‘Saturday Night Live’ review: Looking at ‘Wayne’s World,’ Eddie Murphy, Kanye, night overall
We were going to do a specific “Saturday Night Live” review focusing on the third hour of the show like we did with the first, but we figured at this point, let’s try to reflect a little instead? Therefore, we present to you a relatively brief take on the entire night now that we’ve had at least a few minutes to reflect on it.
Overall, this was a wonderful show. Ridiculously long for sure, but did you really expect anything else given the circumstances? Not every moment was a winner, but the majority of it was so strong and created with such love that was it hard to criticize any decision made. Yet, we’re still going to do our best to be unbiased here as we look at what worked and what didn’t.
Awesome – The guest list. Bill Murray, Betty White, John Goodman, Paul Simon, Chevy Chase, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Kerry Washington, Emma Stone, and Chris Rock were just a handful of the wonderful roster assembled. The cast itself is indicative of the love people have for this show and being a part of it.
Great – Spins on old sketches. The “Wayne’s World” bit was wonderful, and as we said earlier, we loved the return of “Celebrity Jeopardy.” The mixture of old and new cast members was wonderful throughout. You had Adam Sandler with Andy Samberg, Martin Short with Maya Rudolph. The love that some of these people shared on the show was wonderful. This was almost a tribute more for the cast and crew than the viewers, but we were actually rather fine with that when the dust settled.
A miss – That Kanye performance. We’re not the typical Kanye West hater, but his voice was completely shot during most of his performance alongside Sia. He was a good sport during “Wayne’s World,” so he at least has that.
Disappointing – Eddie Murphy appearance. Well, we waited for 40 years to see Eddie stand there and say what he did on the red carpet before the show. We get it: This was like high school to you. Couldn’t you have added at least something?
Hopeful – Tracy Morgan tribute. We wish it was longer, but it was nice to see him honored here, and we do hope that he returns someday.
Wonderful – Jerry Seinfeld’s big. This was so funny, since it was possibly the greatest audience Q&A session we’ve ever seen in the history of the show. The banter with Larry David was completely good beyond words.
Much deserved – Honoring the crew, Lorne Michaels, and the band. These are all the unsung heroes of the show, and have been for the last 40 years.
The weak sketches – We’ve never liked the Californians, and the same goes for Garth & Cat. Then again, you can never have a perfect episode of this show that caters to what one person wants … especially one this long.
Overall – We wouldn’t have wanted to spend Sunday night any other way. Grade: A.
What did you think overall? Share with a comment, and head over here to see shorter reviews of the other hours of the broadcast! You can also sign up to get some more TV updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)