Nate Bargatze Hosts the Best 'SNL' In 2023

By Dustin Rowles | TV | October 29, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | October 29, 2023 |

I apologize that SNL is up late this morning. I had to watch several sketches twice. It’s that good.

Cold Open — Mikey Day is on Joe Biden impression duty these days. It looked like it was going to be a “Joe Biden is old” sketch, and it is, but it’s also a Mike Johnson has a Black son no one knows about sketch, and then Christopher Walken shows up and saves the whole damn thing. (Watch Here) (Score: 6 out of 10)

Nate Bargatze Monologue — If you don’t know Nate Bargatze (which is many of us), he’s a stand-up comedian from Tennessee. He is very funny, and his Tennessee accent is comforting. His monologue is excellent — it’s the best monologue in I don’t know how long. At least since Mulaney. (Score: 8.5 out of 10)

Chef Showdown - Two chefs — one white, and one Black — compete in a competition where they cook Soul food. The judges have no idea which chef cooked which dish … but they think they do until they discover that the white Chef is responsible for the better Soul food. He’s very apologetic. It’s great, and then Padma Lakshmi shows up, and it’s even better. We’re possibly in for a very good show. (Score: 7.5 out of 10)

Hallmark Horror Movie — The girlfriend returns home and reunites with his high-school boyfriend, who is now a serial killer in A Stab at Love. How has no one thought of this already? Also, is every Hallmark Movie just Sweet Home Alabama? (Score: 6 out of 10)

George Washington — George Washington gives the troops a rousing speech during the Revolutionary War by telling them what the war is really about: America’s ability to come up with its own weights and measurements. Down with the metric system! Fucking spectacular. I don’t remember laughing this much as a single sketch in a long time. (Score: 9 out of 10)

Down on a Lake Beach — A Southern comic brings a Southern parody song. Dave Grohl makes a cameo, and I have never felt more at home on an SNL. Leave it to Nate Bargatze to make me homesick … down on a lake beach. I give a 10/10 maybe once a year. This one deserves it. It’s also the Mat sketch of the week, because there are lake beaches in New Hampshire and Maine, too. (Score: 10 out of 10)

Fran Drescher’s Halloween — SAG President Fran Drescher lectures kids about wearing Halloween costumes from struck shows and offers great alternatives, like Hoda Kotb or Harry Potter, as described in the book. (Watch Here) (Score: 6 out of 10)

Weekend Update — The political jokes are solid (esp. the Mitch McConnell one). Sarah Sherman comes out as Colin Jost’s agent, which is just an excuse to make jokes at Colin’s expense (the best jokes), and the weird-and-wacky jokes are the superior ones, per usual of late. (Score: 7 out of 10)

Second Best Job — A woman in labor on an airplane needs a doctor, but the passengers instead debate about what the second best job is after a doctor. (Watch Here) (Score: 6 out 10)

Please Don’t Destroy — The guys have discovered a new meals service. It’s called Dawg Food. It’s dog food. (Score: 7.5 out of 10)