Amongst the field of TV shows competing to get a piece of the Covid pie, SNL reinvents itself yet again. SNL, in late August, announced that it would resume live studio production for the 46th season. With that comes myriad challenges — bringing in a live audience, socially distanced sketches, regular Covid tests. The eagerly anticipated season premiere on October 3rd was a mix of incredibly strong sketches with some head-scratchers. Jim Carrey, in my opinion, is one of the highlights as the show’s Joe Biden. He portrays Biden as an affable (if senile) friendly, doofy, try-hard character who means well. Coupled with Maya Rudolph’s “Aunt Kamala,” the team make the democratic vote look far more appealing than the Trump-Pence ticket. Beck Bennett’s Mike Pence is also a star. He portrays Pence as a wooden, lifeless creature who has no empathy and mindlessly supports Trump. The second episode’s cold open was a little far fetched for most audiences (Biden turns into Jeff Goldblum from the fly), though Bennett and Rudolph carried the bit with their strong character portrayals. In anticipation of the premiere, SNL did what many though they could never do — they released all 46 seasons in their entirety (on NBC’s new Peacock platform). Though the general population of SNL watchers may not know this, SNL diehards know that seasons 6-29 were never aired after the initial season — it was impossible to watch the “missing seasons” anywhere."“ In terms of production, the studio has strict Covid protocols and is working closely with the New York Governor’s Office to ensure that no one in the cast, crew, or audience is allowed in the studio if they test positive. Now is probably the easiest time to get SNL tickets of all time, given that you can now request tickets, as opposed to their normal lottery. Assuming you don’t have Covid, of course. In the time of half-hearted Zoom comedies and entertainment filmed remotely, seeing the entire SNL cast back in the studio is a refreshing change. It’s one that America desperately needs in these uncertain times. Thank you, SNL producers and cast, for somehow pulling off what seems to be a normal SNL show. On behalf of America — we need it right now.
Nivedita Kulkarni
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