Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2017–18

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The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the forty-third season of SNL, which began on September 30, 2017.

Contents

Marketing Campaign

A woman (Cecily Strong) and her significant other, played by the host, react angrily when they realize that their favorite restaurant is instead just the new campaign for a fast food restaurant.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 September 30, 2017 Ryan Gosling Terrezano's is revealed to be a set up for the new Pizza Hut campaign.
44 September 29, 2018 Adam Driver Domenico's is revealed to be a set up for the new Burger King campaign.

Angel, Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever

Heidi Gardner plays Angel, a stereotypical girlfriend of a boxer, who appears on Weekend Update to give their "Good News Report". Angel will tell Michael Che that she is upset her boyfriend is "fighting again" and then expresses frustration with each piece of good news Michael asks her to comment on, such as a rise in holiday spending or the Royal Wedding. Her sketches occasionally make mention of the Boston area, such as her sister's address being "555 Whitey Bulger Way." Angel's catchphrase is "I'm taking the kids to my sisters", said as an ultimatum if her boyfriend fights again or if something else angering her does not go her way.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 November 4, 2017 Larry David
43 April 7, 2018 Chadwick Boseman
44 December 15, 2018 Matt Damon Damon appears as Tommy Ray Donovan, Angel's boyfriend.
48 January 28, 2023 Michael B. Jordan Jordan appears as Adonis Creed

Fresh Takes

A high school live news show hosted by three students and one teacher, played by the host. The teacher is disturbingly up-to-date on all the teenage gossip.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 November 4, 2017 Larry David
44 February 16, 2019 Don Cheadle

Lazlo Holmes

Lazlo Holmes (Chance the Rapper), a basketball correspondent, is forced to cover games that he doesn't have knowledge about.

In addition to the SNL sketches, Chance the Rapper also plays Holmes in web-exclusive interviews of hockey players on the official NHL YouTube channel.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 November 18, 2017 Chance the Rapper Lazlo covers a hockey game.
45 October 26, 2019 Chance the Rapper Lazlo covers a League of Legends gaming tournament.

Sexual Harassment Charlie

At an office, a worker (played by the host) is being fired and insulted by their co-workers for allegedly inappropriate remarks, but Charlie (Kenan Thompson) is beloved by office workers, despite consistently saying extremely over-the-top comments.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 December 9, 2017 James Franco
45 December 14, 2019 Scarlett Johansson

Cousin Mandy

An off-kilter woman, Mandy (Heidi Gardner), reunites with her famous cousins.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 December 9, 2017 James Franco Mandy attends a reunion with James and Dave Franco.
45 April 25, 2020 Brad Pitt Mandy talks to her cousin Paul Rudd over FaceTime.

Science Room (Lonnie and Josh)

A vintage PBS science show where the host Mr. Science, played everytime by the host(s), try to explain science in front of two not much intelligent kids, Lonnie (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Mikey Day), but each time they fail, even because of Josh's complete ignorance and Lonnie's snodate use of sexual and inappropriate references, mostly coming from his sister.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 January 13, 2018 Sam Rockwell Rockwell infamously dropped the F-bomb during this sketch.
45 January 25, 2020 Adam Driver
47 October 23, 2021 Jason Sudeikis Melissa Villaseñor and Kyle Mooney appear as Lonnie and Josh's parents, respectively.
48 December 10, 2022 Steve Martin and Martin Short This marked the final sketch appearance, as Strong left the show following the December 17, 2022 episode.

Dog Head Man

A scientist (played by Mikey Day)'s latest cutting-edge project, a dog's head on a human body, confuses investors.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 January 13, 2018 Sam Rockwell
47 November 20, 2021 Simu Liu

Bailey Gismert

Teenage film critic Bailey Gismert (Heidi Gardner) reviews movies on Weekend Update. She is extremely ditzy and overemotional, and she tends to harbor nonsensical crushes on inappropriate movie characters (such as Pikachu) under the impression that they are real people.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 January 27, 2018 Will Ferrell [1]
43 May 12, 2018 Amy Schumer [2]
44 May 11, 2019 Emma Thompson [3]
45 October 12, 2019 David Harbour [4]
45 April 11, 2020 Tom Hanks [5]
46 December 5, 2020 Jason Bateman [6]

Dinner Discussion

A group of friends (Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett and the host) eating at a restaurant overreact when a woman (played by Heidi Gardner) brings up a divisive political topic.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 January 27, 2018 Will Ferrell
47 February 26, 2022 John Mulaney

