SNL is better off this season when it steers away from politics

The Atlantic

Issa Rae helped Saturday Night Live take a much-needed break from politics. "That such skits would be far more effective than SNL’s traditional political commentary isn’t surprising," says Hannah Giorgis. "The entertainment landscape is already saturated by politics—whether it be the debates or town halls themselves, cable news, podcasts, a West Wing reunion special, or baffling celebrity chatter. President Trump’s state of mind alone draws constant coverage, to say nothing of his recent COVID-19 diagnosis."

ALSO:

• Montrealers aren't happy with SNL's "Canadian News Show" sketch: The Montreal Gazette called “Bonjour-Hi" "punishment for our sins."
• The worst part of Jim Carrey's Joe Biden impression is it's not funny: "SNL has struggled to find satire in the already cartoonish Trump administration, but has played it safe with their political material," says Chelsea Steiner. "There have been solid sketches and some incisive Weekend Update moments, but in one of the most politically tumultuous eras in recent memory, SNL has dropped the ball hard. And it’s not like there isn’t funny material to mine in Joe Biden. Jason Sudeikis spent much of the Obama administration delivering a goofy take on the vice president that played on many aspects of Biden’s personality: his working class Scranton roots, his long-winded stories, and his politically incorrect fumbles."