SNL

SNL is having a banner year with its political sketches, but there’s no overlooking the absence of past favorites Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam. Pharoah in particular says the sketch comedy series had him in an “impression box,” and even had cast members commenting that he was undervalued.

No one was exactly surprised to see Alec Baldwin kicking off the final five SNL episodes of Season 42 as Donald Trump, though the reluctantly recurring star added yet another major media impression. See Alec Baldwin face off with Alec Baldwin, as the reigning SNL host pulls double-duty as Trump and Bill O’Reilly for a Fox News sketch.

Once upon a time, Alec Baldwin taking on the role of SNL’s Donald Trump seemed like an amusing guest spot to take us through the debates. Now, the question remains how long Baldwin will play the beleaguered president, especially as the reigning host claims he never wanted the role in the first place.

SNL has been piecemealing through 2017 with two shows a month, and our first April show is now confirmed to follow Scarlett Johansson. Comedian Louis C.K. will return to SNL for the first April 2017 show, joined by a first-time musical guest.

This coming Saturday will mark Scarlett Johansson’s fifth SNL hosting, enough that you’d think the Ghost in the Shell star had it down by now. Not so, according to her first 2017 promos, as Johansson undergoes rigorous training, while another cast member makes their return.

SNL’s schedule has been on and off this year, airing only two episodes each month, though fans might have noticed young star Pete Davidson notably absent in recent weeks. Davidson’s social media had also been threadbare before today, wherein the comedian announced he’d taken time off to concentrate on a newfound sobriety.

The ongoing saga of SNL’s antagonistic relationship with the Trump administration yielded some strange results last week, as Melissa McCarthy’s Sean Spicer impression reportedly upset the tweeter-in-chief by casting a woman in a male role. The internet was quick to yield additional suggestions for female stars to play male Trump staff, including his longtime target Rosie O’Donnell, though SNL apparently declined.

It was back in August we first learned that NBC would experiment with a few Snapchat additions to its most viral shows, and you’ve had at least four months to figure out what that means. Nonetheless, SNL is venturing into Snapchat content with its new Boycott series, as cast members try to get away from the Trump brand.

Alec Baldwin’s been a regular presence at SNL this season, but surely his seventeenth official hosting turn is a big deal, right? Well, maybe not, judging by the reigning Trump impersonator’s promos, which see Baldwin revisiting his SNL past.

McCarthy wowed 'SNL' audiences with her take on President Trump's Press Secretary.