‘Saturday Night Live’ ratings: Jennifer Lawrence has top numbers since Louis C.K.

The ratings are in for “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, and it looks like NBC made a smart decision banking on their host Jennifer Lawrence. Just six mere days after she won the Golden Globe Award for “Silver Linings Playbook,” the actress has also helped to bring in the best ratings here since Louis C.K. hosted the show back in early November (which had the extra intrigue of being the first show to air following Hurricane Sandy).

Overall, the Lawrence-hosted show brought in a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is higher than most of the shows this season but not a high. Lawrence likely assisted in bringing the show some hefty ratings thanks to her “Hunger Games” fanbase, in addition to people who just wanted to see a fresh face try and draw some laughs on the show compared to an old standby.

By the same token, it’s also possible that some “SNL” viewers declined to tune in, unsure as to whether or not someone with little experience in the comedy world would actually be able to come out on this stage and deliver with ease. There were times during the show where Lawrence did seem nervous, but there were also some sketches that she was able to really dig in and play some fun characters that showed off range and good timing. Overall, we enjoyed seeing her in this environment, and it was far better than some shows from earlier this season (see what happened with Christina Applegate for evidence).

Did you enjoy Lawrence’s “SNL” episode? In case you didn’t get a chance to watch this weekend’s edition of the show, you can check out some videos and read the review over at the link here.

Photo: NBC