“Saturday Night Live” Returns with New Faces for Its 40th Season
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NBC (NEW YORK) — There were a couple of “firsts” on the 40th-season premiere of NBC’s Saturday Night Live over the weekend.
It marked the first appearance of new SNL featured player Pete Davidson. The 20-year-old comedian took part in a memorable bit on “Weekend Update,” leading a pretty raunchy discussion about a sex act.
“Weekend Update” also unveiled its new anchor: Michael Che, who was named Cecily Strong’s replacement earlier this month. Che, who was a writer on the show last season, joined Colin Jost at the desk.
Former SNL star Darrell Hammond made his debut as the show’s announcer. He took over the role from the late Don Pardo, who passed away in August.
Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt hosted the season premiere, and Ariana Grande was the musical guest.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ratings were on par with that of last May’s season finale, but were down from the 2013 season premiere in the advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic.
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