‘SNL’ Fan-Favorites Return After Not Appearing on Season Premiere

This week’s new episode of Saturday Night Live featured the return of the digital shorts team “Please Don’t Destroy” at last. Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy were absent from the SNL Season 48 premiere last weekend, so some fans feared they would be sparse this season. They turned up for a pre-recorded sketch with this week’s host Brendan Gleeson.

The season’s first “Please Don’t Destroy” sketch was titled “Tommy,” and in it the three members played high school seniors partying the night away before their graduation. They were joined by their friend Tommy “Porkshop” Luciano (Gleeson) who shocked them all by revealing that he was not a 17-year-old high school senior but “a 67-year-old Irishman.” He explained that he was feeling lost in his personal life and he decide to enroll in high school for fun after watching Gossip Girl.

Gleeson got a lot of love from the live audience for this sketch, as with many others throughout the night. He was joined for two cameos by Colin Farrell, as both are promoting the new movie The Banshees of Inisherin. Out later this month, it’s a dramedy about two old friends whose relationship ends suddenly, bringing both of their lives to an unexpected halt. It is written and directed by Martin McDonagh.

Gleeson was busy all night, but he wasn’t in every single sketch. Another pre-recorded sketch called “New Cast Advice” centered on the four cast members who are new this year – Marcello Hernanez, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Molly Kearney. While the rest of them spoke fondly about this unbelievable opportunity and what it meant for them, Kearney undercut it all with a riveting story where Lorne Michaels and a cabal of celebrities tasked Kearney with assassinating Vladimir Putin.

Still, overall reviews of the episode are relatively poor. A.V. Club critic Trae DeLellis speculated that Gleeson’s hosting might be a sign that SNL is struggling to secure A-list talent this season. DeLellis also felt that Gleeson’s skills and personal charm were wasted on sketches that weren’t right for him, while missing opportunities like commentary on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

If the first two weeks have fallen flat, SNL is probably due for a big one next weekend. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion will serve as both host and musical guest on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Previous episodes are streaming now on Peacock.