A bevy of casting announcements for Saturday Night Live season 44 has us excited to get the show started. But does it get started tonight?
It’s an adventurous time to be working at 30 Rock’s numerous late night television programs. The current political climate is ripe for satire, and Saturday Night Live’s forte is providing a cold open as culturally relevant as it is a time capsule to capture the importance of the moment.
Although there’s been a lot going on this past summer, it was kind of surprising to see that we didn’t get a Weekend Update: Summer Edition-type show to catch people up to speed on the vibe of the show.
A part of that had to be due to Saturday Night Live co-head writers Michael Che and Colin Jost hosting the 2018 Emmys, in which we saw the show receive an award for Variety Sketch Series and five of its actors secure supporting acting nominations. Earlier today, as the show gets back in production mode, NBC announced a new cast member and four new writers, too.
The upcoming host of Saturday Night Live is Adam Driver, appearing for the second time after promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens in his first appearance. That’s where we got his infamous “Matt the Radar Technician” sketch, as Kylo Ren went all Undercover Boss on the Starkiller Base to get his crew’s “honest” thoughts on their boss.
Kanye West will be the musical guest, serving that role for his sixth time. He is expected to drop music from his upcoming album/mixtape/EP/stream of consciousness, albeit in a more calculated, promotional way than when Childish Gambino dropped one of the hottest tracks of the summer, “This Is America,” during his hosting stint last season.
Unfortunately, you will have to wait one week before Saturday Night Live season 44 starts up. The season premiere airs on Sept. 29, bringing the 851st episode over the air live, from coast to coast. SNL is not new tonight, as the show will air its final re-run of the long offseason.