When "Saturday Night Live" returned this weekend for its 48th season, the grandaddy of all sketch shows ripped itself apart before anyone else could. In a cold open, host Miles Teller and cast member Andrew Dismukes played Peyton and Eli Manning, hosts of ESPN's "ManningCast." But instead of a play-by-play commentary on "Monday Night Football," they critiqued the premiere episode's opening sketch.
"Let's see what they spent the entire summer coming up with," they said, watching the skit-inside-a-sketch — a purposely wooden number that featured every clumsy comedy move imaginable.
It was a clever way to address the challenges the storied NBC comedy show faces, with the loss of a sports team's worth of cast members between seasons (including Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant) and the addition of four new faces. The preemptive strike was also a smart move given the diminished profile of "SNL" as a relevant or reliable comedy source. But even with the funny, self-depreciating opener, the first episode of the new season wasn't a stunning success or a total flop. It was middling, which is perhaps the worst place to be for a series whose writing, particularly its political satire, hasn't popped in some time. Like so many "SNL" episodes before it, the hour started out strong and lost momentum with each skit, save for two dynamic performances by musical guest Kendrick Lamar.
