Saturday Night Live opened its 52nd season with the Knicks star Jalen Brunson hosting and KATSEYE performing, and the verdict is mixed at best. The show leaned hard on sports jokes that rarely landed, and the musical performances dragged. But the cast delivered a few bright spots, especially newcomers who made an immediate impression.
The review, titled “There Weren’t Many, But Here Were the Best Moments of SNL’s Season 52 Premiere,” walks through the night’s highs and lows in order of how they aired.
Brunson’s Sports Sketches Didn’t Land
Brunson seemed eager for whatever the writers threw at him, but the show’s writing staff kept boxing him into familiar territory. The episode was packed with sports-themed sketches that rarely connected with audiences, and they became repetitive fast.
KATSEYE’s Performances Looked Staged
KATSEYE’s two performances were bogged down by what appeared to be obvious lip-syncing and unimaginative choreography. The musical side of the episode fared even worse than the sketches.
Ashley Padilla Proved Her Worth Again
Ashley Padilla once again proved why she’s SNL’s most valuable player. Newcomer Grace Reiter also made an immediate and confident debut. Her standout moment came in the Dream Academy Season Two sketch, which was supposed to feature KATSEYE but ended up being remembered more for her performance instead.
Mikey Day’s Airport Massage Chair Bit
Mikey Day’s standout moment of the episode saw him fully commit to the bit, faking an orgasm in an airport massage chair while Brunson did his best not to laugh. It was a strong, committed performance that stood out in a broadcast full of flat material.
Jeremy Culhane Returns as Tucker Carlson
Jeremy Culhane returned as Tucker Carlson to review some of the summer’s biggest blockbusters. The sketch brought back a familiar character for a satirical look at the summer’s biggest hits.
There weren’t many, but here were the best moments of SNL’s Season 52 premiere.
The Bright Spots Were Few
The review’s title says it all: there weren’t many highlights, but the ones that existed stood out. The men’s support group sketch, the High School Musical sketch, and the Dream Academy Season Two sketch with Grace Reiter were the exceptions that proved the rule.
The High School Musical sketch placed Brunson among a group of singing basketball players. The Dream Academy Season Two sketch, meanwhile, turned into a showcase for Reiter’s scene-stealing debut.
The Writing Problem
The review acknowledges that Knicks fans on staff assured it Brunson had the comedic chops to hold his own at Studio 8H. But it also notes that the doubts about whether he could carry an entire live broadcast felt mostly justified by the end of the night.
The problem was not Brunson himself. He seemed game for whatever the show threw at him. The problem was the writing, which kept leaning on sports jokes that were tired and repetitive. Instead of giving Brunson opportunities to play against type, the show kept him boxed into familiar territory.
The Takeaway From a Mixed Night
The review’s assessment is straightforward: the writing was weak, the musical performances were unremarkable, and the cast was the only reliable engine of the broadcast. Brunson showed he was game, but the material kept him from doing much with that eagerness.
The few bright spots — Padilla, Reiter, Culhane — were enough to justify watching, even if the doubts about the broadcast felt mostly justified by the end of the night.
For fans of SNL, the lesson is simple: the show still has talent, even when the writing lets it down. The premiere of Season 52 was a mixed bag, but the best moments belonged to the people on screen, not the jokes behind them.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.