Scot Bertram

James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman Take Over as Cecily Strong Bolts

Season 48 of Saturday Night Live represented a subtle but notable step forward for a show that had been mired in several years of creative stagnation. While far from a return to peak form, the season was generally considered a “standard deviation” — a slight improvement that, while still below average in historical terms, felt like a more “normal” SNL season after a prolonged slump.

The season was divided cleanly in half, largely due to the writers’ strike that cut it down to 18 episodes. The midpoint also coincided with a major cast change: longtime cast member Cecily Strong departed after episode nine. Her exit, whether by design or coincidence, marked a turning point. The back half of the season saw a noticeable uptick in quality, with hosts delivering stronger performances and sketches showing more cohesion. Strong’s departure allowed more room for newer voices and fresher sketch formats.

The cast underwent significant changes heading into Season 48. Veterans Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, and others left at the end of Season 47. Four new featured players joined: Marcelo Hernandez, Molly Kearney (the show’s first nonbinary cast member), Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. Of the new arrivals, Hernandez made the strongest early impression with a Weekend Update bit on baseball that drew from his stand-up act — a segment reportedly greenlit after a personal request from Lorne Michaels.

The departure of Strong helped shift focus to cast members like Sarah Sherman, Chloe Fineman, and especially James Austin Johnson, whose portrayal of Donald Trump was widely praised as one of the best political impressions in SNL history. While the material didn’t always match the brilliance of his performance, Johnson’s Trump was a highlight of the season and deserves a spot on any hypothetical Mount Rushmore of SNL presidential impressions.

One of the standout recurring segments this season was Weekend Update, which experienced a renaissance in the second half. Co-anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost appeared looser, more confident, and frequently funnier. A memorable moment came during the April Fool’s episode, when Che convinced the audience not to laugh at Jost’s jokes, leading to a baffled and humiliated Jost before the prank was revealed mid-segment. The spontaneity reminded viewers of the live unpredictability that once defined the show.

Guest hosts played an outsized role in boosting Season 48’s quality. Aubrey Plaza, Pedro Pascal, Travis Kelce, Quinta Brunson, and Ana de Armas all turned in unexpectedly strong hosting performances. The hosts’ effectiveness was especially critical given the ensemble nature of the current cast; there is no dominant comedic force like a Will Ferrell or Kristen Wiig to carry weaker sketches.

Despite improvements, the season still struggled with fundamental issues. Few sketches broke through to genuine “classic” status, and neither co-host awarded any five-star ratings. The writing continued to feel insular at times, focused more on niche online discourse than on broader national concerns. For example, despite inflation being one of the defining issues of 2022–2023, the show barely mentioned it — even in Weekend Update. Political and cultural references skewed toward a narrow, progressive slice of the audience, limiting relatability.

In sum, while Season 48 won’t be remembered as a triumph, it provided some hope that SNL may be moving back toward creative stability. With fresh cast members gaining traction, Weekend Update regaining its edge, and an ensemble learning how to gel, the back half of the season hinted at what the show could become again. Season 48 may not have soared, but at least it stopped the free fall.