SNL 52 Review: You Were Wrong About Shane Gillis, Lorne Michaels

Posted in: NBC, Peacock, Review, TV | Tagged: Shane Gillis, snl

SNL 52 Review: You Were Wrong About Shane Gillis, Lorne Michaels

Though the cast and writers stepped up big-time and Grace Reiter proved to be the show's MVP, this Shane Gillis/SNL thing isn't working.

Published Sun, 11 Oct 2026 10:37:10 -0500
by Ray Flook
|
Comments

If EP Lorne Michaels is still dealing with leftover guilt over how Shane Gillis was treated by the network back in 2019, when his podcast mess came to light, then maybe he should deal with it on his own time. Therapist. Bartender. Priest. Dominatrix. Whatever works. What he needs to stop doing is making Saturday Night Live's cast, writers, and viewers pay for it. For someone who was this close to being a cast member and who Michaels has praised over the years as a missed opportunity, you can't suck this bad in sketches. For someone who has made a very successful living from stand-up comedy, you can't keep shitting the bed during the monologues. And yet, here we are – and what makes it worse is that this is Gillis' third run as SNL host. That means, at this rate, he could get fitted for a "Five-Timers" jacket by the end of 2028. That's just wrong on any number of levels.

By the time Gillis took his final bow, his "highlights" included calling women "whores" based on what they wear to the gym during his monologue, this weird thing near the end of his opener where he said we're all either Nazis or gay, and accidentally dropping "fuck" in the middle of the "Green Eggs & Ham" sketch. That's it. And regarding the monologue and the defense that he's a comedian, just answer me this. What was the joke? What was "whore" a punchline to? Watching Gillis wrap up his monologue on a note that was so awkward that he had to tell everyone the monologue was over was exactly the ending it deserved.

That said, this weekend's pre-Halloween break show worked in spite of Gillis because the SNL cast and writers stepped up their games across the board. It's like they knew what they were getting at this point and responded accordingly. Even in sketches like "Father-Daughter Song" and "Cop Talk Show," where they couldn't avoid having Gillis be the focus, the supporting players pretty much stole the spotlight – and thank god they did. It says a lot when you can get upstaged by Ms. Pac-Man and an eight-second appearance from Kam Patterson. Go back and watch how Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes handled Gillis' F-bomb during "Green Eggs & Ham;" true comedic professionals who got the sketch back on track – and then got an extra laugh out of it later in the sketch. Gillis aside, SNL had some excellent moments this weekend. "Father-Daughter Song" was a truly inspired (and twisted) musical sketch (did not see black mold coming), Rosalía brought beauty, grace, and passion to two amazing works of performance art, and "Weekend Update's" Colin Jost and Michael Che got their groove back with some quality cringe headlines that hit in all of the right ways. "Upfront Heating & Air Conditioning" was another twisted sketch that tapped into a whole lot of homeowners' fears, demonstrating SNL's ensemble strength.

But the night belonged to Grace Reiter, SNL's new featured player, who made a name for themselves via online comedy well before the long-running sketch comedy and music series came calling. I don't want to compare Reiter to previous SNL cast members (though Kate McKinnon is one name that comes to mind), because they're clearly bringing their own style. That was on display in some very big ways in "Chess Tournament," "Saying Goodbye," and "Weekend Update: A Mother Whose Babysitter Cancelled Shares Tips for Fall Family Fun," with Reiter showing serious skills playing diverse characters and a willingness to get physical to sell the joke. Especially in the "Weekend Update" segment, where Reiter held their own with Ashley Padilla's crazed, over-stressed mother, offering a perfect counterbalance of stares, body language, facial expressions, and an occasional line. And Gillis looked lost as Reiter owned the "Chess Tournament" sketch.

The final verdict? If I were grading Gillis alone, it would be a 5 – and that's rounding up. But when I add the SNL team into the mix, and how they found a way to make things work in spite of their host, the score goes up 2 points. While not the best way to head into the Halloween break, it's a solid one. After back-to-back shows that gave us Dakota Johnson's stinkfest and Gillis' steaming pile of a performance, it could've been worse.

Saturday Night Live Season 52: Shane Gillis & Rosalía

Review by Ray Flook

7/10

If EP Lorne Michaels is still dealing with leftover guilt over how Shane Gillis was treated by the network back in 2019, when his podcast mess came to light, then maybe he should deal with it on his own time. Therapist. Bartender. Priest. Dominatrix. Whatever works. What he needs to stop doing is making Saturday Night Live's cast, writers, and viewers pay for it. For someone who was this close to being a cast member and who Michaels has praised over the years as a missed opportunity, you can't suck this bad in sketches. For someone who has made a very successful living from stand-up comedy, you can't keep shitting the bed during the monologues. And yet, here we are - and what makes it worse is that this is Gillis' third run as SNL host. That means, at this rate, he could get fitted for a "Five-Timers" jacket by the end of 2028. That's just wrong on any number of levels. The final verdict? If I were grading Gillis alone, it would be a 5 - and that's rounding up. But when I add the SNL team into the mix, and how they found a way to make things work in spite of their host, the score goes up 2 points. While not the best way to head into the Halloween break, it's a solid one. After back-to-back shows that gave us Dakota Johnson's stinkfest and Gillis' steaming pile of a performance, it could've been worse.

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!