In our mental image of Lorne Michaels, he’s a sort of comedy Caesar, a man so weary of his power that it’s difficult to imagine him caring whether the plebes out there get “excited” or not—but still, for those who still watch Saturday Night Live, there actually are a few reasons to get excited for the upcoming 36th season. Chief among them: the presence of hosts who have proven to be actually funny in the past and who are not teenagers, beginning Sept. 25 with Amy Poehler, and followed (in order) by Bryan Cranston, Jane Lynch, Emma Stone, and Jon Hamm—a perennial highlight who’s returning for his third straight year.
And of course, there are the previously reported additions of some new faces, including actual black guy Jay Pharoah. However, it appears that while I was selfishly on vacation, we failed to report that, according to the New York Times, the possibility of Pharoah taking over the role of Barack Obama from Fred Armisen has already been shot down, despite Pharoah’s proven abilities. We also failed to report that Jenny Slate—best known for playing the TV pitchwoman Tina-Tina Chaneuse, but really best known for dropping the F-bomb during last season’s premiere—will not be returning to the cast, though it’s possible Michaels meant to fire Nasim Pedrad and just got confused. Luckily for Slate, she's still got a viral hit in "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On," which will surely be turned into a 3D family franchise any day now.