Quick Verdict
SNL turned 50 with a competent episode that leaned on nostalgia and its host. Amy Poehler carried the night. One fake-ad keeper and a lively “Weekend Update” reunion kept a wobbly lineup upright.
Host Impact
Poehler set the pace in a warm, self-aware monologue, then sharpened the cold open as Pam Bondi. Across the night she rescued flat premises with timing and clean line reads. The show leaned on her; she held.
Sketch of the Night
Experienced Lawyers. A fake attorney ad escalates with purpose: clone brigades, undead counsel, a mythic tree cameo. Noise becomes structure. The rare sketch that finishes stronger than it starts.
Runner-Up
Work Birth. A deal-obsessed manager enters labor and still tries to close. Clear premise, brisk beats, honest laughs from contrast alone.
Needs Work
- Emo Mom. One joke carried by performance, not writing. Works for a minute, drifts after that.
- Theme Songs Masterclass. Cute concept; the 80s-rap bit lingers past the laugh.
- Meet-the-Parents Rude Family. Good energy, thin frame. Pleasant noise, not a keeper.
Weekend Update
A buzzer-style joke-off paired Poehler, Tina Fey, and Seth Meyers against Colin Jost and Michael Che. It played more like reunion than rewrite of the night, but it delivered motion and crowd heat. Sarah Sherman’s anxious Long Island voter landed, and the “can’t-believe-they’re-together” couple still works in short bursts.
Music Notes
Role Model was polished. Charli XCX’s cameo during “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” did the lifting. The second song was tidy, not essential.
Bottom Line
Fine show. Better host. One keeper sketch and an Update reunion you will rewatch.
Why This Lives in Our Pages
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Author’s Note
I’m Jack Beckett. I file clean copy and drink coffee like it owes me rent. If you see me around Charlotte with a notebook and a mug the size of a flower pot, wave. If I don’t wave back, I’m counting how many times a committee tabled the same item. Say hi anyway. You can always message the desk on Twix — X, Twitter, the bird site with an identity crisis — at @QueenCityExp.
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This article, “SNL @ 50: Amy Poehler Lifts an Uneven Anniversary Show,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“SNL @ 50: Amy Poehler Lifts an Uneven Anniversary Show”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)