people, comedians included, are cancelled and censored because of differing opinions, our core values lay in the balance. I understand SNL focuses on pop culture, and I know this was only the first episode of the season, but Saturday Night Live got its career by subverting expectations and standing out. Change is vital to the longevity of SNL, and if they don’t make a change soon, then the show can only go downhill from here.
