Seth MacFarlane can do a lot of voices. So it only made sense that for his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live’s season premiere, the 38-year-old paid homage to his famous talent.
About halfway through his monologue, MacFarlane transitioned into a song that was about, well, how his head is “filled with voices” like Kermit the Frog and George Takei.
But perhaps his strongest performance was on Weekend Update with Seth Meyers, when the Family Guy creator dipped into the shoes of Ryan Lochte. While MacFarlane did not deliver any “JEAH” bombs, he did have some of the evening’s best lines.
“If you hold your ear up to my ear, you can hear the ocean,” MacFarlane said as the Olympic swimmer in full warm-up gear, complete with gold medals and later, a juice box.
“It feels weird to be dry,” he also said, as Lochte.
What were some other highlights from the season premiere of ‘SNL?’
The show’s cold opener marked the official transition of power — of portraying President Barack Obama — from Fred Armisen to Jay Pharoah, whose past impersonations have included Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eddie Murphy.
Jason Sudeikis, with yet another effortless portrayal of Mitt Romney, also joined in on the opening sketch.
Bill Hader reprised his Clint Eastwood duties (high pants included), starring as the Oscar winning actor in an ad for a “comedy duo” tour with the empty chair from the Republic National Convention.
Meanwhile newcomers Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson and Cecily Strong (who replaced Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg and Abby Elliot) fared well on the season opener, given the limited screen time they had.
It was only a matter of time before Psy made his way to the SNL stage with his viral song and dance “Gangnam Style.” Kudos to the show for pairing Bobby Moynihan with the actual South Korean sensation in a sketch that made everyone want to do the horse-riding routine.
Musical guest Frank Ocean gave his everything on stage, belting out “Thinking About You” and “Pyramids,” with the help of John Mayer and his guitar.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to host the next installment of SNL, with tunes from Mumford & Sons.
What did you think of the season premiere of ‘Saturday Night Live?’ Share your thoughts below.
