‘Riverdale’ Takes Center Stage in Bizarre ‘SNL’ Skit With Halsey

Saturday Night Live used its final sketch of the night to take on The CW‘s Riverdale, but it was not the parody most expected.

In the nearly 4-minute sketch, Kenan Thompson plays the director on a Riverdale episode entitled “Text Me Deadly.” Host Halsey plays Betty actress Lili Reinhart, and Beck Bennett plays Jughead actor Cole Sprouse. Alex Moffat briefly appears as K.J. Apa, who plays Archie on the show, and Melissa Villaseñor appears as a minor character assisting Rick.

“I hope you people like pressure because we are shooting the season finale of Riverdale. We are in a morgue, and Betty has come to identify her cousin’s body with Jughead,” Rick says. “Alright, now let’s make some ‘Dale.”

The scene begins, and the true focus of the odd sketch is revealed: corpse actor Lionel Rogers, who is played by Pete Davidson. As Lili and Cole deliver dialogue, Lionel starts moaning in the background. Rick pauses the scene and demands the actor explain himself.

“[They’re] just every day corpse sounds. The usual hisses and moans that you get from gas escaping the body,” Lionel explains, before introducing himself. “I’m sorry; Lionel Rodgers. I play corpses. So I’ve been dead, what, two or three days? Great, so I’d still be releasing a lot of gas. I’ll give you some groans, some toots, so you have options.”

Rick tells him to remain silent, with Lionel frustrated that the director wants “a totally inaccurate depiction of a dead body.” The scene starts up again, and Lionel starts to shake and flop around on the gurney.

“I was just convulsing the way a normal corpse would with no means to expel gas,” he tells Rick after another cut. Rick is furious, but Cole takes up for him.

“I don’t know, Rick,” Cole says. “It sounds like this guy did his research.”

Lionel replies, “I did. I lived in a morgue for three months. It just kind of worked out for me, rent-wise.”

A frustrated Rick then tries to defuse the situation and remind the actors what viewers love about Riverdale.

“People, trust me, when I have finished weaving this episode of the ‘Dale,” all eyes will be on the hot teens and their steamy antics. Not the corpse,” he says.

But as the next take begins, Lionel abruptly stops to confront Rick once more.

“Let me just make sure I understand what you want because you, sir, are a terrible director,” he says. “The woman lost her cousin and is so overcome by grief that she doesn’t notice he’s the only corpse in the history of the world that isn’t moaning and jerking around? So is the idea that she has brain damage?”

After Lili chimes in with support, Rick gives up and lets the scene go on as the actors wish. As Lili and Cole deliver their dialogue, Lionel screams out “Avenge me!” before sticking his tongue out plopping his face to the side out dramatically.

Saturday Night Live airs weekly at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: Will Heath / NBC