Saturday Night Live UK’s opening show has been greeted with cautious but generally positive reviews.
The US version of SNL, broadcast in America on NBC, is a pop culture institution which has been running for 50 years, and launched the careers of stars including Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell.
Tina Fey hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live UK. Pic: Sky
While expectations have been high at Sky HQ that a UK version of the format will be successful, others have pointed out the challenges of creating new event TV in such a fragmented media world.
But, according to Steve Bennett, writing for the British comedy website Chortle, the SNL UK debut has delivered. “Whisper it, but I think they might just have nailed it,” he writes
Pic: Sky
“[The show has] been greeted with either feverish excitement that it could instantly become as successful as its parent, reviving British sketch comedy at a stroke, or aggressive pessimism that it’ll be shit – an unwelcome transatlantic invasion that couldn’t possibly work with our more cynical sense of humour.
“Neither is absolutely true but tonight’s episode, a very strong opener, offers great hope it’s the former.”
The show was seen by 226,000 viewers in its 10PM slot on Sky One and won a 3.2% share of the available TV audience at the time, according to official BARB figures reported on the Deadline website.
Read more: ‘The idea that it’s going to be a bit naff, it’s just insane to me’
Elsewhere, the Independent’s Nick Hilton gave the debut three stars out of five, for “some hits, some misses, and a bang-on Princess Di impression”.
Jack Shep as Diana, Princess of Wales. Pic: Sky
“Judging a show like SNL off its opening episode is foolish”, he writes, before adding: “What SNL UK’s opening episode does demonstrate is a willingness to push the envelope, to risk bad taste.
“Borrowing a beloved American format might feel a bit stale, but there are notes of new ingredients that could offer something fresh.”
Ania Magliano co-presented Weekend Update. Pic: Sky
Paddy Young co-presented Weekend Update. Pic: Sky
Giving the same score, The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan said that SNL UK’s debut “didn’t fail and it could have been a lot worse”.
She added: “The general feeling, I think, will be that the inaugural episode of Saturday Night Live UK – Sky’s version of the famous 51-year-old American original founded and still overseen by the infamous Lorne Michaels – did work.”
“It could have been a lot, lot worse”, she added. “And it could have been a lot better… honestly – it felt refreshing to see an ambition/piece of madness like retooling a legacy US brand for this septic isle even being attempted.”
However, she did say one sketch was “an absolute piece of rubbish”.
In The Sunday Times Charlotte Ivers was pleased that the show did not shy away from edgier humour, writing: “There’s something quite refreshing about seeing TV comedians really push close to the line.”
But, she added, “sadly, in many cases the jokes don’t live up to the risk”.
Tina Fey and the cast of SNL UK. Pic: Sky
Some of the most positive – if not faint – praise came from The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power’s four-star review, who gave credit to guest host Ms Fey and the “shockingly competent” debut.
“Funny in places and never actively harmful to your emotional well-being, it went about as well as could be hoped”, he added.
“The only glaring issue was what sounded like deafening canned laughter throughout. If the chuckles genuinely were artificial, then it was surely overkill on the part of the producers.
“Against all reasonable expectations, this homegrown Saturday Night Live was more than capable of raising real laughs on its own.”
Before the UK version aired on Saturday, Sky confirmed another two episodes had been commissioned, extending its run to eight shows
Saturday Night Live UK will return on Sky and Now on 28 March, hosted by Jamie Dornan and featuring band Wolf Alice. It will stream on Peacock in the US the following night.