‘SNL’ Returns From Hiatus to Season-Low Ratings

Saturday Night Live returned this weekend after a month off, and most television viewers were not interested. Despite featuring beloved former cast member Maya Rudolph as the host, the episode received the lowest live ratings of the season. This weekend’s show also featured rapper Jack Harlow as the musical guest, with special appearances from Kristen Wiig, Martin Short, Rachel Dratch, and Tina Fey.

The episode drew a 3.6 household Live+Same Day rating in 44 metered local markets and just a 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic in 25 metered markets with people meters, reports Deadline. Both measures were season-lows for Season 46. This was also down significantly from the Nick Jonas-starring Feb. 27 episode, which drew a 4.1 household rating and a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The previous season-low was set by the Jason Bateman-hosted episode on Dec. 5, which drew a 4.1 household rating and a 1.7 18-49 rating.

Episodes featuring former SNL cast members usually do well, with fans tuning in to see which other former cast members will make cameos. However, the next two episodes feature first-time guest hosts. On April 3, Judas and the Black Messiah actor Daniel Kaluuya will host, with indie rocker St. Vincent performing. On April 10, Promising Young Woman star Carey Mulligan will host with rapper Kid Cudi as the musical guest.

Rudolph played Vice President Kamala Harris in just one sketch, in which she and husband Douglas Emhoff (played by Short) welcomed political guests from both sides of the aisle to their home for Passover. Alex Moffat played President Joe Biden, while Aidy Bryant appeared as Sen. Ted Cruz and Cecily Strong played Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green in the sketch.

Fey, Dratch, and Wiig appeared in the pre-taped “The Maya-ing” sketch. Another pre-taped highlight from the episode was Pete Davidson’s “NFTs” rap music video, in which he used Eminem’s “Without Me” as the basis for a song explaining what non-fungible tokens are. Harlow also performed a verse in the sketch.

The cold open featured one of several references to the coronavirus pandemic. Rudolph hosted a dating game show called Snatched! Vaxed! or Waxed!, which made fun of the influx of partygoers heading to Miami Beach, Florida while the pandemic continues. “Boomers Got the Vax” was another pre-taped music video about Baby Boomers getting the vaccine.

During “Weekend Update,” cast member Bowen Yang responded to the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. Following a series of jokes, he turned serious to shine a light on the issue. “I’m just a comedian. I don’t have all the answers,” Yang said. “But I’m not just looking for them online. I’m looking around me. The GoFundMe for Xiao Zhen Xie, the grandmother who fought back against her attacker raised $900,000, which she immediately gave back to the community. That’s where we are as Asians. Now come meet us there.” New SNL episodes air at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.