News & Interviews for Saturday Night Live: Season 40

Critic Reviews for Saturday Night Live Season 40

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (2)

This inaugural test run may have been a failure, but it's certainly not a death wish. All eyes will most likely be on Che as the season continues.

Sep 13, 2018 | Full Review…

Zack Sharf

indieWire

Top Critic

It was a good opener, sporadically very good.

Sep 29, 2014 | Full Review…

Verne Gay

Newsday

Top Critic

Toward the end of "Weekend Update," Pete Davidson, the latest addition to the cast, and the youngest - he's the first SNL'er born in the '90s - showed up. The material was great.

Sep 29, 2014 | Full Review…

Amos Barshad

Grantland

Top Critic

What we hope for are a few good sketches, one terrific taped parody, a couple of flattering showcases for the guest host, and, if we're lucky, an entertaining music act. By this modest measure, the 40th-season premiere was almost very good.

Sep 29, 2014 | Full Review…

Ken Tucker

Hollywood Reporter

Top Critic

Striding into the show as the superstar that he is, Pratt's desire to be one of the gang was endearing, if not especially memorable.

Sep 29, 2014 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Dennis Perkins

AV Club

Top Critic

Staring at itself in the bathroom mirror at age 40, SNL definitely looks its age. And though there is nothing wrong with an existential crisis every decade or so, there are warning flags that what got us to this point, may not get us to 50.

Oct 6, 2014 | Rating: 4/10 | Full Review…

Chris White

Paste Magazine

The episode was made solid by a few surprises and a few explosive performances.

Sep 29, 2014 | Full Review…

Jason Tabrys

ScreenRant

View All Critic Reviews (7)

Audience Reviews for Saturday Night Live: Season 40

• May 21, 2018

  BAD AND GETTING WORSE
  las l
• Feb 17, 2015

  40th anniversarry special was good, but too many commercials and too many musical guests.
  

  Troy K
• Feb 16, 2015

  Saturday Night Live celebrated it's 40th anniversary last night. I was very excited watching all of the commercials leading up to the big event. Wow! Horribly unfunny to the point that I was uncomfortable. The only few times I laughed was when they were showed old material. I don't know how you have that many stars and such no funny material. Just like in the 80s I assumed Eddie might save the show, but his 20 sec serious thank you was awkward, like SNL died or something. I finally broke when Kanye was introduced. RIP SNL. We'll always have the good times.
  Jonathan Y
• Dec 26, 2014

  this show was actually funny 38 years ago, but not since. Lorne Michaels is an example of a mad dictator. Put a fork in this show it was done 38 years ago.
  Larry C
• Sep 29, 2014

  For those of us old enough to remember the 1st cast of SNL, we've had to get used to "transition years" between strong casts. They suck. They are hard to watch. Yet, a year or two goes by and we see the bright stars from the experimental casting. The thing is, if you watch a lot of SNL, you can tell when someone has IT. Jay Pharoah, Aidy Bryant,Cecily Strong, Taran Killam and Kate McKinnon are the most recent who lit up the screen the minute they premiered. Beck Bennett is quickly reaching that status as well. However, there are others who aren't making it and are being given entirely too much rope. First, there is Colin Jost. I've heard so much good about him, but his writing on Weekend Update last year, along with Cecily's stoic delivery, made the typically funniest part of SNL, the worst. For some reason, Colin was kept, though Cecily was demoted in favor of Michael Che, who, while he was clearly nervous, ended up doing ok. However, the writing on the whole "newscast" was very weak. Since Jost is the head writer, that poor writing is finding its way into the mediocre sketches too. Second, the terribly unfunny Kyle Mooney video shorts appear to be something that Lorne Michaels likes. I remember Andy Samberg being a little hard to swallow in the beginning too, but he ended up being a brilliant addition. However, I don't see Mooney's very dry style taking off in the same way. His pieces for the past year, including the terrible one during the season premier this year, have all been boring. Like with all transition seasons, though, there appears to be a highlight: the introduction of young (20 years old) Pete Davidson. His Weekend Update "stand up" routine was very funny. Let's see if he can keep it up. Unfortunately, the good cast members were used in a limited fashion for the sake of highlighting the new folks. This was a poor approach. SNL needs to pick up in week 2 with heavy use of the strong cast and occasional use of new members.
  Jeff N
• Sep 27, 2014

  Always the Greatest Season 40 Rocks !
  

  Joe M

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