Colman Domingo Is a Fabulous Host On a Not-So-Fabulous 'SNL'

Cold Open — And the Trump Cold Open is back. Like many of you, I try to avoid that man. Like many of you, I also encountered his Iran speech a couple of weeks ago. I think that James Austin Johnson’s impression is dated. There’s not enough teeth sucking and nose breathing. Honestly, I think that Colin just writes these cold opens now so he can appear as Hegseth, and even that has lost its novelty. Chloe’s Melania impression is good, though. (Watch Here) (Score: 5 out of 10)

Colman Domingo — Well, this man is fabulous. He spends his monologue creating a vibe, and the vibe is good. I have a good feeling about tonight’s episode. (Score: 6.5 out of 10)

Fashion District Robbery — There was a bank robbery in the fashion district, and a teacher and his students from a nearby fashion school witnessed it, and all they can talk about is his hideous fashion. Colman, again, is fabulous. (Score: 7 out of 10)

Uneek Kutz Barbershop — White guys in need of therapy but without the money to afford it have found a new outlet for their mental health needs: Black barbershops. I love it. Mat skit of the week. (Score: 7.5 out of 10)

Artemis II — It’s day 9, the astronauts are bored and stir crazy, and Victor is trying to make a thoughtful video, but the rest of the astronauts are cutting up and doing stupid experiments with gravity. Silly, but not quite silly enough (a running theme for the rest of the show). (Watch here) (Score: 5 out of 10)

What If I Told You — OK, well. Colman Domingo plays the host of a show called What If I Told You, and the concept is that every normal object in the room is actually a person. This one is dumb, but not dumb enough. (Watch Here) (Score: 4 out of 10)

Weekend Update — There’s a really good job about cards, and a clip of JD Vance that speaks for itself, but the rest of the political jokes tonight are … bad. And then there are two kids from the back of the bus here to talk about inflation, but mostly make deez nuts jokes (Kam Patterson is getting more screentime in this episode). The non-political jokes are much better, and Jane Wickline wraps it up as a Gen Z sex expert who doesn’t know anything about sex. (Score: 6 out of 10)

Grandpa’s Wake — And the show now begins its slide with a funeral where the grandsons learn from their grandfather’s friends that he had a secret life as a sex worker. Rough. (Watch Here) (Score: 3.5 out of 10)

Prep School — What if Dead Poets Society with a non-conformist, free-thinking teacher, but the subject is … math. Great concept. And the skit is just silly enough to mostly work. (Score: 6 out of 10)

Beastomorphs — The 10-1 skit is apparently an attempt to win over the stoner demographic. It’s teens who transform into animals, but transform back into themselves in time for dinner, unless they fart or sneeze mid-transformation. Or something. (Watch Here) (Score: 4 out of 10)

And the goodbyes got badly cut off. Domingo is like, “Tonight was for all the little boys in inner cities …” NBA commercial. Even on streaming, they cut it off? That’s messed up. The whole show has really been a letdown for an otherwise great host.