The Best and Worst Episodes of SNL Season 42
With new writers, new cast members, an election going on, and some major shake-ups surrounding the exits of Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, season 42 of Saturday Night Live has had a lot to contend with. For the most part, the show has been better than ever with some fresh points of view and some truly weird and wonderful sketches. Of course, there have still been a couple duds, and while that's just par for the course when you're doing live comedy, we're going to rank them, anyway.
21. Felicity Jones and Sturgill Simpson
Felicity Jones sure was great in Rogue One. Unfortunately, not even an appearance by Tina Fey could help overcome her obvious nerves on live TV.
20. Casey Affleck and Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper was incredible and the cold open, featuring Alec Baldwin as Trump and John Goodman as Rex Tillerson, was hilarious, but Affleck wasn't all that memorable. We will, however, commend the Dunkin' Donuts short. That was really funny.
19. Octavia Spencer and Father John Misty
There were some highs (Forrest Gump, Melissa Villasenor's impressions, the girl at the bar video, the Trump sons on Update) but they were surrounded by some seriously strange lows (Chuckie Chocolate??). Octavia Spencer deserved much better material.
18. Emily Blunt and Bruno Mars
Blunt gave it her all as it appeared that the writers were trying some new things, and Chonk is an instant classic, but Blunt also had the misfortune of hosting the week after Lin-Manuel Miranda. Not an easy man to follow, no matter what he's doing.
17. Margot Robbie and The Weeknd
The thesis statement of this episode seemed to be that Margot Robbie is hot, and when Margot Robbie isn't hot, it's funny, and sometimes it's also funny when Margot Robbie is hot. We just kind of wish she had been given more to do, because she was great at what she got to do.
16. John Cena and Maren Morris
This one was hit or miss. John Cena as a romance book store employee: hit. John Cena's arms: hit. John Cena trying to save a Christmas tree regardless of Aidy Bryant's life: miss.
15. Benedict Cumberbatch and Solange
We'll never forget watching Aidy Bryant pretend to be dead while Cumberbatch twerked all up on her. Bryant's performance alone took this episode up a couple of notches, but it wasn't one of the show's best.
14. Scarlett Johansson and Lorde
Scarlett seemed game for anything, and so they just threw everything at her. Some of it worked and some of it did not. Standouts included the fragrance ad, the insane Olive Garden commercial, and of course, Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett's sketch for the women, featuring lines only for Kyle and Beck.
13. Alec Baldwin and Ed Sheeran
We were expecting more, to be honest. Baldwin is always great and has already been great whenever he has shown up this season, but that's why we expected this episode to blow our minds. When it merely amused us with fart jokes and (admittedly wonderful) appearances by Tracy Morgan and Melissa McCarthy, it was a bit of a let down.
12. Jimmy Fallon and Harry Styles
A whole lot of fun as Jimmy Fallon always is. Not quite as funny as it could have been, but Harry Styles was a delight and we've definitely watched that middle school performance of Legally Blonde multiple times.
11. Louis CK and the Chainsmokers
Louis CK is always a good time and the phrase "sectional couches" may keep making us giggle for a while, but otherwise that was just a very pleasant, very Louis CK episode.
10. Kristen Wiig and The xx
It was as if she never left. Wiig blended right back into the cast, and it just felt like a nice big SNL party if not anything groudbreaking, which is sometimes all we need.
9. Emma Stone and Shawn Mendes
We will never say no to Emma Stone hosting SNL, especially when she helps to bring us standouts like Wells for Boys, and comes along with Jennifer Aniston confronting Vanessa Bayer's Rachel impression.
8. Melissa McCarthy and Haim
McCarthy suffered from a bit of Alec Baldwin syndrome. We've seen her so much this season that we were almost expecting more. She gave us more than Baldwin did and was delightful as always (even when getting hit in the face with endless pies), but our expectations were maybe a bit too high.
7. Kristen Stewart and Alessia Cara
Well color us surprised. We knew Kristen Stewart was a talented actress, but she brought her awkward too-cool-for-school persona to Studio 8H and really ran with it in a way we were not expecting. From Stewart's monologue in which she officially, publicly declared "I'm like, so gay," and dropped the most adorable f-bomb ever to that Totino's commercial to Melissa McCarthy showing up out of nowhere to kill us with laughter, that was one of the top episodes of the season.
6. Dwayne Johnson and Katy Perry
What a bittersweet night. David S. Pumpkins came back, the Rock was clearly game for anything (as evidenced by the molester robot sketch), and we were thrilled to see Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan featured in so many great sketches for their last show. We just kind of wish they had gotten a bigger send-off, and that Sasheer Zamata had gotten one at all.
Otherwise though, the Rock can come back any time!
5. Tom Hanks and Lady Gaga
Tom Hanks not only officially addressed the nation as America's Dad, but he also turned Black Jeopardy on its head in an incredible way and blessed us with the unforgettable David S. Pumpkins. Any questions?
4. Aziz Ansari and Big Sean
Stand up comedians usually do a pretty good job on SNL, but Aziz knocked it out of the park from the monologue to the La La Land interrogation to the Uber short, even managing to get his signature "Noooooo!" into the show. Weekend Update was really episode's only weak link, save for the always brilliant Leslie Jones.
3. Chris Pine and LCD Soundsystem
Well hello there, Chris Pine. The Wonder Woman (and not Thor or Captain America or Guardians of the Galaxy) star sang about which Chris he is, and sang incorrect Frasier theme songs, and lip synced to Erika Jayne in a Drag Race sketch. He also had a cotton candy dance party and a backpack fashion show. It was silly, but in the absolute best way. We had a great time watching it.
2. Dave Chappelle and A Tribe Called Quest
As if Dave Chappelle wasn't going to be great. His return to the comedy scene was exactly what we needed after an exhausting election season, and his monologue alone was unparalleled. There were some pretty good sketches, but it was his very presence that made his episode one to remember.
1. Lin Manuel Miranda and Twenty One Pilots
Miranda proved there's literally nothing he can't do, and nothing we don't want to watch him do, as he rapped and sang his way through Studio 8H and into our hearts in our favorite episode of the season.
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