#Jason Sudeikis Channels Ted Lasso, Gets Devilish, And Boogies Again On A Solid And Silly Saturday Night Live

Annie – One of my favorite recurring premises on “Saturday Night Live” that comes around every now and then is recreating a famous musical sequence from a movie while throwing some kind of new wrinkle into the proceedings that upends everything. In this case, it’s Jason Sudeikis as a character who feels lifted from Dan Aykroyd in the early years of “SNL.” While little orphan Annie is being introduced to all those working in her new mansion home, the entire staff is learning about Ricky, who has some kind of mysterious job that he does for Daddy Warbucks. The wardrobe Sudeikis is wearing does a good chunk of the work, so bravo to the costume department there, but the comedian’s wandering disposition where he’s conspicuously trying to be inconspicuous adds a fantastic layer to the expected shady dialogue. Just a great sketch.

What’s Up with That? (with Oscar Isaac, Emily Ratajkowski, and Nicholas Braun) – This is probably the one recurring sketch that was at the top of every “SNL” fan’s wishlist when they found out Jason Sudeikis was returning to host the show (that’s certainly what me and my cohorts hoped for in our new “SNL” recap podcast). Though Sudeikis only had a mostly non-speaking role in this recurring sketch that required him to do the same dance moves over and over again, it’s one of his most famous bits. That’s because Sudeikis can boogie, and the way he leaps into every musical interruption never loses steam. Kudos to the clever Halloween twist where Diondre Cole (Kenan Thompson) mistakes Nicholas Braun for being Bill Hader as Lindsey Buckingham in a costume inspired by HBO’s “Succession.” It was a solid way to make up for Bill Hader’s absence, but I can’t help but wonder how they came to settle on Nicholas Braun (and his towering heght) for this part. 

Science Room – After Adam Driver and Sam Rockwell partook in “Science Room” when they hosted “SNL,” it’s Jason Sudeikis who steps into the shoes of the show’s host this time. The increasing frustration of the science teacher never gets old. I cracked up at Sudeikis telling Mikey Day to go to hell and then doubling back to not only make sure he heard it but whispering it in his ear yet again. Sudeikis delivery in this sketch is so good that some of his reactions feel improvised rather than being scripted. This edition of “Science Room” also got hilarious new addition as the host called in the parents of these two dimwitted children to shame them for their piss poor parenting skills.

Parent-Teacher Conference – If you’ve ever had a crush on Jason Sudeikis, then you may have had to pause this sketch to compose yourself. If you didn’t have a crush on Jason Sudeikis, then this might have changed your mind. Sudeikis is undeniably sexy in this sketch, to the point that it feels like we’re watching a saucy affair unfold rather than a comedy sketch. Kyle Mooney delivers the goods as the husband who is awkwardly powerless to stop this heavy flirtation (and then some) during this parent-teacher conference. I’d like to pay special attention to the small bit of good sketch writing that brings back the allusion to Mooney’s father figure being bad at fractions. That’s how you simply and efficiently end a sketch.