For the first time ever, “Live from New York, it’s ‘Saturday Night’!” made me tear up a little. Proudly shouted by former cast members Maya Rudolph and Dana Carvey, the famous phrase kicked off the 50th season of a New York icon. Can you believe “Saturday Night Live” is 50 years old? However you may feel about the show, Lorne Michaels’ sketch series, which has been broadcasting from Studio 8H at 30 Rock in Midtown since 1975, has undeniably shaped American comedy as we know it.
It has birthed countless stars and wrung out a million laughs. We all grew up with it, we all can quote it, we all have fiery opinions about it. The NBC show is part of the fabric of American life.
Embracing his inner Canadian, Michaels went surprisingly low-key for the start of Season 50, which was hosted by the fabulous Jean Smart from “Hacks.” Country singer Jelly Roll was the musical guest. The show’s enigmatic creator previously said, sans much detail, that there will eventually be a Radio City Music Hall celebration to honor “Saturday Night Live”’s first half century.
Still, it was a big and brilliant move to bring back “SNL” legend Carvey as a doddering President Joe Biden. I squealed when he took the stage. After so many lame attempts to capture the essence of the cuckoo prez — Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson, Jim Carrey, Mikey Day — the excellent Carvey finally batted it out of the park.
“A lot of people forget I’m president,” he said next to Rudolph�.