SNL Review: Mulaney, Yang Help Get Things Back on Track Before Break

Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL Review: Mulaney & Yang Help Get Things Back on Track Before Break

We're feeling pretty thankful that NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 52 is heading into its Thanksgiving break on a strong note.

Published Sun, 15 Nov 2026 10:37:09 -0600
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

• John Mulaney and Bowen Yang help Saturday Night Live's Season 52 rebound, sending SNL into Thanksgiving break on a high note.
• The SNL episode clicks from the billionaire tech-bro cold open to Ashley Padilla’s returning Kathy sketch.
• “Gettin’ It Done” stands out as one of the night’s best SNL sketches, blending brewery satire with sharp character comedy.
• Mulaney’s “Central Park Horse & Carriage Ride” musical and “Sister” power an SNL episode packed with big laughs.

It's only fitting that NBC's Saturday Night Live is having two holiday-timed breaks this season, because they serve as ten-ton metaphors for how Season 52 has been so far. The first three efforts – hosted by Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, and Shane Gillis – were horror shows that left us terrified about what was still to come as we headed into the Halloween break. But now, after Inde Navarrette, Druski, and this weekend's host, John Mulaney (joined by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers), we're feeling pretty thankful about how SNL is looking heading into the Thanksgiving break (with Amanda Seyfried hosting on December 5th).

There are more than enough examples from his previous six hosting gigs to easily make the case as to why Mulaney is on his seventh go-around. Mulaney is a "master class" comedian who thrives both on his own and as part of a larger ensemble, which helps raise everyone's game – and that was all on display tonight. From a cold open that tackled billionaire tech bros and how "Woodstock" was the origin of "The Big Boomer 80s Sellout," to the return of Ashley Padilla's Kathy (who annoyed her way into two sketches), there was a lot to like/love about this week's show. Need any more proof that this weekend's show is the new season standard? We got Michael Che doing voices during "Weekend Update." Let that sink in while you check out the three sketches that made our weekly hall of fame:

"Gettin' It Done": Jeremy Culhane and Mulaney deserve all the flowers for their host and brewmaster, and their brief, beer-fueled "Heated Rivalry"-like passion that dared to burn too bright – and then, sobered up. But we can't leave out the production team, who've clearly watched some of the shows that air after SNL in some local markets. It was spot-on, with Culhane seamlessly switching between offering viewers a better understanding of the brewery and showing us how he was grappling with questions about his own sexuality. That scene where Culhane gets a call from his wife and we get a look at his family before he turns the phone over and ignores the call was especially brutal. More "episodes," please!

"Sister": During a night when Jane Wickline had a number of winning moments, "Sister" may have been my favorite. Presented as a commercial, this twisted take on elder care hit hard, shining a light on a situation that's all too common in far too many families. Mulaney, Andrew Dismukes, and Kenan Thompson were spot-on as the narcissistic brothers, along with a nearly unrecognizable Tommy Flanagan as an elder father. But this was Wickline's sketch, hitting so many truths that I can't help but feel like this may have sparked more than a few nasty sibling glares and one or two uncomfortable Thanksgiving family dinners later this month.

"Central Park Horse & Carriage Ride": When Bowen Yang made a guest appearance during the SNL Cold Open as ex-Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, we took that as a good sign that the "Mulaney Musicals" would be back – and that Yang would be a big part of it. It felt good being right, because Mulaney's SNL musicals continue to be amazingly impressive expressions of musical satire – and it's the one sketch that you know everyone is going to be in. Mulaney and the team elevate musical satire to a whole other plane of comedic reality, and the cast never fails to rise to the occasion. Yang nearly took the top spot for us by reprising his role as Mary Todd Lincoln from Oh Mary! for "The Little Park of Horrors" musical, performing a parody of the Dreamgirls song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" as a dig at the MTA. But it was Veronika Slowikowska's runner, who plans on taking her sweet old time finishing the NYC marathon, who gets top honors because Slowikowska saw her moment to shine and took it, unleashing some serious Broadway-level pipes that even Mulaney commented on when they cut back to the carriage driver.

Saturday Night Live Season 52: John Mulaney & Phoebe Bridgers

Review by Ray Flook

9/10

It's only fitting that NBC's Saturday Night Live is having two holiday-timed breaks this season, because they serve as ten-ton metaphors for how Season 52 has been so far. The first three efforts - hosted by Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, and Shane Gillis - were horror shows that left us terrified about what was still to come as we headed into the Halloween break. But now, after Inde Navarrette, Druski, and this weekend's host, John Mulaney (joined by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers), we're feeling pretty thankful about how SNL is looking heading into the Thanksgiving break (with Amanda Seyfried hosting on December 5th).

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