For the second week in a row, Saturday Night Live is welcoming two newbie headliners in host Glen Powell and musical guest Olivia Dean.
For Powell, the opportunity has been a long time coming. When SNL announced he’d be hosting, he joked on social media, “Spy Kids 3D finally paid off.” Powell appeared in the 2003 film when he was just 12 years old; he’s now the tenth cast member from Spy Kids 3D to host the show.
But Powell’s Spy Kids connection isn’t the only story we’re tracking ahead of this season’s sixth episode. Here are five storylines we’ll be watching this Saturday night:
The SNL Test
Saturday Night Live has a long history of handing the reins to actors who aren’t traditionally known for comedy. It doesn’t always translate smoothly, but when it works, it really works—Alec Baldwin, Jon Hamm, and most recently Timothée Chalamet all arrived with relatively low expectations and wound up delivering standout comedic turns. Glen Powell now joins that lineage of “surprise us” hosts. Can he pull off the same trick?
Manning the Role
Powell may not be flying solo this weekend. Peyton and Eli Manning—both former SNL hosts—are executive producers on Powell’s new series Chad Powers, based on a character Eli created while posing as a walk-on football player for an Omaha Productions bit. Given the connection, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one of the Mannings drop by Studio 8H. Peyton most recently made a cameo during the Audience Q&A segment in SNL50: The Anniversary Special, while Eli’s last appearance came in 2012.
Returning the Favor
Sydney Sweeney is another possible cameo candidate. Powell appeared alongside her when she hosted in Season 49, popping into her monologue to joke about dating rumors and later playing her secret lover in that episode’s “Loud Table” sketch. With Sweeney currently on the press circuit promoting her new film Christy, it’s not hard to imagine her returning the favor.
The Running Men
Last week showed how useful it can be to have history with a first-time host—Tommy Brennan, who previously opened for Nikki Glaser, landed the first post-monologue sketch. This week, two SNLers may be similarly positioned: James Austin Johnson and Martin Herlihy, both of whom appear in Powell’s new action thriller The Running Man. Johnson is coming off a huge episode in which he led the cast in screen time, and Herlihy is sitting on a cut-for-time short, Green Flags, that has now been shelved for two consecutive weeks.
Kam He Do It?
In the Season 51 premiere, rookie featured player Kam Patterson quieted the skeptics with a “Weekend Update” debut in which he addressed his own hiring—an appearance that still accounts for nearly a third of his total screen time this season, per our resident SNL statistician Mike Murray. Since then, Patterson has popped up in a number of small roles, but has yet to anchor a sketch. With Jeremy Culhane finally breaking through last week (shrieking about his pinwheel alongside Mikey Day), Kam is due for his own showcase before the show heads into its Thanksgiving break.
This weekend’s Saturday Night Live airs Saturday, Nov. 15 at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. Join us at LateNighter.com immediately after for the Saturday Night Network’s live after-show, where SNL experts and superfans share their hot takes on the night’s best and worst moments.
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