Saturday Night Live has already aired a few memorable sketches this fall, but the long-running sketch comedy series is going to amp things up considerably in the coming weeks. No offense to Tracy Morgan and Miley Cyrus, the upcoming SNL hosting lineup is dynamite, probably because the network is having Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host… at the same time. Upcoming episodes will also feature Chris Hemsworth, Ryan Gosling and Bruce Springsteen.
Usually by the end of December, there’s not a lot to get excited for on television. Other than a few Christmas specials, most TV programs have wrapped up for their winter hiatus at that point and most midseason shows haven’t premiered, yet. However, NBC’s Saturday Night Live is closing out the year with a very special holiday episode on December 19. As noted prior, Poehler and Fey will host together, making it the most glorious onscreen SNL reunion since the network aired SNL 40 last winter. Please, please tell me they kick Michael Che and Colin Jost off of the “Weekend Update” desk. It’ll be an early holiday break for you, boys.
Not to be outdone—but actually, yes, to be outdone—Ryan Gosling and Chris Hemsworth will both be hosting in the coming weeks. The network announced this morning that Ryan Gosling will host the December 5 episode of the series; the musical guest that week will be Leon Bridges. It’ll be the first time for both of them, so that should be cute. The following weekend (December 12), Chris Hemsworth will be returning for his second time as host. Last time, he memorably did a funny Avengers sketch, although I’m not sure if the show will milk the Marvel angle this time around.
Chance The Rapper will be the musical guest during that episode and he’s also never appeared on the Studio 8H stage before.
I know it’s hard to get excited about any of the other guests when we know Poehler and Fey--both former SNL veterans and funny, funny women--will be coming up, but just to prove the late night series is going to end the year with a bang, NBC has also nabbed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to perform. Springsteen and the gang has a box set called The Ties That Bind: The River Collection coming up, but since much of that is concert footage, who knows what they are going to play? NBC certainly wants you to tune in to find out.
Fey and Poehler have the new movie Sisters hitting theaters on December 18 (which looks hilarious), so doubtless the Saturday Night Live gig is a great way to cross promote. However, the two comedians actually seem to really enjoy doing stuff like this together, as evidenced by the numerous times they hosted the Golden Globes in recent years. Plus, they both have a lot of experience, having both worked on SNL for years and years before breaking big with their own TV and movie projects.
The December 19 episode won’t be the first time multiple people have hosted the show. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short memorably hosted an episode together in the eighties and a few other double hosts have popped up over the years. But this one should be particularly exciting, so be sure to tune in to NBC on Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. ET when SNL airs.
