SNL season 42 finale: Should Alec Baldwin continue playing Donald Trump?

One of the biggest questions going into the SNL season 42 finale is one that doesn’t have to even do with one of the main cast members. Instead, it’s this: Are we at the end of the Alec Baldwin – Donald Trump era?

There is certainly evidence that it could be, with Baldwin suggesting here and there that his time playing the President is nearing the end for a couple of different reasons, including the fact that there are a lot of challenges that could with playing the role. It’s easy to imagine that one of them is that this could be a pretty tiring part to play just because it’s very negative and you’re having to get yourself in a headspace of someone who is incredibly unlikable to most of the country. Baldwin is brilliant in the role, but sometimes being funny doesn’t necessarily mean that the actor playing the part gets an opportunity to laugh with the rest of the public.

Also, it’s certainly possible that at a certain point he wants his weekends back to do some other things; he certainly doesn’t need to play Trump anymore, and there are diminishing returns that go along with the impression. Until the return of Michael Che as Lester Holt last week, there was a little bit of a Trump rut going on. Maybe overexposure was a key part of that, or maybe it was just that there wasn’t an interesting enough angle on some of the material.

If Trump does stay, it’s possible that the show could just shift away from Trump and bring out the impression on a little more irregular a basis: Think potentially three or four appearances, similar to how many times Larry David turned up as Bernie Sanders over the course of that candidate’s run for President. Given that Baldwin does have other projects and SNL is a ratings machine, this is easily the sort of gig that you could see him wanting to come back and do.

Even if Alec does make a decision, it may not be all that set in stone. Just remember that there are still many months to go until season 43 premieres.

Do you think that Alec’s time is done as Baldwin? Should it be? Sound off now in the comments.

Meanwhile, head over here for some further scoop regarding the SNL season 42 finale, including a new promo featuring host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry. (Photo: NBC.)