Saturday Night Live Recap: Jon Hamm Knows What To Do
Despite popular belief, you can have a strong jawline and still do comedy well, and the SNL writers and cast took advantage of that during Jon Hamm’s fourth hosting stint last night. The actor, known for Bridesmaids (and also Mad Men), first hosted in 2008 and twice in 2010. In contrast to his role in Mad Men, he surprised us with his comedic ease and willingness to be silly or even gross (Jon Hamm’s John Ham, anyone? Pat Finger for City Council?). His comfort with the 2008-2010 cast seemed to have helped, too, and with 15 years passing since the last hosting gig, I wondered what the dynamic would be now with the current cast.
Hamm’s return last night ended up being one of the stronger episodes this season, likely because he is already a frequent presence on the show. We know him, the cast knows him, and he knows what his job is when he shows up. The monologue called on Hamm’s history with the show, which featured some of his cameos: “I know a cameo may seem inconsequential, but it really is an important part of the show, like when a sketch needs that little something extra to take it from a medium sketch to a marginally better than a medium sketch, or when a monologue is feeling aimless, and like, it needs a jolt of energy—” And enter Kieran Culkin. It was bait, but I was on the ground barking like a dog, so it worked. The episode used him well in his range as a comedic actor (from a gay dad/kidnapper alongside Bowen Yang to a dumb cop), and for the most part, each sketch felt pretty solid. The White Lotus parody was flat on the jokes but made up for it somewhat with its digital glossiness and brief cameos from SNL ghosts past, and Weekend Update felt like it could’ve used some cuts. But in terms of the more Hamm-heavy sketches that left more to be desired — like the “Medication Ad” and “New Parents” — they were by no means flops.
Here are the highlights:
Check to Check Business News
Two business news anchors (Jon Hamm and Ego Nwodim) break down financial news for normal people who don’t understand what The Wall Street Journal is talking about, but do need to know how the economy is going to impact their lives in the most relevant terms, like food prices and healthcare costs. The sketch included tips from correspondents played by Kenan Thompson and Andrew Dismukes on how to stay afloat, like questionable investment in Funko Pops and replacing Perrier with the American-made “Uncle Bubble.”
Please Don’t Destroy — Missing Person
The PDD short was so delightful. A detective chief (Ben Marshall) briefs his team about a missing girl and warns them that because it’ll be a late night, it’s worth getting some pizzas. A cop (Jon Hamm) gets way too excited and emotionally invested in the idea of this being a pizza party. The sketch is packed with great jokes, like John Higgins’s character shooting a gun into the air and following with, “Hey, I realized immediately I shouldn’t have done that.” For a sketch that started with everyone collectively being mad at one guy, ending it with everyone collectively being mad at Jane Wickline’s pizza delivery person for those six Hawaiian pizzas was a nice way to close the arc.
Guess! The! Correct! Answer!
A respected dentist (Jon Hamm) is on a game show, worried about whether he will destroy his reputation by doing something embarrassing on TV. And guess what? He does. When trying to guess the clues from his teammate (Mikey Day) during a round, he instinctively responds with his secrets, but he’s so into playing the game that he’s unaware or unbothered by it. The contrast of the character’s earnestness with his vile confessions (“Something that’s racist,” “Ooh! Uh … me.”) makes the sketch hit harder.
Weekend Update: Colin’s Accountant Dawn Altman on Taxes
Weekend Update paled in comparison to the rest of the episode, with heavier groans from the audience than it has had in a minute. But the bright spot? Sarah Sherman as Dawn Altman, Colin Jost’s accountant. The jabs at Jost from Sherman are always a treat to watch, and it doesn’t change when she’s in character, going through his tax return. Some incredible lines include “Let’s go through your budget like you go through an after party: line by line,” and “You’re letting people use your private jet for free? And uh-oh, it’s for ICE deportations?” The piece escalates perfectly into Sherman’s head-butting the wall to find “so many women tied up back there.”
Icebreaker
A new employee company meeting goes awry during icebreakers. Jon Hamm’s character’s fun fact is, of course, that his mom killed his dad on live TV. We get the reveal of what happened through coworkers asking questions about it while also getting the side game of Ashley Padilla’s character struggling through the icebreakers. Ashley Padilla hive rise up! The sketch had a great pacing and was packed with silly jokes. It reminded me of the “Highway Cops” sketch from when Hamm hosted in October 2010, where Kenan Thompson’s cop character had a side game of moving on from his late wife, alongside the main game of Hamm and Jason Sudeikis’ characters going on motorcycle escapades instead of solving crime.
Cut For Time
• Alex Moffat’s return as Eric Trump in The White Lotus parody!
• James Austin Johnson rightfully called out Ego’s big week last weekend in the fourth wall break in the cold open (making Sarah and Ego break, just barely). Also, “I want Peep.”
• Spent too long figuring out that musical guest Lizzo’s first t-shirt, which said “Tariffied,” was a pun on “tariff” and “terrified.” It almost distracted me from the backup dancer allegations from 2023.
• All the tariff talk makes me wish I had SNL writer money.
• Props to the graphics team for the Weekend Update image of the baby with veneers.
• I’m remembering to not take a good host for granted, because the way things are going, you know they’re going to book some Kill Tony guy to host next.
• “Woman, Jackass, party donkey, Port-A-Potty, world record, Raven-Symoné, lesbian, November 5, 2022.”
• In the “Check to Check Business News” sketch, the lower third about Taco Bell that says, “Should meat cost less than gum?” reminds me that I have to spread the word about how expensive Taco Bell has gotten. Taco Bell is expensive! A refried bean Mexican Pizza in Ridgewood is like $9! That’s about as much as a sandwich that won’t wreck your gut biome. What the hell?