Big Nick's

A man, initially played by Pete Davidson, and later by Andrew Dismukes, while accompanied by his friend (Chris Redd), asks business owner Big Nick (John Mulaney) to do something that is socially frowned upon. As a consequence, an ensemble, including both humans and anthropomorphic objects, join Big Nick in singing versions of songs from musicals.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 April 14, 2018 John Mulaney Davidson's character asks for lobster in Big Nick's diner. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon as singing lobsters, perform versions of songs from Les Miserables . This sketch was originally written for Zach Galifianakis' episode in Season 35, but never made it to the air, nor was it cut for time. [7]
44 March 2, 2019John MulaneyDavidson's character asks to use the bathroom in Big Nick's bodega. Mulaney plays the bodega's owner. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson as a cat version of Willy Wonka, Melissa Villaseñor and Cecily Strong as cockroaches, Kate McKinnon as a Virgin Mary prayer candle, Mikey Day, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney as Sour Patch Kids dressed like Oompa Loompas, and Alex Moffat as a guy watching TV, perform versions of songs from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , Cats , and Rent . Beck Bennett voices a toilet inspired by Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors .
45 February 29, 2020John MulaneyDavidson's character asks to buy sushi at Big Nick's store at LaGuardia Airport. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson as a bird version of the Phantom of the Opera, Cecily Strong as a sushi chef, Alex Moffat as a rat, Chloe Fineman as an air-hostess, Kate McKinnon as "Auntie Orphan Annie," Beck Bennett as a baby, Jake Gyllenhaal as "Guy Who Travels in Pajamas," Mikey Day as a gate agent, Bowen Yang as "profiled Asian," and David Byrne as a baggage handler, perform versions of songs from Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story , Annie , Wicked , Little Shop of Horrors , and the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere". [8] [9]
46 October 31, 2020John MulaneyDavidson's character asks to buy a pair of I NY underpants from Big Nick's Souvenirs shop during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 United States presidential election. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Melissa Villaseñor, Lauren Holt, and Alex Moffat as Times Square costumed characters of a Minion, Batman, Minnie Mouse, Elsa, and Elmo, Kate McKinnon as Shrimp Louie, Beck Bennett as the "Diddler on the Roof," Maya Rudolph as the Statue of Liberty, Chloe Fineman as a "woman from Westchester", and Mikey Day as a homeless person, perform versions of songs from Guys and Dolls , A Chorus Line , A Little Night Music , Fiddler on the Roof, Follies , Sweet Charity , and Les Miserables.
47 February 26, 2022John MulaneyDismukes's character asks to buy a churro from a random woman (Villaseñor) in an F train subway station. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson as a mole person, Sarah Sherman, James Austin Johnson, and Aristotle Athari as B&H Photo employees dressed like characters from Fiddler on the Roof, Cecily Strong as a woman on the tracks, Ben Marshall as a "finance bro", Mikey Day as a guy with a knife, Punkie Johnson as the train operator, Alex Moffat as a public masturbator, Kyle Mooney as Evan Hansen, Kate McKinnon as a "Puddle of Unidentifiable Origin", LCD Soundsystem as the Guardian Angels, and Aidy Bryant as "Jesus Christ" in a New York Islanders beer helmet, perform versions of songs from South Pacific , Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man , Singin' In The Rain , Dreamgirls , Les Miserables, and Jesus Christ Superstar . [10] [11]

Mattel Instagram Pitch

Three interns, played by Pete Davidson, Heidi Gardner, and the host, pitch Instagram captions to Mattel employees, played by Kenan Thompson and Cecily Strong, that escalate in bizarreness.

SeasonEpisodeHostNotes
43 May 5, 2018 Donald Glover The interns pitch Instagram captions for Barbie's account. [12]
44 January 19, 2019 Rachel Brosnahan The interns pitch for Ken's account. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Weekend Update</i> Saturday Night Live parody newscast

Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. Historically, one or two of the players are cast in the role of news anchor, presenting gag news items based on current events and acting as hosts for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests. In modern times, dedicated anchors are chosen among writing staff, often lead writers, in lieu of cast or featured players. Chevy Chase has said that Weekend Update – which he started as anchor in 1975 – paved the way for comedic news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenan Thompson</span> American actor and comedian (born 1978)

Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. Thompson has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also the first regular cast member born after the show's premiere in 1975. Outside of SNL, Thompson starred on NBC's sitcom Kenan from 2021 to 2022.

Weekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character. Don Novello was featured almost exclusively on the news segment as his breakout character, Father Guido Sarducci, and Tim Kazurinsky, in the face of Eddie Murphy's overshadowing popularity, created characters almost exclusively for Update. Before becoming an anchor on Update, Colin Quinn used the segment as his main sounding board as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate McKinnon</span> American actress and comedian (born 1984)

Kate McKinnon Berthold is an American actress, comedian, impressionist, and writer. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022, where she became known for her character work and celebrity impressions. For her work on the series, she was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and nine for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2016 and 2017.

