Categories: News

'Saturday Night Live' Recap: Chris Pratt Hosts; Ariana Grande Performs

Saturday Night Live kicked off its 40th season with host Chris Pratt and musical guest Ariana Grande this weekend, with Darrell Hammond making his debut as the show’s new announcer.

Cold Open

Aidy Bryant starred in Saturday Night Live’s Cold Open performance as political pundit Candy Crowley. The timely bit had Crawley mentioning the NFL’s current public relations crisis. Pratt, deadpanning his lines as embattled NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, thanked the likes of Dan Snyder and Michael Vick for their continued support. Kennan Thompson and Jay Pharoah played Candy’s interview subjects Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe, respectively.

Chris Pratt’s Monologue

Pratt’s opening monologue began with a quip about how the actor has always felt a connection to Saturday Night Live, as he actually lived in “a van down by the river” while he was struggling to make ends meet in Hawaii. After noting his 60-pound weight loss, Pratt launched into a song about himself in which he lovingly referenced his wife Anna Farris, who was cheering him on from the front row.

Cialis Turnt

A pre-recorded faux ad for Cialis Turnt saw Tarran Killam, eager to please his wife Cecily Strong, looking for something a bit more powerful than regular Cialis. Strong wanted him “turnt,” bringing the spirit of hip hop dance moves into the bedroom. Aidy Bryant also pops a few to make things a bit more interesting. Why is Cialis Turnt so affective? “There’s a lot of ecstasy in this,” according to the ad.

Marvel Trailer

Since Pratt recently starred in Marvel’s latest successful franchise Guardians of the Galaxy, Saturday Night Live would have been remiss if it hadn’t found a way to work that into the show last night. The writers did so in a pre-taped sketch that was based on the premise that Marvel could put out a movie about just about anything and it would out-perform the competition at the box office.

He-Man and Lion-O

Pratt reemerged in a sketch called He-Man and Lion-O with Killam in which they played toys that had come to life. The two quickly took a liking to cake – and to a young girl. After bumping themselves into a chair, the two wandered around declaring, “When I touch this to this part it feels good.” Eventually the pair of animated toys hopped in a hot tub with the mother of the boys whose toys they are.

Bad Boys

Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney teamed up for another offbeat sketch on Saturday. In their most recent effort, the concept was popular 80s and 90s sitcoms. Rife with clichés and innuendo, the low-energy skit showed that the creative team behind it is still an acquired taste.

Weekend Update

Weekend Update had the return of Strong’s The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With At A Party and also featured new castmember Pete Davidson performing a bit about “How much money would you go down on a guy for?” Colin Jost and newbie Michael Che completed their Weekend Update with a segment called “Cheer Up, Obama,” with Kenan Thompson singing “Ooh Child” behind them.

NFL Intros

For Saturday Night Live’s second NFL sketch, Beck Bennett and Taran Killam played football analysts Jim Nantz and Phil Simms introducing the Ravens – played by the male castmembers – who offered their legal charges rather than their position and alma mater.

Ariana Grande performed "Break Free" on Saturday Night Live.

Chelsea Regan

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