Keegan-Michael Key Brings The Muppets Back to Saturday Night Live
Keegan-Michael Key Brings The Muppets Back to Saturday Night Live
This weekend, sketch comedy legend Keegan-Michael Key hosted Saturday Night Live, and brought back some felty friends from SNL past!
News
Return of the Muppets
Keegan-Michael Key had the pleasure of starring alongside some first season SNL alumni. Key shared the stage with Muppets Kermit, Statler and Waldorf, and it was the best sketch of the night.
The Muppets were recurring cast members of sorts during the first season of the show in 1975 & 1976. Jim Henson created characters specifically for the show. Generally confined within the recurring Land of Gorch segment, the characters got a lot of screen time, and were performed by Muppet legends such as Henson himself and Frank Oz.
Beyond their numerous appearances on SNL, the Land of Gorch characters were short lived, and only appeared again in a crowd shot of the 1979 Muppet film The Muppet Movie.
But the Muppets have maintained a colourful connection to Saturday Night Live over the years. The real stars of the Muppets – Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird to name a few – have all made appearances alongside the SNL cast. It’s been about half a decade since their last appearance though, and who better to make their comeback alongside but Keegan-Michael Key?
News
Key’s Songologue
Key’s monologue followed two classic formats: a song about hosting the show, and audience questions.
These are typical go-to’s for SNL monologues, and they usually hit the mark. While the material wasn’t as out there as one might expect from Keegan-Michael Key, it filled out the formula quite nicely.
Key’s episode was surprisingly void of non-felt cameos, and that’s alright! He’s a strong enough performer that his episode wouldn’t need to rely on them. And he brought that skill to the stage for one of the best episodes of the season!
Saturday Night Live returns next week May 22 with Anya Taylor-Joy as host and Lil Nas X as musical guest! Don’t miss it, 11.30 et/8.30 pt on Global!
Saturday Night Live can be streamed live and On Demand on the new Global TV App and on STACKTV. Global is also available through all major TV service providers.