Jean Smart was nervous. You could see it in the way she clutched the monologue mic, a rare moment of vulnerability from a woman who has swept the Emmys lately for Hacks. But that’s the energy that kicked off Saturday Night Live September 28 2024, the official launch of the historic 50th season. People had been speculating for months. Who would play JD Vance? Would Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris still land? Is the show finally too old to be funny?
It wasn't just another premiere.
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The stakes were weirdly high. SNL has this habit of becoming the "national mood ring" during election cycles, and this specific episode had to set the tone for the next four years of political sketches. It did that, but maybe not in the way people expected. It was messy. It was loud. It was deeply nostalgic while desperately trying to prove it still has a pulse in a TikTok-dominated world.
The Cold Open heard 'round the world
Let’s be real: everyone tuned in for the political cameos. The cold open for Saturday Night Live September 28 2024 was a marathon. Usually, these things run five, maybe six minutes. This one went for thirteen. It felt like a mini-movie. Maya Rudolph returned as Kamala Harris, and honestly, the "Momala" energy is still the show's biggest asset. She has this way of mocking Harris’s specific cadence—that rhythmic, almost musical way of speaking—without it feeling like a mean-spirited hit piece.
Then came the new faces.
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Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz was inspired casting. He didn't even have to do much. He just stood there looking like a "midwestern dad who definitely knows his way around a Home Depot," and the audience lost it. But the real curveball was Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Bowen Yang as JD Vance.
Yang’s portrayal of Vance was... interesting. He leaned heavily into the "awkward" persona, focusing on the couch jokes and the eyeliner rumors that have circulated online. Some critics, like those at The Hollywood Reporter, noted that the sketch felt a bit crowded. They weren't wrong. When you have James Austin Johnson’s definitive Donald Trump sharing space with Dana Carvey (who made a surprise return as Joe Biden), it gets cramped. Carvey’s Biden is high-energy and stuttery, a "shouty grandpa" vibe that felt a bit like a relic from 1994, yet it still worked because the live audience was so hungry for it.
Jean Smart and the art of the "Hacks" crossover
Jean Smart is a pro. If you haven't watched Hacks on Max, you're missing the best performance on television. Her presence on Saturday Night Live September 28 2024 brought a layer of old-school Hollywood class that the show usually lacks. Her monologue wasn't a "song and dance" routine, thank God. It was a love letter to New York and a self-deprecating nod to her late-stage career surge.
One of the night's highlights was the "Charli XCX Talk Show" sketch. Smart played a guest, and it was a chaotic fever dream of "brat" culture references. Watching a 73-year-old acting legend navigate the slang of Gen Z was objectively funny because she didn't wink at the camera. She played it straight. That’s the secret. The moment a host acts like they’re "too cool" for a dumb sketch, the whole thing falls apart. Smart leaned in.
Why the Season 50 vibe is shifting
There’s a tension in the air at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Lorne Michaels is 79. The 50th anniversary is looming like a final exam. Because of that, the Saturday Night Live September 28 2024 episode felt like it was trying to bridge two worlds. You had the legacy players (Carvey, Rudolph, Samberg) taking up all the oxygen in the first half-hour, which left the actual cast members—people like Michael Longfellow or Devon Walker—struggling to find screen time.
It raises a fair question: Is SNL becoming a variety show for its own alumni?
If you look at the "Weekend Update" segment, Colin Jost and Michael Che are still the strongest part of the week-to-week operation. They have a shorthand that only comes from sitting at that desk for a decade. Their jokes on the 28th were sharp, particularly about the Mayor Eric Adams indictment. Che’s "lazy" delivery is the perfect foil for Jost’s "prep school" persona. It’s the one part of the show that doesn't feel like it's trying too hard.
The Jelly Roll Factor
Musically, the night belonged to Jelly Roll. If you told someone five years ago that a heavily tattooed former inmate turned country-rock star would be the musical guest for the SNL Season 50 premiere, they’d have laughed. But his performances of "Liar" and "Winning Streak" were genuinely soulful. He has this grit that felt authentic in a building that can sometimes feel very plastic. The cameras caught him looking genuinely emotional. It wasn't a "polished" pop performance; it was raw.
What we learned from the premiere
The Saturday Night Live September 28 2024 episode proved that the show is leaning into its "Big Tent" era. They want the TikTok kids, the political junkies, and the Boomers who remember the Chevy Chase days.
- Political satire is getting broader. The show isn't really doing deep policy parody anymore. It’s about vibes. It’s about how Doug Emhoff wears a suit or how JD Vance sits in a chair.
- Cameos are the new currency. Expect more "alumni" to pop up throughout 2024 and 2025. The show knows that seeing a familiar face like Maya Rudolph drives more social media engagement than a 10-minute character piece from a new featured player.
- The "Live" element still matters. There were a few flubbed lines and missed cues. In a world of edited-to-death YouTube content, those human errors are actually what make SNL worth watching on a Saturday night.
How to watch and what to look for next
If you missed the live broadcast, you can find the individual sketches on YouTube or the full episode on Peacock. Honestly, skip the "Spirit Halloween" filmed piece unless you really love commercial parodies; it was okay, but it felt a bit like filler.
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Moving forward this season, watch the "screen time" metrics. There is a visible struggle between the guest stars and the actual cast. If the show wants to survive another 50 years, it needs to let the current roster breathe. But for one night in late September, the spectacle worked. It was loud, it was overstuffed, and it felt like a party that started a little too early but refused to end.
Actionable Insights for SNL Fans:
- Check the "Cut for Time" sketches: Often, the weirdest and most creative material from the September 28th taping gets uploaded to the SNL YouTube channel on Sunday or Monday. These are usually better than the sketches that aired at 12:50 AM.
- Watch the background: In the "Charli XCX" sketch, look at the set design. The production team at SNL builds these entire worlds in mere days, and the level of detail in the 50th season premiere was significantly higher than in previous years.
- Track the cameos: If you’re a fan of Jim Gaffigan or Andy Samberg, don't expect them to be one-offs. The "political fly-in" strategy is clearly the plan for the remainder of the election season.