When “Saturday Night Live U.K.” premiered in March, it was fair to assume it would follow the same rhythms and traditions that have defined Saturday nights on American TV for over half a century. Deviating from its norms can still be risky for the original “S.N.L.,” let alone a spinoff born in its shadow.
Accordingly, the first episode began with a politically timely cold open. A live band played sketches on and offstage, with a brief break for Weekend Update. Its first host was Tina Fey.
From the moment its cast first shouted, “Live from London, it’s Saturday night!,” watching it has felt like spying on a parallel universe full of potential.
Yes, the show belongs to the “S.N.L.” brand (so yes, it is also executive produced by Lorne Michaels). But without 50 years of history to shoulder, this version gets to start somewhat fresh. The only question was how different it would — or could — become.
Seven months later, the show has established itself as more than just an experiment. It has tweaked formats and landed scathing punchlines. It has leaned into its Britishness with bits like a sketch introducing King Charles to a “Deeply Intelligent, Autonomous, Neurokinetic Android” (a.k.a. DIANA). The bones might look familiar, but the cast and writers have brought “Saturday Night Live” to life in a way all their own.
Now in its second season, the show is on hiatus until January. (All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.) In the meantime, here are five moments that demonstrate how it found its voice.
“45 Seconds with George Fouracres”
Trusting the Cast
An early indication of the trust “S.N.L. U.K.” has in its cast arrived in the waning minutes of the series premiere. Known in the United States as the “10 to 1” slot (as in “10 minutes to 1 a.m.”), this sliver of airtime is typically reserved for the night’s most off-kilter material.
Even with that in mind, “45 Seconds with George Fouracres” is still a delightfully weird surprise. Entrusted with the first episode’s last word, Fouracres asks and answers the same question — “WHAT kind of Irish is your granddad?” — in a giddy, looping song. His escalating frenzy of hyperlocal accents is as startling as it is hilarious. It also proves the benefit of drawing talent from sources other than comedy clubs; Fouracres’s other claim to fame is his prolific work with Shakespeare’s Globe theater.
“Weekend Update”
Going for the Jugular
Taking on such a signature “S.N.L.” segment must have been intimidating for the anchors Ania Magliano and Paddy Young, but they rarely show any nerves. Their ability to tear the British establishment to shreds with matter-of-fact smiles was immediate and impressive. (It’s also frankly just refreshing to see a different pair behind the Weekend Update desk at all; Colin Jost and Michael Che are on their 12th year and counting.)
The British Weekend Update punchlines consistently go viral. Their boldness even extends to scolding their parent show, as Magliano did the week after Shane Gillis’s clumsy monologue back in New York.
Still, this Weekend Update is maybe most interesting for its willingness to experiment with the form. If Young flubs a joke, he might glare underneath the desk, where he’d once revealed a pit full of cowering writers. Magliano has left the studio via airlift. In the recent midseason finale, the segment ended with a fake medical emergency, prompting a sad piano riff and abrupt cut to commercial. In this “S.N.L.,” Weekend Update is far from the most staid segment.
“Traitors: A Very Confident Mistake”
Skewering Pop-Culture Phenoms
Given the enormous popularity of “The Traitors” in Britain, its “S.N.L.” parody was bound to attract attention. That only became more true once it took on a simmering conversation about the competition’s potential racial bias from an angle that’s somehow both sly and bizarre.
Rather than hunting for Traitors, the sketch tasks players with searching for the “great big crab man” among them (played by Fouracres in an elaborate paper mâché costume). As the fluorescent orange crab gargles water and struggles to grab a pen with his claws, none of the white players can shake their suspicion of Imran (Riz Ahmed). Hearing the audience understand the angle in real time is a perfect reminder of how fun it can be to watch live comedy unfold.
“The E-Bike Song”
Bringing the Beat In
With songs about aging boy bands, “British-themed pubs” and the moment wine turns on you, this cast is especially game for musical comedy (and is strikingly good at performing it live). But the biggest earworm may be “The E-Bike Song.”
Starring Jack Shep as a careless patron of London’s infamous Lime bikes, “The E-Bike Song” is very silly. But it is also infused with classic British garage beats and genuinely catchy a la the Lonely Island’s best music parodies. For weeks, I’ve been unable to shake the image of Shep and the host Jamie Demetriou biking without using their hands (and barely their eyes), grinning wide and singing: “If I die, then I die! It’s my life and I get to Klarna it. …”
“Nigerian Wicked”
Trusting the Audience
Giving the host Cynthia Erivo a “Wicked” parody was a no-brainer. Staging “Wicked” as a Nollywood film, though, was a stroke of genius.
“Nigerian Wicked” unfolds as a trailer for a movie following Elphaba (Ayoade Bamgboye) and Glinda (Erivo, playing against type with obvious relish) on their way to “LagOz.” Unfortunately, when they meet the Wizard (Hammed Animashaun), he turns out to be broke.
Watching the three actors riff off each other is a joy. But what makes the sketch so good is how incredibly granular it gets about Nollywood tropes. From Bamgboye’s script to the actors’ clipped speech, from the dizzying editing to the elaborate (yet visibly cheap) production design, “Nigerian Wicked” is a feast for Nollywood aficionados.
Yet you don’t have to know a single reference to laugh at the jokes. What “Saturday Night Live U.K.” gets — and what “Saturday Night Live” could stand to remember more often — is that specificity doesn’t automatically alienate the audience. In fact, it can inspire comedy that is sharp and surprising enough to transcend cultures, oceans and 50-year-old formulas in need of a shake-up.
Videos: Sky TV
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