"What Up with That?" is a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. The sketch first aired in 2009. It stars Kenan Thompson as Diondre Cole, host of a talk show on BET. Supporting characters include the show's announcer, originally played by Will Forte, and later by Taran Killam and Mikey Day, Fred Armisen as Giuseppe, a Kenny G-like saxophone player, Jason Sudeikis as Vance, an overzealous track-suit-wearing backup dancer, and backup singers Pippa and Poppy, portrayed by Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad in season 35, Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer during seasons 36 and 37, Bayer and Cecily Strong in season 38, Strong and Sasheer Zamata during the SNL 40th Anniversary Special, Ego Nwodim and Melissa Villaseñor in season 45, and Villaseñor and Punkie Johnson in season 47. The sketch has incorporated unannounced cameo appearances by a number of celebrities. In addition to this, cast members frequently play roles adding to the chaos during Cole's performances, such as Paul Brittain and Abby Elliott's dancing performances as Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau, a student and teacher who made news for their sexual relationship.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 13, 2008, and May 16, 2009, the thirty-fourth season of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecily Strong</span> American actress

Cecily Legler Strong is an American actress and comedian. Strong is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. She is the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's history.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the thirty-eighth season of SNL, which began on September 15, 2012.

The thirty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 28, 2013 until May 17, 2014 with 21 episodes.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the thirty-ninth season of SNL, which began on September 28, 2013.

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since its inception in 1975.

Christopher Jerell Redd is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, rapper, and singer. After several years performing stand-up comedy, Redd was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live ahead of the show's 43rd season in 2017, making his debut alongside Heidi Gardner and Luke Null, and serving as a cast member for five seasons until 2022. For his work on the show, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for co-writing the SNL song "Come Back Barack". He is also known for his roles in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), Disjointed (2017–2018), and Kenan (2021–2022).

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the fortieth season of SNL, which began on September 27, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Gardner</span> American comedian (born 1983)

Heidi Lynn Gardner is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Gardner has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2017, beginning in season 43, when she debuted as a featured player alongside Luke Null and Chris Redd. Beginning with the show's 45th season in 2019, Gardner and Redd were both promoted to repertory status.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the forty-second season of SNL, which began on October 1, 2016.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the forty-fourth season of SNL, which began on September 29, 2018.

The forty-fifth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2019, during the 2019–20 television season with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish, and concluded on May 9, 2020 with host Kristen Wiig and musical guest Boyz II Men. This season featured the return of Eddie Murphy as host, on December 21, 2019, for the first time in 35 years. Murphy's episode was the most watched episode since 2008.

"Saturday Night Live at Home" refers to the final three episodes of the 45th season of the late-night comedy program Saturday Night Live. Whereas SNL typically consists of sketches performed live in-studio, these "at Home" episodes were recorded remotely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television; none of the sketches were performed live for any of these episodes, and none of the participants in any sketch from these shows were in the same physical location.

The forty-seventh season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 2, 2021, during the 2021–22 television season with host Owen Wilson and musical guest Kacey Musgraves, and concluded on May 21, 2022 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast. For the first time, the season's first five episodes and the remainder from episode ten onward were live-streamed on the streaming service Peacock in addition to its coast-to-coast live television broadcast.

References

  1. Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert - SNL. Saturday Night Live. January 28, 2018. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  2. Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert on Summer Movies - SNL. Saturday Night Live. May 13, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  3. Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert on Summer 2019 Movies - SNL. Saturday Night Live. May 12, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  4. Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert on Fall 2019 Movies - SNL. Saturday Night Live. October 13, 2019. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  5. Bailey Gismert YouTube Channel - SNL. Saturday Night Live. April 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  6. "Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert on Old Movies - SNL - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  7. Diner Lobster - SNL. Saturday Night Live. April 15, 2018. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  8. "Jake Gyllenhaal Sings in 'SNL' Musical Parody About LaGuardia Airport | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. February 29, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  9. Airport Sushi - SNL. Saturday Night Live. March 1, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  10. Hall, Margaret. "See John Mulaney, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, More in New SNL Skit Subway Churro". www.playbill.com. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  11. "Subway Churro - SNL". Saturday Night Live . Retrieved February 27, 2022 via YouTube.
  12. Barbie Instagram - SNL. Saturday Night Live. May 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
  13. Ken Instagram - SNL. Saturday Night Live. January 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via YouTube.
Preceded by
Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2016–17
Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches (listed chronologically) Succeeded by
Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2018–19