Episode Grade: C+
The season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Bad Bunny with musical guest Doja Cat, felt like a show still finding its footing. For a season opener, one hopes for sharp writing and a host who elevates the material. Unfortunately, this episode largely missed the mark. While a few moments landed, the overall effort felt sluggish and uninspired. The episode’s saving grace was a fantastic musical performance, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a weak script and a miscast host.
Cold Open
The first face of Season 51 was new cast member Jeremy Culhane, a promising sign of fresh energy. Culhane introduced the cold open, which was centered on the recent meeting of America’s military leaders and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The sketch’s biggest flaw was casting Colin Jost as Hegseth. Jost is a strong Update anchor but has consistently proven to be a stiff and unconvincing sketch performer. His presence here was jarring and pulled focus for all the wrong reasons. Sketch work is simply not his strong suit, and the show should stop forcing it.
Having Jost on screen in a cold open by himself for several minutes was a strange way to start a season, especially one that seems so up-in-the-air with many cast member exits.
Opening Monologue
Bad Bunny’s monologue was charming but ultimately forgettable. He leaned on his global superstar status, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to host. The jokes felt safe, centering on his music and his distinct fashion sense. While his natural charisma carried him through, the material didn’t give him much to work with. It lacked the memorable hooks or clever bits that make the best monologues stand out. It was a pleasant enough start but didn’t build any real momentum.
Sketches Before Update
The sketch lineup began with “Jeopardy,” a stapled of the show for many years. However, the sketch itself floundered. Bad Bunny played a contestant struggling with the show’s format due to a language barrier, but the jokes were clunky and his fumbles seemed more like genuine confusion than a comedic choice.
Following the monologue, the show bafflingly aired two sketches back-to-back with the same essential premise: a normal person encounters bizarre characters at a restaurant. This kind of repetitive, lazy writing is inexcusable, especially for a season premiere. It suggests a writers’ room short on ideas or simply not communicating. Neither sketch was particularly memorable, and their proximity to each other highlighted the show’s creative slump right out of the gate.
Weekend Update
Weekend Update remains a consistent highlight, though this installment had its own odd choices. Colin Jost and Michael Che were reliable as ever, delivering sharp jokes about the week’s news. However, the guest segment featuring new featured player Kam Patterson felt forced. Patterson appeared to complain about when he was allowed to use the N-word on the show, a topic that felt strangely timed just 35 minutes into the new season. The bit didn’t quite land, coming across as an awkward and premature meta-commentary.
Sketches After Update
The post-Update block of sketches continued the night’s uneven trend. The energy flagged, and the concepts felt underdeveloped.
One of the segments featured Bad Bunny in “Inventing Spanish,” a sketch that also had Marcello Hernandez.
This sketch had one decent joke, maybe two. But that’s not enough to carry a bit through. This felt more like a 10-to-1 sketch.
The final sketch of the night, often called the “10-to-1,” was a peculiar piece that was clearly a passion project for the host. It was a send-up of a Spanish-language variety show from the 1980s or 1990s. While Bad Bunny was clearly enjoying himself, the references were completely lost on the majority of the audience, leading to a confused and quiet reception. It was a bold swing, but ultimately a miss.
Pre-Taped Segments
The brightest spot of the night was a pre-taped segment titled “ChatGP Tio.” This clever piece imagined a version of the AI chatbot that behaved like everyone’s quintessential Latino uncle. It was funny, specific, and culturally resonant, offering the kind of sharp satire the live sketches lacked. The segment was well-produced and delivered the biggest laughs of the episode, proving that the digital shorts team continues to be one of the show’s greatest assets.
Final Thoughts
This was a C+ episode, and that grade is almost entirely thanks to Doja Cat, who delivered two powerful and visually stunning musical performances. As a host, Bad Bunny was game but ultimately couldn’t overcome the lackluster material. The episode raises concerns for the season ahead. With the departure of veterans Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, many observers believe the show will now lean on Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman to become its new stars. While both are talented, it’s unclear if either possesses the versatile, star-power presence needed to truly carry the show week in and week out. The new cast members, like Culhane and Patterson, show promise, but they can’t save a show plagued by lazy writing. SNL needs a creative jolt, and this premiere didn’t provide it.
The best part of SN51 EP01 was this:
One thought on “Season 51, Episode 1 Recap: Bad Bunny & Doja Cat”