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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter.

Came all this way, had to explain
that SNL is BACK (maybe not better than ever, but better than it has been for a hot minute). Sketches are going viral on TikTok, we’ve been getting hosts and musical guests I could only dream of, and I feel like the show is actually part of the cultural conversation again! If you had asked me a couple of years ago, I never would have imagined that SNL would go back to being such a huge part of pop culture.

So, what’s going on? All of a sudden people care about watching Saturday Night Live again. I think SNL owes a lot of this new attention to the way that they are catering to a younger audience. 

Firstly, I think that Saturday Night, the movie depicting the very first SNL broadcast, made a lot of people start thinking about the show again. Personally, all I needed to hear was “Dylan O’Brien and Rachel Sennott” for it to be my most anticipated watch of the year. And I can confirm that the movie made me appreciate the show so much more and made me want to go back and watch a bunch of old episodes. 

I think we’re also starting to see the writers beginning to be on the pulse of what’s trending – and it’s paying off. The sketches are playing into online trends in real time, some of my recent favorites being Timothee Chalamet as Troye Sivan and the Tiktok For You Page sketch. They’re also doing a great job when it comes to picking musical artists. From getting Chappell Roan to debut her new song to getting my underrated king Mk.gee, I am consistently impressed this season with the show’s commitment to being culturally relevant.

And of course, this article would be nothing if I didn’t mention how much of this fame is owed to Marcello Hernandez. He is a certified KING and I think the show is starting to realize what a gem he is. From the infamous Domingo sketch to him actually playing Domingo in the crowd at Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘N Sweet Tour, Marcello is becoming the kind of breakout SNL star we haven’t seen since the days of Tina Fey or Amy Poehler. 

That being said, I still don’t think the show is as good as it was in the golden era of the 2000s. However, I’m starting to find myself excited to watch every week and scrolling through social media waiting to see what everyone else is saying about the episode. I can only hope that SNL will continue this upward momentum (and guys, PLEASE let Rachel Sennott host the show)!

Kelly is a second-year Communications major at UCLA from Pasadena, California. During her free time, she can usually be found lost in a book, grabbing a coffee, or obsessing over the latest reality TV show.