There is certainly a give-and-take on SNL that comes with having, and using, a host who is particularly comedically apt. Although they made good use of Jane Lynch, their host this week – she was featured as a main comedic character in almost every sketch – it noticeably left less room for the cast members. Not that anyone is complaining, though! Because, man, that Jane Lynch. She is just the greatest. Her monologue? So good! And some of the sketches were very funny!
So let’s see how everyone did:
Repertory Players
Fred Armisen
-Major Characters: 0
-Minor Appearances: 5 (Monologue, Gilly, New Boyfriend Talk Show, Secret Word, Tax Masters)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: Miguel Conjeros
Abby Elliott
-Major Characters: 0
-Minor Appearances: 1 (Gilly)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Bill Hader
-Major Characters: 2 (Damn It My Mom Is On Facebook Filter Ad, Secret Word)
-Minor Appearances: 2 (The Suze Orman Show, Sunday Night Football)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Bobby Moynihan
-Major Characters: 0
-Minor Appearances: 4 (Gilly, New Boyfriend Talk Show, Denzel Washington at Macy’s, Tax Masters)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Andy Samberg
-Major Characters: 2 (New Boyfriend Talk Show, Therapist Digital Short)
-Minor Appearances: 2 (Damn It My Mom Is On Facebook Filter Ad, Gilly)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: Mark Zukerberg
Jason Sudeikis
-Major Characters: 2 (Gilly, Tax Masters)
-Minor Appearances: 3 (Monologue, New Boyfriend Talk Show, Sunday Night Football)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Kenan Thompson
-Major Characters: 
0
-Minor Appearances: 3 (Gilly, New Boyfriend Talk Show, Tax Masters)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Kristen Wiig
-Major Characters: 4 (Gilly, Christine O’Donnell Ad, Secret Word, The Suze Orman Show)
-Minor Appearances: 
0
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Featured players
Vanessa Bayer
-Major Characters: 0
-Minor Appearances: 1 (Gilly)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Paul Brittain
-Major Characters: 
0
-Minor Appearances: 1 (Secret Word)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Taran Killam
-Major Characters: 
0
-Minor Appearances: 3 (Damn It My Mom Is On Facebook Filter Ad, Gilly, Tax Masters)
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Nasim Pedrad
-Major Characters: 1 (Cold Open)
-Minor Appearances: 0
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
-Bonus: Said “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!â€
Jay Pharoah
-Major Characters: 1 (Denzel Washington at Macy’s)
-Minor Appearances: 0
-Weekend Update Desk Appearances: 0
Winners and Losers
Kristen Wiig made a big comeback this week with four major characters, including her famous Suze Orman, her infamous Gilly, and her incredible Christine O’Donnell. She seems to be the clear winner here. But Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis were also all over the episode, so they deserve some mention as well. The “New Boyfriend Talkshow†sketch, featuring both of them, was especially entertaining.
As for the losers, it looks like a lot of people are tied this week. There are so many losers! Paul Brittain, Vanessa Bayer, and Abby Elliott each only had one minor appearance. And Kenan Thompson didn’t do so well either.
Although Nasim Pedrad and Jay Pharoah each also made an appearance in only one sketch, both were able to try out new characters – Gloria Allred and Denzel Washington, respectively – and were major characters in their sketches. So that still seems good. Especially for Pedrad, who was the sole cast member featured in the cold open.
Kelly Conaboy writes a lot, but it’s never about anything.