John Krasinski made his Saturday Night Live debut this weekend, and there was no way he was going to get through it without making a few jokes about The Office. His star-making role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom dominated his monologue and also provided inspiration for his bit in the “Opening Credits Songs” sketch. In the pre-taped sketch, Krasinski and other members of the SNL cast performed theme songs for shows, even if the songs did not have lyrics, as is the case with The Office.
The sketch took inspiration from Nicole Kidman’s opening for The Undoing, which provided Chloe Fineman with another chance to trot out her Kidman impression. Melissa Villasenor dressed like Anya Taylor-Joy to perform a theme for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, while Beck Bennett played David Harbour singing a Stranger Things opening. Cecily Strong impersonated Julie Andrews as she sang an opening for Bridgerton, correctly pointing out that the credits do look like ’90s screensavers. Succession, The Crown, and The Mandalorian also got theme song lyrics in the sketch. Frasier also got an update for the social media era.
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This was all a build-up to the last segment, where Krasinski sang lyrics to The Office‘s famous opening. It began with Krasinski repeatedly singing “Scranton” to remind the audience where the show is set. Then, he just described the scenes playing out in the credits. “The hero’s name is Jim. Highlighting! That’s his girlfriend. That guy’s on his phone,” Krasinski sang. “Then, there’s me again. Then Carell does the trophy thing. The Office!”
The sketch also parodied HBO’s decision to revive Sex and the City for HBO Max without Kim Cattrall. Fineman played Cattrall, who sings about the show without her character, Samantha. “Sex and the City without Samantha! Doesn’t that sound fun?” Cattrall sings. “It’s Sex and the City without the sex! Hope you enjoy the city!”
The Office was also front and center during Krasinski’s opening monologue. He was interrupted by Office fans in the crowd, refusing to refer to him as anything other than “Jim” and insisting he stop keeping in shape. They also demanded he kiss Pam, who was played by Jenna Fisher. Even though Fisher was not there and Krasinski is married to Emily Blunt, they still wanted him to kiss someone. So, he kissed Pete Davidson, pretending he was Pam.
Krasinski was originally scheduled to appear on SNL last year, but his episode was canceled due to the coronavirus lockdown in New York City at the time. He recently wrote and directed A Quiet Place Part II, which Paramount has been forced to postpone several times. The movie is now scheduled for release on Sept. 17, 2021.
