“Live from London, it’s Saturday night!”

The new U.K. version of America’s beloved late-night sketch comedy show, “Saturday Night Live,” premiered March 21 on Sky One. The show’s debut episode was hosted by legendary “SNL” cast member and comedian Tina Fey.

A bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new cast took the Television Centre stage in London for their first live show. While I wholeheartedly believe everything sounds better in a British accent, the actors also had comedic backbones behind their accents and brought fresh perspectives to the 51-year-old show.

In the first episode, Fey’s advanced comedic quality offered a refreshing respite from the growing tiredness of “SNL.” Second and third episode hosts, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed, respectively, were decently funny but fell short of Fey’s performance.

“SNL U.K.” episodes follow the template of live sketches mixed with pre-recorded skits, a “Weekend Update” segment and a musical guest. The cast and writers successfully maintained “SNL’s” well-known structure while simultaneously differentiating themselves with their own lighthearted energy. 

The U.K. version also adopted the typical political comedy in its cold opens. I initially worried that I would fail to understand references to British politics, but the writers attempted to appeal to a more global audience. During the cold open in episode two, actors Jack Shep, Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye and Celeste Dring mentioned controversial figures like Prince Andrew, suggesting his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein was part of a 29-year plan to make his brother, Prince Charles, look better. 

One of my favorite sketches followed Fey’s cold open of the first episode. It was a pre-recorded advertisement spoof featuring “undérage,” an anti-aging cream so effective that women who use it make their husbands look like a “nonce,” British slang for a child molester. I was glad to see the show taking risks right out of the gate.

While the entire inaugural cast made an impression, my favorite cast members so far are Animashaun and Shep. In the first episode, Animashaun portrayed a rogue press tour interviewer with impeccable timing, never breaking character. Meanwhile, Shep appeared as a frontrunner in many sketches. He stunned as Princess Diana in a sketch recreating “The Last Supper” with prominent English figures. He also depicted the Paul Mescal version of William Shakespeare in a sketch inspired by the 2025 movie “Hamnet.”

Another favorite cast member of mine is Ania Magliano. Magliano is one of two “Weekend Update” hosts, a coveted repeat segment of “SNL.” She and her co-host Paddy Young face the difficulty of mirroring long-time U.S. “Weekend Update” hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. While Jost and Che use their established personas to lift their jokes, Maglaino and Young are required to land their jokes without reputations to fall back on. 

The pair’s first “Weekend Update” felt more like a newscast than a sketch, with few “guests” and more large-scale news events than gimmicky ones. By the third episode, however, they had at least three guests visit the “reporters,” adding more liveliness to the segment.  

The first episode welcomed many cameos, including Michael Cera, Nicola Coughlan and Regé-Jean Page, to carry weaker sketches. While I understand the attempt to gain attention for the show with these cameos, it needs to be more confident in its comedy and not rely on celebrities as a cop-out.

Overall, though, the first episode was a phenomenal debut for “SNL U.K.” Still, quality and viewership declined as the episodes went on, according to Forbes.

Nonetheless, I have faith in the playfulness of the U.K. writers and cast. If they stick to their own identities and continue to find their footing, they have a shot at solidifying themselves in the late-night comedy scene. 

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