After nearly a month off the air,Saturday Night Liveput the comedy aside for a moment with Saturday night’s cold open. Typically, the sketch comedy show opens with a skit poking fun at current events. Given the seriousness of recent headlines, the show’s producers opted to start the show on a more somber tone, keeping the comedians and host John Mulaney backstage and instead opening with a Ukraine tribute.
At the start of the show, cast members Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong appeared briefly to introduce viewers to the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York. The choir sang “Prayer for Ukraine” as the audience watched on in silence. After they were finished, McKinnon and Strong stepped back out onto the stage and delivered the trademark line, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night.” Viewers were then shown candles on a table that were positioned to spell out Kyiv, which is the Ukrainian capital.
Only on very rare occasions has SNL dropped the comedy sketch at the start of the program in light of major real-world events. One notable example came on the first episode after the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. The show began with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani standing with New York police officers and firefighters with musical guest Paul Simon singing “The Boxer.“SNLboss Lorne Michaels appeared at the end of the segment to ask if it was time for them to start being funny, to which Giuliani replied, “Why start now?”
Related:Oscar Isaac and Zoe Kravitz to Host Saturday Night Live in March
Saturday Night Live Added John Mulaney to the Five-Timers Club on the Same Show
John Mulaney was the special guest host for the new episode ofSaturday Night Live. This marked the comedian’s fifth time hosting the show, which now puts him into what’s known as the Five-Timers Club atSNL. Fellow Five-Timers Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Elliot Gould, Candice Bergen, and Conan O’Brien were all there to help induct Mulaney into the club. Also present was new member Paul Rudd, who just joined the club in December although his episode was pretty much destroyed by COVID.
“Not to be a total b*tch, but my Five-Timers show in December was supposed to be a lot better. That is before the whole cast decided to call in sick,” Rudd said, describing the rise in omicron cases that prevented a studio audience and many cast members from appearing.
Bergen snapped back, “They all had COVID. So what? I have COVID right now. I got it from the Queen.”
LCD Soundsystem served as the musical guest alongside Mulaney on Saturday night’s show. As for what’s next on the horizon, Oscar Isaac, who we will also soon see in Disney+‘sMoon Knight, will be hosting on March 5 with Charli XCX as the musical guest. They’ll be followed byThe Batman’s Zoe Kravitz on March 12 with Rosalia. This follows the anticipated release ofThe Batmanon March 4, making March a big month for superheroes.
