What we expect when Saturday Night Live returns with new episodes

Is Saturday Night Live new tonight? We absolutely understand the desire for more of the sketch show this weekend, especially when you consider how much is going on in the world. Whether it be from the Super Bowl to the Olympics to the Administration, there is a lot going on in the world right now.

Yet, it’s actually the presence of one of these events in the Olympics that is forcing the sketch show off the air for the time being. There is no new SNL episode airing this weekend, and there’s not going to be another one on the air until early March. We’ve already reported that Charles Barkley is going to be the host for the next new episode of SNL and we’re cautiously optimistic about that. We’ve already seen Charles on the show, after all, and given that he’s not a comedian we don’t really know what you get from him being back on the show at this point.

So what we want to focus on here is pretty simple: What should SNL air in terms of sketches within this upcoming episode? A good starting-off point here would be emphasizing sketches that are silly, physical, and also timeless — there have been a lot of really topical sketches as of late, but some of the best sketches such as Farewell, Mr. Bunting or Celebrity Family Feud aren’t necessarily dated in a particular era. Also, don’t be afraid to be random and take some risks. We would’ve never thought in a million years that the Papyrus-themed sketch from the premiere episode earlier this year would be anywhere near as memorable as it was — yet, looking back that’s probably the sketch we are going to remember more so than any other this season. It was wacky and we could’ve easily seen it get turned away in the writers room.

Related – Read our most-recent SNL episode review!

In terms of Weekend Update characters, there are two that feel like locks to return: LaVar Ball (Kenan Thompson) and Bailey Gismert (Heidi Gardner). If you don’t remember, Bailey is the YouTube movie credit who went on quite an emotional journey on the show. We recognize that we’re nearing over-saturation at this point on LaVar, but just one more appearance this season if there’s a relevant reason to do so would be fantastic.

What do you want to see focused on when Saturday Night Live returns with new episodes? Share right now in the comments! Meanwhile, be sure to also like CarterMatt on Facebook for some more insight on the series right away. (Photo: NBC.)