This week, John Mulaney returned as host Saturday evening live with Chappell Roan. Mulaney has been a favorite host at Studio 8H. He worked on the show from 2008 to 2012 as a writer, writing supervisor and producer and has hosted six times since then.

This episode generated a lot of hype online, not only for fan favorite Mulaney, but also for Roan’s SNL debut as a musical guest. It was also the final episode before the election, and presidential candidate Kamala Harris also made a cameo appearance, which was leaked online just hours before the taping.

The show felt surprisingly light, with only four live sketches (including the cold open). Two of those sketches were also references to early Mulaney sketches, which may be great for superfans, but made the episode feel a little “in baseball” at times. Both Mulaney and Roan are known for their somewhat parasocial internet bases, so perhaps an episode for fans isn’t a bad plan; Mulaney can do better, though. The problem with hosting six times in six years is that fans know what he’s capable of, and this episode felt less than the high bar of iconic he’d already set for himself.

Opened cold

This week’s Cold Open featured a cameo from Kamala Harris, which is the biggest takeaway. Were there some fun jokes in the beginning? Yes. Were the political impressions good as always? Also yes. But then again, that’s not what people will be talking about with this sketch. Harris’ actual lines are a bit dorky, but again, that’s not the point: she was invited to appear alongside Maya Rudolph, but Donald Trump was not.

Trump is often parodied on the show, most recently via a spot-on impression of James Austin Johnson; however, he also hosted twice in 2004 and 2015. In 2015, he was a presidential candidate, and the episode received a lot of attention when some asked, “Did it help him get elected?” Whether that was the case or not, nine years later they are clearly supporting a different candidate, and that is how this sketch will go down in history.

Monologue

The monologue got off to a slow start. Mulaney’s jokes about his Asian family’s shortcomings felt somehow beneath the veteran stand-up. However, he quickly showed the audience why he is one of the best stand-ups working hard jokes today Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryhip replacement and his grandfather. One of Mulaney’s strengths is his stage presence. While he is a phenomenal writer, he is also great on stage and really utilized that skill in the monologue. It may not have been his best monologue for the show, but it was the kind of solid that’s expected of him.

What’s that called: election edition

This sketch felt most like a “Mulaney sketch.” His best sketches usually feel a bit conceptual and risky, which is hard to do with a sketch premise that has been done multiple times (including with Mulaney in 2019). In the sketch, Mulaney appears on a game show in which he has a name; this time it’s the name of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate (who also appears in the sketch). In the past, this sketch was hosted by Mulaney’s good friend Bill Hader, and Michael Longfellow stepped into the hosting gig and did a great job.

Beppo

This pre-recorded sketch about a monkey who gets lost in space during an early space mission is fun. While the twist at the end may turn off some viewers, the 1960s style and pastiche of patriotism work well.

Duane Reade Port Authority

It’s time to abandon this sketch premise. During his 2018 presentation, Mulaney created an iconic sketch with Pete Davidson about ordering lobster at a diner to the music of Les Miserables.

The sketch is iconic and has been followed by similar sketches about Bodega bathrooms (2019), Airport Sushi (2020), Souvenir shop underwear (2020) and Subway Churros (2022). This one is perhaps the worst and no longer feels inventive. Yet it doesn’t really feel nostalgic either. It was nice to see Davidson return (who made a cameo in the sketch), but it has lost the specificity of early iterations. This time the sketch used songs from many different musicals, which doesn’t work that well either. The sketch also features buying milk from a Duane Reade, which doesn’t feel as “dangerous” as previously questionable foods.

Chappell Roan

Roan sang two songs in the episode. The first was her mega hit ‘Pink Pony Club’. While it is an excellent performance, the second song overshadowed it. Her second performance was of a new strange pop-country song, “The Giver.” The song is one of the completed but unreleased songs on her highly anticipated second album. The performance stole the show. The debut of a new song on the bill just feels right and iconic for the Midwest Princess.

Roan also came out to get bows to hold Bowen Yang’s hand. Yang also played a baby hippo version of Roan in the Season 50 premiere on Weekend Update.

Weekend update

This week’s Weekend Update was completely stolen by Heidi Gardner’s Reba McEntire impression. Even though she’s supposed to be supporting a presidential candidate, she instead talks in a folksy manner and makes a few crude jokes, all of which somehow actually work. Marcello Hernandez and Jane Wickline also come along as a couple who are still confusingly together, which also has some funny moments.

Little Richard

This sketch features a great Little Richard impression by Keenan Thompson. That’s about it. It’s not a bad sketch by any means, but during a week with so few sketches, fans may be looking for that iconic Mulaney humor, and it’s not really there. The sketch boils down to, “Hey, remember when Little Richard’s dude was playing Full house? That was weird, right,” which, to be honest, sounds like the beginning of a Mulaney stand-up joke.

Campaign for New York City Council

Viewers outside of New York (and even some in the five boroughs) may not be familiar with local political candidate Harvey Epstein. However, this sketch is dumb enough to attract viewers who know nothing about the New York municipal elections. The sketch makes fun of his unfortunate name and the sex criminals who share it.

Bonus: the promo

Overall, the episode had some highlights, but fell short of the usual Mulaney-hosted show standards. Oddly enough, the funniest part of the week didn’t even happen on the show. It was one of two promos released earlier this week.

In the promo, James Austin Johnson plays Bob Dylan. It’s a masterclass in impressions and so funny. He has a good rapport with Mulaney, but unfortunately he wasn’t seen in the actual episode. It feels strange to recommend a promo, but this one is definitely worth checking out.

The next two episodes have been announced. Next week will be hosted by Bill Burr with musical guest Mk.gee, on November 9 and 16 Charlie XCX will be both host and musical guest.