When it was announced that Molly Shannon would be returning to Studio 8H to host “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, many fans of the NBC sketch show were expecting a rather nostalgic episode. Shannon built a huge arsenal of beloved recurring characters during her original stint as a cast member from 1995 to 2001, and her hosting gig has more to do with her legacy on the show than her recent projects like “A Good Person” or “The Other two.”
Shannon’s opening monologue mostly played things straight, plugging in her memoir “Hello, Molly” and recalling her father’s advice to never give up in the face of adversity. This soon turned into a musical number where various characters appeared to tell Shannon about the problems they were currently facing. The segment featured several high-profile cameos from his longtime comedian friends — including an appearance by SNL legend Martin Short, who complained that he ran out of weight-loss drug Ozempic while eating a cheeseburger. “SNL” creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels also took the stage, though he joked that he had no problem.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbmPn4AeN0E(/embed)
In the episode, Shannon reprized some of her most famous roles in several sketches throughout the night. With musical guests the Jonas Brothers, she created a sketch in which she once again plays proud 50-year-old dancer Sally O’Malley. In the scene, O’Malley tried to lead the grown-up boy band through an endlessly convulsive choreography sequence as the gang tried to shed their teen idol image.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9fIWHJGsE8(/embed)
Shannon also brought back Jeannie Darcy, the famously funny stand-up comedian who always wears a mullet hairstyle and ends every joke with the words “don’t get me started, don’t even get me started”. With a clever modern twist, the character is now the subject of his own live-action Netflix comedy. The sketch included all the obligatory B-roll footage of Darcy leaving her dressing room and approaching the stage in the same way that Chris Rock launched his live “Selective Outrage” special on the streaming service last month.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_UE7trnoF0(/embed)
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